After several years of offshoots and smaller, more concentrated character development movies, including Thor: The Dark World, Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain America: The Winter Soldier Marvel Studios is back with a return of their most well-known superhero group, The Avengers.

Keeping in line with the first movie, Age of Ultron centers around an all-star cast of some of Marvel’s most well known heroes, including Iron Man, Captain America, Thor and the Hulk, among others.

Set several years after the first adventure, the sequel revolves around the titular heroes, as they battle against the vicious forces of Ultron, an AI robot ironically created by Tony Stark as a defender of the Earth. The plan goes south as Ultron malfunctions, instead choosing to wipe the Earth of all life for a clean slate.

While the plot doesn’t necessarily get too deep, it’s things such as the character interactions, effects, music, etc. that keep the movie afloat.

Right off the bat, the relationship between each hero is well documented. Things like Stark’s snide arrogance towards the rest of the Avengers, as well as Thor’s progressive understanding of the human world, continuously keep the comedy going throughout the course of the film, even in the emotional parts.

Being that Hawkeye and Black Widow, the two not-so-superhuman members of the team, weren’t exactly developed as interesting characters (at least in my opinion) during the last movie, Age of Ultron makes up for this by delving into their lives further. While I won’t spoil too much, Hawkeye went from being one of my least favorite Avengers into one of my all-time favorite superheroes after watching this movie. It’s amazing what half an hour of plot during the second act can do to you, right?

Of course, while the character interaction is a big plus, it’s the action, explosions, and battles that everybody comes to see. So are those good?

You bet your Hulk-ing butt they are.

Age of Ultron