When Tony Stark tries to jumpstart a dormant peacekeeping program, things go awry and it is up to the Avengers to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plans.
Bigger and, yes, darker than the first, this is less air-punchingly gleeful but probably more consistent. Thanks to Whedon and the most charismatic, compelling cast you’ll find anywhere, Age of Ultron redefines the scale we can expect from our superhero epics but still fits human-sized emotion amid the bombast.
Part horror, part love story, part morality tale, Age Of Ultron is a smart superhero smackdown that raises the bar once more – this time it's personal, political and petrifying.
Age of Ultron may be the ultimate comic book movie, but when Marvel’s output lacks distinction it begins to feel less like they’re making films and more like they’re creating an ongoing series, each instalment closer to resembling a filler issue than a satisfying arc of its own.
There’s enough good-to-great stuff here – and an actual personality to the cinematic vision behind it – to overcome the occasional niggles, and the film is ultimately a deeper and overall more compelling experience than its predecessor, though definitely a shaggier one.
It's hard not to admire how efficiently and enjoyably the myriad elements have been threaded together; Age of Ultron is a suitably well-oiled machine with an insatiable appetite for, family friendly, destruction.
A very choppy and unwieldy affair.
It’s a superhero cavalcade of energy and fun.
Entertaining enough but there are no party bags to take home.
Verdict: CGI-driven extravaganza.
Having bent the world to his will, Whedon, a modest and self-deprecating talent, has helped Marvel unleash a form of spectacle-laden blockbuster that, unfortunately, seems intent on obliterating what he does best.
There are surprises and revelations in the latest hectic chapter of the superhero soap opera, the death of a reasonably significant character and enough loose ends to keep the Marvel franchise operating for years to come.
Multiple superheroes fight for humanity – and screen time – in Joss Whedon’s frantic franchise.
General release. Check local listings for show times.