Exceeds Expectations

Rating: 9/10 (28 April 2018)

It's a blast when a film not only meets expectations, but exceeds them. This uses the whole toolkit that the Marvel films have accumulated over the years, and finds exactly the right mix of familiar and new, humor and drama. It's like a runaway freight train but it knows that and does nothing to take away from the rush of being on board. Great stuff.
As far as specifics, the new combinations of characters are a joy, it's confident and intrepid visually and the rationale of why the villain is doing what he does comes across better than one would expect. There are a couple of scenes that seem contrived to push a lever for the story, but in such a grand scheme, hardly worth mentioning. This is far better than Age of Ultron, a real return to form for the Avengers.