Every MCU Movie - Ranked From Worst To Best

5. Avengers: Age Of Ultron

It might have basically broken Joss Whedon, but Age Of Ultron is not the personal failure he seemed to suggest it was in the wake of its release. It is another exceptional spectacle that isn't afraid to deal in big ideas alongside its humour. And for all the accusations that it's a retread of the first Phase ender, Ultron is a smarter, more thrilling film with a far more satisfying pay-off.

Strengths

It does everything The Avengers did well and dialled it up a notch, with more personal stakes, more friction between members of the team and bigger spectacle. And unlike the problematic battle finale in its predecessor, the battle with Ultron felt a lot more earned as he gradually levelled up throughout the film.

James Spader's scene-chewing performance is also one of the finest so far in the MCU (even if it's a little charitable), and the parallel between Tony Stark's fear and PTSD-inspired guilt and Ultron's slightly broken psychology is a subtle detail too few pick up on in praise of the film.

Killing Quicksilver also addressed those concerns that there aren't any real stakes in MCU movies, and the Hulk Buster battle in Africa is a rip-roaring spectacle that has few betters.

Weaknesses

While it's admirable that Whedon was seeding Civil War by starting out asking whether the Avengers have a place in the world, the seeding is done too early, and the audience isn't really allowed to draw any conclusions themselves.

Plus Aaron Taylor-Johnson's accent is horrific.