This was my least favourite of the Avengers films. Let’s see if that holds up.

The thing I’m noticing so far, is that Natasha and Banner are ADORABLE. And he’s so bad at being hit on, SO ADORABLE. And then later, REALLY SAD.

Also, I absolutely loved the scene where they all try to lift Mjolnir. Especially Thor’s face when Rogers makes it budge a tiny bit.

What was also quite good was HOW CREEPY Ultron is when it first appears. All weird and drippy. The voice work is absolutely spectacular. The light making its face very halloween-y. And then the fall out where we start to see the cracks for Civil War. It’s all very good.

HOLY SHIT. There’ some Black Panther preview stuff happening in this film! I completely missed that (or forgot about it). There’s Andy Serkis! Being all arms-dealery and terrible! And then there he is losing an arm! Omg! This is so much better post-Black Panther. So much set up (or maybe re-use).

I think maybe the reason that the films feels not so great is the fundamental problem of epic destruction. Though I *really* enjoy the Hulk-buster suit vs the Hulk (with Stark’s commentary “Go to sleep! Go to sleep! Go to sleep!”) With one of my favourite scenes being punched up the building. And I suppose it is part of the plot. Maybe it’s just a bit too transparent. I dunno.

I think maybe the puzzle pieces of putting all the next films in motion was just a teensy-bit too disjointed. Where it really seemed to work in the previous Avengers, this one just felt like “we need Ragnarok, we need Civil War, we need whatever” and all those individual slices just seemed so fragmentary, that it takes you out of the main plot.

Because then you’re dropped into the switching of the main part of the plot – the twins switching sides, Banner and Stark trying to put Jarvis into what will become vision. The final battle set up. It’s just a lot of context switching.

But we also get Vision. Who I love. AND HE PICKS UP THE HAMMER.  Also, so much Hawkeye. Who is my favourite.

SO CONFLICTED.

Okay, aside from TOO MUCH HAPPENING I’m revising my opinion on Ulton It’s better than I remember. There’s a lot of good stuff. There’s some genuine heartfelt stuff – especially Natasha and Banner. Also, the Vision saving Scarlet Witch BECAUSE THAT IS SUPER FORESHADOWING.  There’s some ridiculously amazing scenes that you could take out of a comic book.  I’m left wondering how much was forethought to set up the next lot of films and how much following films riffed off of what happened.

Maybe if it had a couple scenes less of foreshadowing it would be a more tight film. Maybe it needed some more hilarious one-liners. But it’s okay! It’s gone up in my estimation. Hooray.