First of all Age of Ultron was AWESOME. I mean, first Captain America; The Winter Soldier then Guardians of the Galaxy, and now AoU- the Marvel/Disney marriage seems to be holding firm so far- certainly there seems to be no loss of momentum from the MCU.
The pace of this movie was pretty intense, but allowed for a lot of character development, most especially from Clint Barton (Hawkeye) and Bruce Banner (Hulk), the former of whom spent most of the first Avengers brainwashed and slightly psychotic. This time however, we learn that Barton- when not risking life and limb avenging- has a wife, two kids (with a third on the way) and spends most of his time on home improvements! Yes, this group of f*cked-up superheroes isn't quite as f*cked-up as we first thought! The second act where we learn all this allows for a nice break between action sets, without ever quite losing the tension of the overall movie. And we get to see Banner and Natasha Romanoff open up to each other just how much they care for each other. To the point where they'd both run away from the situation- from humankind in general- to be together (if Romanoff had her way). And it plays without feeling incredibly sappy, especially when Natasha reveals the "ceremony" the successful Black Widows go through to graduate! (Oh yeah- there's a f*cked up Soviet program that trains young girls into assassins. Through daaaaaaaaance!). Namely they're sterilised. Yes folks! State-funded spaying for children!
That's not to say it's all either a) action pieces that'll leave you dizzy, or b) emotional trauma of the childhood and PTSD kind. There's a lot of humour in this flick. Possibly more than the fist. You have Captain America telling Tony Stark to mind his language in that way only an old-fashioned grand-parent can. You have the moment Thor realises Cap might, just might be able to lift mjolnir (as well as the rest of the gang getting in on the act..). Even Ultron, the big bad himself, as some great lines.
The major worry for me with this movie, the Maximoff twins, turned out not to be such a worry too. Of course in the comics they were Magneto's children. So I was wondering how they could be introduced into the MCU with out daddy (currently owned by 20th Century Fox)? Well the long and short answer is- HYDRA. Yup, the Nazi established institute apparently weren't content with destroying SHIELD from the inside, experimenting on innocent Inhumans and generally giving Coulson a migraine. They were into human experimentation as well. The twins, having stared death in the face with an unexploded Stark missile, have a grudge against the Avengers, and start working on destabilising them with Ultron. But when the insane robotic mastermind takes things too far- giving Wanda Maximoff (Scarlet Witch) a vision (hehe) of the future, the twins switch teams, snarking and sassing the A-team all the while.
Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen do a stand-up job at playing the twins, holding their own very well against established characters. It is a bit disconcerting to see them playing brother and sister after watching them make-out in Godzilla as man and wife, but I did get over it, especially when they start kicking any-and-all ass.
It's also nice to have Wakanda get a mention, a little hint at the Black Panther movie. There's also a hint at the next Thor film (hints at Ragnarok and the fall of Asgard). Bucky Barnes hasn't entirely been forgotten, as Sam Wilson pops up to hint at his search for him (as well as at the end ;D).
The Vison (Paul Bettany) is the movie's (and the Avengers) ace in the hole though. An android created by Ultron, initially to be Ultron, is uploaded with a modified version of J.A.R.V.I.S- Starks long-suffering E-Butler. Combined with a hybrid body of Vibranium (the near indestructible stuff Caps shield is made of), energy provided by Thor and mjolnir AND an infinity stone, Vision provides the downfall for James Spader's Ultron, and apparently becomes a member of a growing Avengers by the final scene.
Speaking of final scenes; the post-credits scene. Now there was a leak of this supposed "scene" a couple of days ago, featuring Spider-Man. I can tell you now (if you wish it) that that is not what you get. Let's just say; Thanos is present, and he's getting uppity. You may be able to guess the rest from the wording I chose in the header.
All in all it was a great film, and far more happened then I can describe here (after all, Andy Serkis didn't get a mention. Except he was awesome too so..). Go see it. You won't regret it.
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