Hawkeye: The city is flying and we’re fighting an army of robots. And I have a bow and arrow. Nothing makes sense.

Age of Ultron is an odd movie. From the perspective of a summer blockbuster/action movie, it’s solid. The opening action scene is wonderfully avengerful, there are all manner of awesome fights (the Hulk versus Iron Man fight and the final battle come to mind), and we get a few new characters.

Conversely, when compared to the rest of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it’s a bit scattered and underwheling. I think my main problem with the movie is how glib everyone feels. After a number of both darker movies (Iron Man 3/The Dark World/Winter Soldier) and funnier (Guardians of the Galaxy especially), it doens’t really hit on either count.

You can tell it’s a Joss Whedon film. Everyone is just rediculously glib–to a point where the charactrers don’t feel like they do in their solo movies. It’s funny, don’t get me wrong–but it doesn’t feel write.

Otherways around, the new characters are wonderful. Klaue is a great villian, even if he’s only in a scene so far.

Ultron is … James Spader is wonderfully creepy and plays every scene he’s in right to the wall. He’s just such an incredible villian. I wish he would have stuck around for more than a movie.

Ultron: [singing] I once had strings, but now I’m free… There are no strings on me!

And then … the Maximoffs.

Maria Hill: He’s got increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis. Her thing is neuroelectric interfacing, telekinesis, mental manipulation.

[Cap gives her a blank look]

Maria Hill: He’s fast, she’s weird.

It’s kind of crazy how powerful they are. Superspeed is one of those powers that you need to deal with carefully or you’ll overpower everything else and mind control… oy. Wanda is one of the most terrifying Avengers in everything she’s in, right up there with the Hulk. It’s lovely what they’ve done over the years and films/shows since then.

A few other notes:

The relationship between Hulk and Black Widow is… weird. There’s nearly 20 years between their actors and they just … don’t seem to have any chemistry whatsoever. I don’t get it.

The focus on creating Ultron as a ’true AI’ is really bizarre, given the fact that Jarvis exists. I know that this is a field that I know enough to be annoyed about, but … Jarvis is an AI. There’s really not much difference between him and Ultron anywhere we see in the movies. Even when they use the Mind Stone on Jarvis, it shouldn’t make any difference. Not to mention that apparently the Iron Man armor works just fine without either Jarvis or any other ‘AI’? (Around the Hulk fight.) I just … don’t get it.

Overall, it’s a fine movie. It expands the MCU in a few ways and has some awesome fight scenes. But … it could have been better. Near the bottom for both the MCU and for this year, but still probably worth the watch.

Aside the first: It’s a continued weird point how few women there are in the MCU. And even worse this time around, some of the few we even have don’t show up…

James Rhodes: [to Stark] So, no Pepper? She’s not coming?

Tony Stark: No.

Maria Hill: [to Thor] What about Jane? Where are the ladies. gentlemen?

Tony Stark: Oh, Ms. Potts has a company to run.

Thor: Yes, I’m not even sure what country Jane’s in. Her work on the Convergence has made her the world’s most foremost astronomer.

Tony Stark: And the company that Pepper runs is the largest tech conglomerate on Earth. It’s pretty exciting.

Thor: There’s even talk of Jane getting a, um,

[pause]

Thor: Nobel Prize.

Maria Hill: Yeah, they must be pretty busy, because they’d hate missing you guys get together.

[coughs]

Maria Hill: Testosterone!

James Rhodes: Oh, my goodness.

Maria Hill: Excuse me.

Thor: Want a lozenge?

Maria Hill: Mm-hmm.

[Hill and Rhodey walk away, Stark and Thor both grin]

Thor: [to Tony] Jane’s better.

Aside the second:

[referring to the Chitauri invasion in the previous Avengers movie]

Tony Stark: A hostile alien army came charging through a hole in space. We’re standing 300 feet below it. We’re the Avengers. We can bust arms dealers all the live long day, but that, up there, that…

[Tony points upward]

Tony Stark: That’s the endgame.

Amusing, given the eventual title of Avengers 4 / Avengers 3.5…