Avengers: Age of Ultron

Following the break-up of SHIELD in Captain America: the Winter Soldier, Marvel's superhero A-team returns with a vengeance in this exhilarating sequel. In a rousing opening, Iron Man, Thor, Captain America and co take the fight to Hydra in a battle that's worthy of a war movie. But a more powerful adversary soon emerges in the robotic shape of Ultron (chillingly voiced by James Spader), whose ultimate aim is to destroy humanity. It doesn't help that he's a Tony Stark experiment gone rogue, whose insider knowledge allows his allies, the Maximoff twins (Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen - "he's fast, she's weird") - to take the Avengers apart from within. It's then full mayhem ahead, including a humdinger of a punch-up between a bulked-up Iron Man and a rampaging Hulk that makes the Thor/Hulk tussle from Avengers Assemble look like a tiff in a teacup. However, director Joss Whedon is just as interested in what makes his characters tick than how they throw a shield or a hammer - the burgeoning relationship between Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) is given particularly sensitive treatment. Although there are some longueurs when Whedon feels bound to plot a pathway to Marvel's next tranche of potential blockbusters, the witty repartee between stars at ease in their superhero skin leavens the odd lull. And then there's the first appearance of the enigmatic Vision (Paul Bettany). But will he be saviour or sinner? A literally earth-shattering climax, in which not everyone remains unscathed, reveals all.