Rest easy, if anyone had any reservations about Avengers: Age Of Ultron and whether it lives up to the hype or the expectations, it definitely does.  If there’s one thing that Joss Whedon can do, it’s spectacle and this movie brings it in spades.  There’s so much to unpack from a blockbuster like this and perhaps that’s part of the problem.  Going in you wonder if there’s enough story to go around for all of these characters and for the most part there is but as more characters are introduced some things had to go, it’s inevitable.  The big question though is, how does it measure up to The Avengers?  It’s a hard question to answer and maybe I’ll have an answer at the end of this review because right now my head is still spinning from everything I just saw so let’s get right into it. While The Avengers is basically an origin story even though some of the characters already had their own films, Avengers: Age Of Ultron starts right off with the action.  One of the most thrilling things from the first film was seeing all of the heroes come together towards the end of the film for the final battle, where here we’re off to the races right from the start and in some ways it feels almost like a direct sequel.  The outstanding thing about these films is how seamless all of the stories blend together so we don’t need to be subjected to backstory or needless exposition.  Whedon starts the story right off and it’s so great to be back with all of these characters.  A few scenes from this first action set piece looked a bit lacking in the CGI department but it’s a singular problem as the rest of the film really shines and is so colorful and blended well.  While the colors might pop this is definitely a darker story this time around.  As Tony Stark tries to find a solution for he and his Avengers and an exit strategy he ultimately creates a bigger problem in Ultron.  While Ultron doesn’t have the benefit of Loki’s charm and panache, he does pose a serious threat and is played well by James Spader although at times it’s almost distracting how much like Spader he really is.  Ultron has a plan that doesn’t quite fit with Stark’s vision for him and our story kicks into full gear. With the darker story it was inevitable that some of the fun and the humor would be left behind and while Whedon does try at times to keep things light it felt that some of the humor was more forced and predictable.  On the other side of that is the quality of the acting and how you can really tell how comfortable everyone now is in their roles.  Robert Downey Jr. almost feels inseparable from Iron Man, Chris Evans continues to be impressive in the Captain America role and Mark Ruffalo again adds so much depth to Bruce Banner but the real standout is Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye.  We’re given more about his character and what he’s fighting for as well as his own thoughts on his role in the team.  Renner has so much more to do in this film and really is great.  As packed as the call list may seem, again Whedon juggles the story lines effectively and nothing is really lost.  Nothing is lost in the action either as each set piece is just so impressive.  A few times the way that the action is shot is somewhat confusing but those are only a few.  Even with all of the characters, the action is well rounded and balanced.  We’re also introduced to two new characters in Scarlet Witch played by Elizabeth Olsen and Quicksilver played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson.  Scarlet Witch is a nice addition and solidly played by Olsen, while I wasn’t all that impressed with Taylor-Johnson it was impressive how the film deals with Quicksilver and his abilities. It’s a shame that Whedon has decided to step away from the franchise because I really feel that he’s the best at this kind of storytelling.  Big action, big spectacle and big characters seem to somehow make sense to him where others get bogged down and flustered.  Not only is he able to allow each of The Avengers to have their own stories he’s even saddled with more heroes in this one and yet nothing seems overly crowded.  While I’m not sure that Avengers: Age Of Ultron is a better movie than The Avengers, I can tell you that it’s Summer blockbuster fare at its best.  There’s more action and more heroes, yet it never loses sight of what makes these characters special and important which is impressive by itself.

Recommend? Hell yeah, Marvel impresses again!