
I can still remember the day I went off to see 2008's Iron Man in the cinema. I was excited. Of course I was. I sat down, I watched it and I loved it. Four years later The Avengers came out, and it was everything I hoped it would be and more. Now, in 2015, we have Avengers: Age of Ultron, and like most, I was unbelievably excited for it. Not Star Wars The Force Awakens excited, but still excited. Despite a few tiny hiccups, although none of which are too drastic, Avengers: Age of Ultron most definitely succeeds at doing what it set out to do. It's a more than worthy addition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and it may just be one of their best to date.
It's in this opening scene where the tone is set and it's this tone that remains consistent for the entire runtime. Whedon knows we're here to see the Avengers kicking ass and so we get that in this opening scene. It's not only a perfect opening, but a perfect scene. Period. It's fun, it's fast, it's full of rage and it has Captain America throwing a goddamn motorcycle. You can tell that these characters are having fun doing their thing and as an audience member, this rubs off. We are too, and the effect is tantalising.
Another new addition is the bad guy, Ultron, who's strings are most definitely off. He's no Loki, but he's still a worthy opponent, his constant bitters with Iron Man always a delight. The two are one of the same, resulting in their scenes together being more playful than anything else. And that's my main problem with this film. It's not enough to bring it down from a 5 star rating, but it must be addressed. Ultron doesn't always feel like a villain. He jokes around with the other characters and never comes across as too much of a threat. Sure, I always felt like he was capable of destruction, but I never felt as if he was going to win, whereas with Loki I did. But like I said, he's still a worthy opponent and it's not too big of a complaint.
Surprisingly, Hulk is the one who became the most important character this time around. While he's able to control the big green guy a little more than he used to, he's never entirely in control, and if things do get out of hand, he's afraid he may do more damage than he's already done. Like the trailers showed us, something along those lines does occur, and it's up to good ole Iron Man to save the day in his Hulkbuster outfit. It's an insane scene, featuring enough destruction to entertain, but without pulling a Man of Steel on us.
To sum up, Avengers: Age of Ultron may have a few flaws, but not enough to make me lower my rating. It's fun, action fuelled, adds new layers to these characters and introduces us to plenty of new ones too. Bring on Civil War. Bring on Infinity War. Marvel, I'm ready for anything.