Surrounded by an unbelievable amount of hype, Joss Whedon proves again that he is the man for the job when it comes to assembling Earth’s mightiest heroes.

            Marvel’s “The Avengers” was everything fans wanted it to be: a fun, action-packed blockbuster team-up film. Even though there are complaints about some pacing issues and weird directorial choices, most will agree that it is a monumental achievement. Director and king of the nerds Joss Whedon was successful in pleasing those who were die-hard fans along with those who were new to the franchise; something that is certainly not easy to do with studio blockbusters.

            I will get this out of the way now: “Avengers: Age of Ultron” is not for everyone. Unlike the first film, this mega-budgeted sequel seems tailored to the fans that have paid attention to all 11 films and 3 television series in the universe. There are numerous nods to both past and future Marvel properties, which might leave some viewers alienated, but I’m very invested in this universe so it did not bug me.

            That being said, the overall plot is not something that will trip casual fans up. The concept is actually pretty simple: in an attempt to protect the world from other worldly forces, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) builds an A.I. named Ultron. When the program goes awry, the Avengers are forced to once again save the world from an army threatening to cause mass destruction.

            That’s the bare bones of it, but there is a lot going on in the movie. If you thought six heroes were a lot in the first film, this sequel brings everyone back and introduces a handful of new superheroes and villains. An example of how not to handle numerous superheroes and villains would be last year’s “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” but Whedon never lets it feel too overloaded because of the witty dialogue and letting each character have a moment to shine (Hawkeye especially has a couple of those moments).

            Speaking of shining characters, Ultron (James Spader) is hands down one of the best Marvel villains we have seen. Marvel has never really had memorable villains, outside of Loki and Winter Solider (if you call him a villain), because they always seem to be generic “take over the world” badies. Although Ultron might fit the generic bill, James Spader elevates the character by adding his snarky and intimidating personality to the character.

            Newcomers Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) were fine additions, but nothing special (especially the terrible Russian accents). Going into the film I was more excited to see Vision (Paul Bettany), and he did not disappoint. His role might be brief, but he has a couple of scene stealing moments (including one with Thor).

            The action is pretty much on par with the first film the key difference being everything feeling slightly darker. Ultron seems like a more intimidating foe than Loki and the action definitely matches that. The stakes feel more real and personal, which can be attributed to all of the character arcs that Whedon balances effectively.

            Also on par with the first film is the humor. All Marvel movies have their own style of humor, and “Age of Ultron” is no different. There are great one liners throughout along with a couple of really strong reoccurring gags that lighten the darkness of the plot.

            Overall, “Avengers: Age of Ultron” has everything I want in a mega-budget blockbuster movie: great action, lots of spectacle, memorable characters, and humor to spare. Where it ranks compared to other Marvel Cinematic Universe movies is impossible to tell right now and will take multiple viewings to decide. Darn, I’ll have to watch it a couple more (dozen) times.

            GRADE: A-