The latest Avengers team-up delivers everything that fans have come to expect from Marvel films: globe-trotting adventure, CGI battles, future shared universe setup, comic book easter eggs, concise character drama, and a Stan Lee cameo.
As a result, the movie is a must-see for anyone, young and old, that has been following along with Marvel’s interconnected movie storyline. Though it is bigger, with refined special effects, a new central villain, and some enticing Phase Three “Civil War” groundwork, Age of Ultron will be less accessible for viewers who aren’t well-versed in the ongoing plot. Still, the core storyline successfully builds on the films, and the subsequent individual struggles, that have come before – supplying each avenging hero with their own obstacles(physical, intellectual, or emotional) to overcome.
To that end, the addition of Scarlet Witch(Elizabeth Olsen) and her power to manipulate minds, galvanizes The Avengers into deeper and darker self-evaluation – revealing conflicting ideologies within the team. The lack of narrative cohesion and believable world-building is symptomatic of an ongoing problem in Marvel movies and Age of Ultron fails to escape the same pitfalls. It misses the bar of classic movie greatness but Avengers: Age of Ultron is one of the most exciting and entertaining Marvel entries so far