Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

This film continues the story of Marvel's Avengers, a film franchise that began with the first Avengers movie in 2012. The film was written and directed by Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the spin-off Angel as well as the short-lived TV series Firefly), based on the comic books by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. In fact, Stan Lee has a cameo in this film, as he often does in films based on  Marvel comic books. Whedon also wrote and directed the first Avengers film, and the cast have all returned, which one would think would bode well for a sequel. 

I admit I have not seen the first Avengers film, nor have I read the comic books. In fact, I saw this movie without ever having seen a trailer or any TV spots, so I went in with little idea of what to expect, other than a superhero movie. I have seen many of the films featuring individual heroes from The Avengers however, so I was a little familiar with some of the main characters.

On to the review itself. The film begins with the Avengers trying to take back Loki's sceptre. While doing so, they are almost thwarted by two new villains: The Twins, Pietro and Wanda Maximoff (Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen).

Returning to their headquarters, they regroup. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) begin working on an AI system they call Ultron, a device intended to help them bring peace to the world. Unfortunately, the system turns rogue and breaks free of the computer and takes up residence in one of Stark's robots (James Spader).

It is now up to the Avengers to defeat Ultron, who initially teams up with The Twins in an effort to destroy the world. 

I must admit, I did not expect to enjoy this film as much as I did. A film so dependent on visual effects might be considered to be lacking in character, story or acting prowess. This is none of the case on any of those three fronts. Then again, when has Joss Whedon ever let his audience down when it comes to character or story?

The final battle sequence is truly something to behold. And, trust me, you will want to sit through the final credits. 

An enjoyable way to spend two and a half hours, and let your mind and imagination be whisked away and thoroughly entertained and amazed. 

7 out of 10.