Avengers: Age of Ultron Reviews

I grew tired of the X-Men franchise last year and this may be the year I grow tired of the Marvel/Avengers movies. Nothing really impressed me in this bloated action movie that seemed to forget what made the first one successful, very similar to how I view Iron Man 1 and 2.

Even with this I can't deny the skills that went into making the production, plus it's become impossible to dislike anything with Downey.

No matter how much 'Avengers'/Marvel detractors go out of their way to suggest that those who legitimately like the 'Avengers' films and Marvel's output are wrong and invent ridiculous conspiracy theories without proof, this reviewer loved 'Avengers Assemble' while acknowledging that it wasn't perfect.

'Avengers: Age of Ultron' is a solid sequel, though not as good as 'Assemble' and not without its flaws. There are a few longueurs in the pacing, as a result of a few overlong scenes that don't go very far (as admirable as it was to do more with Hawkeye's character, the farm scene did grind the film to a halt somewhat), parts that were not as developed as one would have liked or didn't add much to the film and some of the many characters are more interesting than others.

While one does admire that more was attempted to be done with Hawkeye, he still felt underwritten and not always necessary. Ultron, despite a cool appearance and chilling voice work from James Spader, is an underdeveloped, not very interesting and one-dimensional villain and doesn't pose enough of a threat. And while most of the comedy is funny and witty, there are moments that jar too much when the scene is serious or intense and it spoils the mood.

However, 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' looks fantastic, very slickly shot and edited with sumptuous and atmospheric set and costume design and quite spectacular special effects. The music avoids being overbearing or over-bombastic, as well as avoiding being too quirky or one-note. Joss Whedon ensures that the fun and tension rarely slips and that a good deal of the characterisation is interesting, visually and stylistically there is nothing to fault here.

Furthermore, the film is wittily, cleverly and intelligently scripted with a good deal of the tonal shifts handled well with only some jarring humour disappointing. While not perfect in execution, the story is absorbing, there are plenty of fun moments, thrillingly choreographed and executed action scenes (especially the earth-shattering climax) and while it could have been developed a little more and could have been less forced when introduced Hulk and Black Widow's relationship is given admirably sensitive treatment here.

The film's characters are mostly interesting and engaging, not complex but that wasn't expected. The acting is impeccable, Robert Downey Jnr, Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans really excel in roles tailor made for them, while Scarlett Johansson gives a fearless intensity to Black Widow and Mark Ruffalo is by far the best and most layered live-action Hulk. As said, James Spader is chilling as the voice of Ultron, and one does wish that more was done with the character, Paul Bettany and Samuel L. Jackson are great value and Aaron Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen play the newcomer roles with plenty of fire. Jeremy Renner does what he can.

Overall, a solid sequel if not as good as 'Avengers Assemble'. 7/10 Bethany Cox

A 5 años de su estreno, Age of Ultron aún es reconocida por los fans de Avengers como la peor de la tetralogía. Por el contrario, yo sostengo que hace mejor todo lo que hizo especial a la primera y más.
La primer Avengers es una película de acción bastante promedio que destacó por unir varias franquicias en una historia coherente y sacar provecho de sus famosos personajes siendo consistente con sus personalidades y habilidades, resultando en divertidas interacciones de todo tipo con ligeros desarrollos.
En esta secuela, el conflicto emocional va más allá de un puñado de desconocidos tratando de trabajar en equipo, y en cambio tenemos una exploración más profunda de los personajes, haciéndoles cuestionarse los fundamentos de su forma de vida y dándole un arco a cada uno en torno a unas mismas temáticas.

Iron Man enfrenta su hibris al intentar acabar con la necesidad de héroes en el mundo, pero al ponerse esta solución en su contra retorna a la defensa del orden establecido, por lo que redefine su percepción de la vida de héroe. Contrasta con la hipocresía del Capitán América, quien sólo puede identificarse como un héroe y le atormenta la idea de un mundo sin guerra, por lo que encuentra su hogar liderando a los nuevos Avengers. Bruce y Natasha también abordan a su manera la dificultad de balancear la vida de héroe con sus necesidades emocionales, proyectando el uno en el otro la oportunidad de empezar una vida nueva; y si bien es cierto que la elipsis entre las películas hace a su relación forzada, se justifica que ante la imposibilidad de tener una vida normal fuercen esta relación condenada a fracasar; no es un verdadero romance sino dos arcos opuestos de héroes que tratan de vivir con la sangre en sus manos. Thor y Hawkeye, al contrario, son los menos comprometidos y los del desarrollo más simple: El primero deja de autopercibirse como una máquina de destrucción y enfoca su nueva lucha en el futuro, y aunque pase una importante parte de la película alejado del grupo, expresa su renovada confianza en los humanos yéndose para luchar batallas a su nivel. De forma similar, Hawkeye, quien contrasta con los demás por ser quien mejor ordenada tiene su vida, deposita su confianza en el nuevo equipo dándole prioridad a su vida privada de forma decisiva.
Dadas estas múltiples perspectivas sobre la vida del superhéroe, el nivel personal al que conocemos a los personajes, y que sus perspectivas se afecten entre ellas y vayan modificándose mientras aprenden a vivir con sus demonios internos, haciéndole justicia al énfasis en la necesidad humana de seguir creciendo sin importar el poder que se aparenta tener, la película destaca entre otras obras genéricas de "superhéroes salvando el mundo".
Claro, por la forma en que está estructurado el MCU ningún personaje tiene una conclusión a largo plazo a no ser que sea su última aparición, pero eso no impide establecer un nuevo status quo en sus vidas que marca un desarrollo en relación al conflicto de la película.
Todo esto en torno a una reinterpretación de Frankenstein, que convierte al científico en superhéroes y convierte al monstruo en un robot genocida, heredando la crítica al desarrollo tecnológico propia de la ciencia ficción. Por un lado critica al positivista que cree que puede resolver todos los problemas de la humanidad con su tecnología, encarnado en Tony Stark, pero al igual que otras películas de superhéroes, superar las crisis a nivel humano termina restaurando la perspectiva optimista de la tecnología, que resulta en la creación de la figura apolínea digna del martillo de Thor, sintetizando en él no sólo la tecnología humana, sino también las fuerzas místicas y cósmicas que escapan de su entendimiento. Vision no es un personaje con tanta personalidad como los otros, pero funciona como un símbolo de la evolución optimista por la que pasan los Avengers en contraste al pesimismo que alcanza Ultron.

Ultron merece atención especial, puesto que fácilmente es lo que más dividió al público. Por un lado está la gente que piensa que Ultron es un clásico robot que racionaliza el deber de "mantener la paz" para justificar la extinción de la humanidad como necesaria, lo que muestra que esa gente no prestó atención, puesto que cuando Ultron decide acabar con la humanidad ya abandonó su propósito inicial. A su vez la gente se queja de su personalidad, que es muy expresivo y hace muchos chistes; este grupo por lo general se esperaba algo más cercano al Ultron de los cómics, el que es una máquina fría y calculadora que sólo existe para cumplir su propósito, pero en esta historia el nuevo Ultron es más eficiente e interesante. Este Ultron es más emocional y humano, desarrolla una verdadera pasión por su causa como también puede desencantarse, puede tomarse cosas con humor como también puede sentirse abandonado, y se la pasa expresando su ideología en frases poéticas que afirman su superioridad espiritual, aunque cometa errores por su arrogancia, es mucho más cercano al monstruo de Frankenstein que a HAL3000, y funciona muy bien.
Me encanta cómo sintetiza los problemas de los protagonistas (y de los superhéroes en general), y en los últimos años fui concordando cada vez más con su perspectiva: Los Avengers son la epítome de un sistema que acostumbra a las masas a vivir en comodidad y los hace dependientes de fuerzas mayores, y a la vez son esclavos de los sistemas morales modernos que no están dispuestos a hacer los sacrificios necesarios para mejorar el status quo (Conservacucks). Ultron es un intento de superhombre que quiere liderar a la humanidad hacia su evolución, encarna la crisis necesaria para hacerse más fuerte. Y encuentra su oposición en la estupidez y debilidad de las mayorías, que sólo lo ven con terror. Su desarrollo culmina cuando los hermanos que encarnan su ideal para la humanidad lo abandonan y decide quedarse para él mismo el verdadero potencial de la Tierra.
Con lo dicho pareciera que la película celebra la victoria del poder capitalista por sobre los ideales de la eugenesia y la evolución (Como hizo Marvel desde sus inicios), por lo que alguien podría preguntar: ¿no debería despreciar la película si a la selección natural la representa el villano? Pues resulta que incluso siendo una película de superhéroes, el conflicto se trata con bastante neutralidad. Conocemos a Ultron a lo largo de toda su vida, tiene tanta personalidad como los demás personajes, en varias oportunidades nos justifica sus ideales, y además de ser una amenaza a detener se nos presenta como una figura trágica que fracasa en salvar a la humanidad. Incluso puede decirse que Vision le da la razón al final, y admite que se oponen a él por razones personales. Ciertamente Joss Whedon es más crítico con los Avengers de lo que son sus sucesores, si Ultron estuviese del todo equivocado los héroes no hubiesen necesitado su desarrolllo, y al final el “Lo que no te mata te hace más fuerte” de Nietzsche parafraseado por Ultron no queda peor parado que el “Paz en nuestros tiempos” de Chamberlain citado por Tony.

Pero tras tanto mamar la película es tiempo de aclarar que no es ninguna maravilla. Aún se mantiene una estructura típica de película de superhéroes donde casi todo se resuelve con la fuerza y sin importar cuánta gente muera o salga lastimada los héroes vuelven a casa sin ninguna consecuencia social visible dentro de la película, y aunque esto sea subvertido al centrarse la película en si esta permanente lucha contra el villano de turno tiene algún propósito a la larga, obras como Spider-Man 2 y The Incredibles exploran más exitosamente una menor cantidad de temáticas.
No estoy de acuerdo con las críticas de que esto sea un "teaser" para la Fase 3, puesto que todo lo que presenta tiene un rol en la trama, pero si bien con los suficientes momentos de descanso es difícil perderse entre el montón de elementos, el ritmo igual es bastante acelerado. Por un lado esto dificulta el aburrimiento, pero también desencadena cosas como el lago que visita Thor, que aparece sin aviso como un objeto mágico para informar al personaje (Aún siendo mucho más sutil que la versión eliminada de esta escena). En el caso de Nick Fury y su helicarrier, es algo esperable del personaje y que se anticipa con bastante tiempo, pero igual resulta conveniente para eliminar una decisión importante de los hombros de los protagonistas.
Los que más sufren por el ritmo son los hermanos Maximoff, cuyo desarrollo apenas se explora, y su perspectiva respecto a los eventos de los últimos años apenas se referencia, ¿Ese desprecio hacia los Avengers se encuentra particularmente en Sokovia? Se espera que creamos que se estancaron en los eventos de su infancia, pero nada se explora de ellos. Y es una lástima que la única muerte en el lado de los héroes sea la del personaje menos explorado.
Hoy día se estandarizó la costumbre de criticar al MCU por tener un exceso de chistes. En general el público siempre exagera las divertidas interacciones que definen las relaciones de familiaridad entre los personajes y que no interfieren con momentos verdaderamente trágicos (Al menos no en esta entrega), pero eso no quita que haya algunos chistes metidos con calzador que no aportan nada, y que escenas de acción como la lucha entre Hulk y Iron Man pudieron ser abordadas con mayor seriedad para que no se sientan como un inconveniente secundario, tomando en cuenta el peso que tienen para los personajes.
Y claro, casi todos los conflictos psicológicos son expuestos verbalmente en algún punto, pero como lo expuesto se corresponde con las acciones, reacciones y visiones que se muestran, y el contexto justifica que los personajes sean tan reflexivos, no se vuelve un problema grave.
Por último, quedaría criticar si la dirección de cámara no es nada sobresaliente o que la fotografía no tiene suficientes colores bonitos… Pero al no escasear de momentos excelentes como el uso del Mjolnir para presentar el conflicto de cada personaje al inicio de la película a lo Reservoir Dogs, la simbología de la visión del Capitán América homologando la vida cotidiana con el campo de batalla, o el estruendoso nacimiento de Vision que contrasta con el silencio de una gran punchline, todos funcionando dentro de una divertida aventura sobre la búsqueda de un sentido teleológico que resulta en importantes consecuencias tanto para los personajes como para su universo, no puedo considerar a Avengers: Age of Ultron menos que una buena película, a diferencia del resto de la tetralogía.

Always a superhero and a supertrick and a supertask in frame, even when they're relaxed in a afteroffice party or in Captain America home. A complete repertoire of Eastern Europe post iron curtain cliches.

This is an average movie as compared to previous installment of this series .
It could have been way better but it didn't come up to the expectations.
The best scene in this movie is Hulkbuster vs the Hulk , i just loved that fight sequence.
Rest it was average and not so special type of comic movie.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Speaking as someone who was pretty disappointed in the second wave of Marvel movies, I think this is, hands down, the best Marvel movie since Avengers 1. It's a concentrated blast of pure fun and doesn't aspire to be anything more than that. It's still the same wonderful characters being themselves and bantering brilliantly, and there are too many awesome moments to count – especially during the climax, where I wanted to go, "YEAH!" several times. Plus, it was such a breath of fresh air to see a superhero movie acknowledge the danger to civilians and the need to get them out of harm's way; the Hulkbuster fight wasn't just a fantastic concept, but that whole scene came across as one big statement of, "Take that, Man of Steel!" To sum it up, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. Is it as good as Avengers 1? No, but I didn't expect it to be. Again, though, I do think it's the best Marvel movie since that masterpiece, and easily one of my favourite movies of the year so far.

My rating: 85%

Initial Thought: I have been waiting for this one since the mention of them revealing a sequel. I didn't get to see it until today (Wednesday), but I am so glad I finally did. I used to own an Ultron action figure so I was super excited to see him in film. Also I'm a huge fan of Elizabeth Olsen so that's a plus here.

Characters/Acting: We get all the characters we know and love again. Everyone was great as usual. We also get a few new characters that were pretty great. There were a few characters that I missed, but there are only so many people you can fit in a movie before it's too many. I really appreciated Hawkeye getting more fleshed out because his previous appearances were kind of overlooked when the other Avengers were around. It seemed that with the expanding of some characters others were kind of shortened like Thor. He just didn't seem to have much development this time around. James Spader was amazing as one of my favorite comic villains. He just had great comedic timing. He was insane, but at the same time he seemed so innocent. Elizabeth Olsen and Aaron Taylor-Johnson were fun to watch. It seems their sibling chemistry is just as great as when they are lovers. Quicksilver is apparently 12 minutes older than Wanda, but in the real world he is a little less than 2 years younger. Jarvis is awesome as usual, but now that he is embodied as Vision he can expand. Stan Lee's cameo is pretty hilarious if you ask me.

Story: World Peace comes at a high price. That's basically the motto for this entry in the Avengers Saga. Ultron sees that with mankind around there can never be peace. We are our own destruction. The intro scene was pretty badass with how they introduced the characters and the team as a whole. The action is pretty awesome and intense. The dialogue is great as well with some perfectly timed one liners. For a family friendly comic book movie there sure is a lot of cleavage this time around mostly from Wanda (not that I'm complaining! I loved the Hulkbuster fight with the Hulk with a mixture of pretty great action with a realistic touch as well as humorous bits throughout it. The Mjolnir scenes were great especially the characters reactions. Quicksilver's death was basically a mirror of Wash's death in Serenity. Both characters said a line twice with the second time being the part where they died. I thought that three of the four recruits in the end deserved to be there, but Falcon didn't do anything to help them fight Ultron! His only other scene was at the party. I guess he is here because of Winter Soldier and he was on the team in the comics. For the casual viewer I think they won't get the scene in the mid credits. If they stay that long that is. It's a very short scene and doesn't really do much except show a small taste of what we will be expecting next.

Directing/Writing: Jack Kirby and Stan Lee get credit for their comics again here. They have created and been behind so many characters that it's just remarkable. It's great that Jack Kirby is still getting the credit he deserves after his passing. Joss Whedon's final entry into Marvel. I love Joss Whedon. There isn't a single thing he has worked on that I didn't like. He is fun, funny, and badass. I am going to miss his humor in this series. Hopefully whatever is to come next for him will be as amazing as always.

Final Thoughts: I really enjoyed this one. I thought it was way more intense than the first one. I was thinking it would be darker the way the trailers had been, but it was still for the most part fairly lighthearted. Obviously if you are a Marvel fan then you should definitely be seeing this one. It's a fun and amusing ride from start to finish. It does have a few moments where it gets a bit darker than the first one gets though. Anyways I will definitely be watching this again. If you haven't even seen it once then get on it.

I already saw this movie but since I just bought a brand new awesome TV, I thought I might as well check it out again. In fact, I remember fairly well the first time I saw the damned thing. Indeed, back then, like everyone else, I really wanted to check this massive blockbuster. Eventually, to be honest, even though it was fine, I can’t say that it was really amazing though. I mean, with the previous installment, I didn't expect much but I was really surprised that it turned out to be so enjoyable. Well, this time, it was exactly the opposite, my expectations were actually pretty high but this movie didn’t really come near those expectations. The main issue, in my opinion, is that this mixing of 6 super-heros, without counting the huge supporting cast, was already showing its limitations. Sure, the first time around, it was something new and it was really impressive how they managed to give them all some space but, every time again, they have to give each one of them some sub-plot and the end-result was not entirely satisfaying. The most obvious example was the impossible romance between Bruce Banner and Natasha Romanoff. The worst thing was that this half-baked romance would then never show up ever again in the MCU. Then, they made amends with Jeremy Renner as the guy complained that he spent more than half of the previous installment as a zombie so they gave him a whole family with wife, kids, house and pets. But, at least, Hawkeye finally did get some deserved screen time. On the positive side, Ultron was a solid villain, even if his plan to kill all humanity was seriously derivative. Anyway, to conclude, it wasn't really impressive this time around but I have to admit that it was still fun and entertaining and really visually gorgeous to look at so it is definitely worth a look, especially if you like the genre.

I really loved 'The Avengers', it is one of my favourite superhero films ever made (although I do prefer 'The Dark Knight' and 'Guardians of the Galaxy'). This sequel 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' is not as good as the first but still very good, it's probably in line with films like 'Batman' and 'Spider-Man'

'Avengers: Age of Ultron' features some eye-popping visual effects, particularly mastered with the new villain. The film also has its comedy moments and has some pretty awesome action scenes! The plot seems a bit of a repeat of the first film but it's still not so bad! This film is very good due to its fantastic visual effects, good acting and few comedy moments! Worth watching!

"I know you're good people. I know you mean well. But you just didn't think it through. There is only one path to peace... your extermination."

The culmination of Marvel's Phase Two, and of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general thus far, 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron is definitely a bigger movie than 2012's The Avengers, but not necessarily better. Returning as writer-director for this go-round is God of Geekdom Joss Whedon, who crafts an intriguing twist on the Frankenstein story with shades of Pinocchio. Although Age of Ultron delivers all the requisite large-scale action sequences that we've come to expect from a $250 million blockbuster, it's a bit on the dull side, and not nearly as much fun as the 2012 mega-hit that preceded it. There's lots of flash and talent but less magic and less heart.

To lighten the load for the Earth's Mightiest Heroes, Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), with the input of Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), develops an intricate A.I. program named Ultron (James Spader) intended to form the basis for a peacekeeping initiative. However, Ultron is born with a distorted view of humans, ignoring his creator in favour of pursuing his own mission to bring about mankind's extinction. Thus, Stark, Banner and their assorted pals - including Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) - assemble for a seemingly unwinnable fight against Ultron and his two gifted henchmen, twins Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen).

As with the original Avengers, Whedon came into the picture with plenty of baggage to deal with after the unexpectedly crazy events of Phase Two. After all, S.H.I.E.L.D. has dissolved, Stark's future at the end of Iron Man 3 seemed uncertain, and Thor has a lot on his plate, to say nothing of the other Avengers. There's almost an entire motion picture's worth of baggage, but Whedon wisely opts to skip the aftermath of Phase Two and dive directly into the meat and potatoes of this story. Age of Ultron finds the superheroes working cooperatively as a team, proudly calling themselves The Avengers and living in their own HQ bankrolled by Stark. Naturally, this status quo is not destined to last, and the ending paves the way for the impending Phase Three, with Thor's next solo effort directly set up, and with more characters being inducted into the team.

There are plenty of colourful action sequences throughout, but Whedon again aims to produce a more substantial experience than something like Transformers. At about the midway point, the proceedings slow down as the heroes gather themselves following a particularly harrowing engagement. With Stark, Rogers and Thor all headlining their own solo films, Age of Ultron is mostly concerned with Barton, Banner and Romanoff. Jeremy Renner publically expressed his dissatisfaction with the handling of Hawkeye in The Avengers, and Whedon visibly took notice, hence this second instalment delves into Barton's personal life and relationships. However, Age of Ultron lacks the emotional heft that elevated its predecessor - there is a fatality here like Agent Coulson's temporary death, but it's not as affecting. Moreover, it's inherently jarring to witness the Avengers taking on Ultron when he is Stark's creation. Thus, while the Avengers are necessary to eliminate the maniacal A.I. program, they are cleaning up a mess that's wholly their fault. At the very least, Whedon could have done something interesting with this, perhaps setting up more conflict between the teammates that will lead into Captain America: Civil War, but such moralistic debates are eschewed.

2012's The Avengers was a joyous victory lap for the folks at Marvel, with Whedon infusing the original picture with a sense of pure ecstasy. Age of Ultron, on the other hand, is a grimmer beast, with a dark tone closer to Man of Steel than the first Avengers. Ultron's lack of remorse and humanity in his bid to bring about mankind's extinction makes this an inherently darker story, but it's a bit drab and leaden as a consequence, in need of the spark of danger and urgency that characterised Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Tension is mostly lacking in the big action set-pieces, too, which are enjoyable but never thoroughly involving or edge-of-your-seat. Perhaps the biggest issue with the climax is that there's no nail-biting urgency or ticking clock. Too much time is spent watching civilians being evacuated that's frankly too on-the-nose, as if Whedon was conscious to avoid the same criticisms surrounding Man of Steel. It just feels like Ultron is actually letting the Avengers evacuate everyone and foil his plot to wipe out mankind when he should be upping the ante and making it far more difficult for the mighty superhero team to save the world.

Whedon's defining trait, of course, is witty bantering, and he delivers again with Age of Ultron, serving up plenty of laughs amid the spectacle. Stark remains a one-liner machine, and there's a particularly fun party sequence not long into the movie that spotlights the Avengers mingling with other supporting players from the MCU (though Natalie Portman's Jane and Gwyneth Paltrow's Pepper are noticeably and awkwardly absent). However, some of the humour winds up feeling incredibly forced, and that’s a problem.

There is a tremendous ensemble of characters here, but Whedon manages to give them all a proper place in the story and action scenes. Leading the ensemble is the perpetually-reliable Downey Jr., who's growing older but nevertheless remains a flamboyant, amusing, charismatic Tony Stark, and one cannot help but ponder how drab the MCU will be when he inevitably departs. The likes of Evans, Hemsworth, and Renner are fine, but it's Ruffalo who shines here, given more to do and more depth to his character. As Banner's love interest of sorts, Johansson also takes advantage of her larger place in the story. As for the newcomers, Taylor-Johnson and Olsen (yes, they played husband/wife in Godzilla and play brother/sister here) both excel, but it's Spader who will have everyone talking. Ultron is an insanely sinister villain, voiced to perfection by the veteran actor. Whereas Loki is charming and conniving, Ultron is an outright menace, a mechanical madman with no sense of humanity or remorse. He's a relentless Terminator-like cyborg who can transfer his consciousness to another body at the drop of a hat and has access to the internet and all of Stark's files.

Age of Ultron remains a tour de force of blockbuster filmmaking from a technical perspective, with Whedon gripping us from the outset - the movie opens with a masterful tracking shot that re-introduces us to the main players, travelling from one Avenger to the next in the middle of combat. The dreaded shaky-cam syndrome does not rear its ugly head; Whedon relies on skilful choreography and precise framing, letting us watch and enjoy the action on display. On top of this, digital effects remain top-notch - the motion capture Hulk is especially astounding. This is easily the most real, lifelike Incredible Hulk we have ever seen on-screen, with detailed skin texture and movement that makes him seem alive and tangible. Age of Ultron carries a different aesthetic to its predecessor, mostly staying out of the United States for scenes in South Africa, Korea and other countries, not to mention the cinematography is darker in comparison to the vibrant, colourful look of its forerunner. The production's digital photography never looks quite right, however - fantasy and comic book films of old were lensed on celluloid, which afforded a beautiful cinematic texture. Digital photography, on the other hand, looks too glossy, which, in turn, makes it look less real.

Alan Silvestri's memorable Avengers theme does pop up once or twice, but for the most part, Brian Tyler's original compositions are insanely generic and forgettable; they do not amplify the visuals in any considerable way, nor do they even entirely suit the picture at times, which is disappointing considering Tyler's superlative contributions to Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World.

Age of Ultron is not as exhilarating or as involving as this reviewer had hoped for, and there are a few nitpicky things here and there that may have biased armchair critics chattering, but on the whole, it's an entertaining blockbuster and a solid enough continuation of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It has big action scenes that unfussy viewers will enjoy, and this is a review-proof movie anyway. As per usual, be sure to stick around for a mid-credits teaser of things to come (nothing at the end of the credits), which will probably make you feel depressed that the next Avengers film is three years away (and you'll need to wait an additional year on top of that for Part Two).

6.9/10