re: Avenger: AoU Reviews (**MAJOR SPOILERS**)

I rather enjoyed it. Whedon is at his best in small, personal moments, and this movie has a real cool hangout vibe. The best scene in the entire film is the party after taking out Hydra, and all of the Avengers showing off and cutting loose. And the aftermath of the party, with them drunkenly trying to lift Thor's hammer made it feel like these were actual people (and, in true Whedon fashion, this scene set up a much bigger reveal later on).

I did like that they gave Hawkeye something to do, but if he has a farmhouse, wife, and two kids, we ain't getting a Fraction-based Hawkguy movie. BOOOOOOOO!!!!

Scarlet Witch was well set up, Quicksilver was not. He dies so she can experience character growth, so, I guess fridging works the opposite way now. That's not really progress.

I think Stark setting up Ultron is actually well-established by his character in the previous 3 solo films and the Avengers. He's an arrogant douchebag. The rules don't apply to him, and he still doesn't feel like they do. He knows he'll get the AI is a bad idea lecture from everyone, so he end rounds them and does it by himself. He's an individualist. He's a narcissist. I don't get the criticism this was out of character. It was nothing but within his character.

I liked the Hulk-Widow shipping because it shows the filmmakers could deviate from the source and instead go by actual chemistry of the actors. ScarJo and Ruffalo have better chemistry than with Renner (and it establishes her as the Work Wife).

Ultron was the first good villain since Loki. And his final confrontation with Vision felt earned. Also, the easter egg'ed the Vision/Scarlet Witch relationship. Or maybe I read too much into it.

And I do like the idea of people retiring. There's been much speculation at the next Avengers, and they already unveiled it. Didn't see that coming.

Fun movie. Not as great as, say, Winter Soldier. But it was definitely a fun 2.5 hours.