All of what's been mentioned previously is kinda necessary when you consider the landscape Age Of Ultron is arriving into when compared to the original. Back in 2012, The Avengers was the culmination of the Marvel Cineamtic Universe to that point. The entire series had been building up to bringing together all the separate heroes and the film itself posed the very meta question of the logistics of it all, ultimately delivering something that felt like a proper finale while also opening the door to a much bigger sandpit for the movies going forward. Now, only three years later, Marvel are no longer the up-and-comers, they're the Disney-backed kings; the studio's slate extends almost as far into the future as it does into the past; and, with the concept proven capable of spinning gold, there's exceedingly higher expectations for the sequel. So whereas last time The Avengers was the biggest thing ever for the series, here it's just a part of the next step in a much longer journey. Thus you get a film that's trying to capture some of the previous movie's thrills, but also lumbered with filling a narrative gap, while attempting to tell its own complete story. As understandable as the creative decisions are, that can't offset the fact that Age Of Ultron is spinning more plates than Whedon can handle. The first film was about proving to the world that the notion of comic book shared universe would work on screen. The second is about how they can fight a robot and get new members and talk about things that will impact the third one, and more that gets lost in the rush to the mid-credits scene. Is Avengers: Age Of Ultron the point where the Marvel Cinematic Universe goes too far? Hel no! It's a fun slice of blockbuster fun that never really bores. But when matched up to the high watermark set by the studio with The Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it's hard not to feel it somewhat missed the mark. Have you seen Avengers: Age Of Ultron? What did you think? Share your thoughts down in the comments.
