Movie review | Story, dialogue put ‘Avengers’ movie over the top

Avengers: Age of Ultron ****1/2

Perhaps the best of all in the seemingly unending Marvel Comics’ “Avengers” film franchise, this latest Avengers superhero offering lives up to its hype.

Written and directed by Joss Whedon (“The Avengers,” “Cabin in the Woods”), the script flows with dialogue that stays true to and further develops each of the Avengers’ characters, who, by the way, are all in.

In fact, who isn’t in the movie?

The Hulk, played by Mark Garaffalo is at his hulkiest, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor may look a bit silly with his big hammer prancing around in his red cape, but when time comes to go to work, he does.

Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Chris Evans (Captain America), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye), Don Cheadle (War Machine), Samuel L. Jackson and the rest of the cast, including two newcomers, Aaron Taylor-Johnson (Quicksilver) and Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch), add new flavor to the old favorites.

But Robert Downey Jr. as Ironman and James Spader (“The Blacklist”) as the voice of Ultron, the ultimate artificial intelligence turned evil, are the real stars.

While the expectations for excellent CGI, and lots of fighting and weapons imagery didn’t disappoint, it was the story (for a change), the dialogue and the interpersonal relationships between the characters that set a new benchmark in Marvel releases.

The estimated $250 million movie earned nearly $30 million back in its first night last week, and should be more box-office gold for Marvel, running well into the summer season, where more superhero releases are coming.

This story was originally published May 7, 2015 at 4:21 AM with the headline "Movie review | Story, dialogue put ‘Avengers’ movie over the top."