Avengers: Age of Ultron, coming out May 1st!

Avengers, assemble!

Marvel diehards, be ready. Avengers: Age of Ultron is here, and it rocks. Age of Ultron closes some gaps from previous Avengers movies, provides a lot of answers and will even throw you for a loop with a few surprises. Picking up where both Agents of SHIELD and Captain America leaves off, Age of Ultron is action-packed from the beginning scene and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the credits roll. (And if you’re new to Marvel, you’ll still easily be able to understand and enjoy the story line.)

Age of Ultron gets all the Avengers back together again and adds new cast members to the mix, with James Spader’s fantastic portrayal of Ultron (ultimately, a creation of Tony Stark’s), Scarlet Witch, Quicksilver and Vision, all of whom play a critical role when the destruction of Earth begins.

Each movie in the Marvel series touches on the individual Avengers, where we are given a glimpse of the history of that character’s creation and addition to the team of Avengers, but Age of Ultron takes it a step further. Questions are answered and secrets are revealed. By the time the movie is over, you’re pulled into the world of each and every Avenger yet still wanting to know more.

Based on the typical battles to stop the bad guys, the Avengers gather for a party at Tony Stark’s, only to find out that his latest creation is an experiment and vision gone wrong. They’re taken on a whirlwind ride to save the planet while tightening their bond as a group despite challenges that arise to threaten not only innocent people all over, but their own team.

Age of Ultron is two-plus hours of action and special effects, with a little more humor than the average Avengers movie, yet not so much that you can’t take the plot seriously. We looked forward to the movie for months and before we knew it, it was over and we loved it. We saw it the night before the press conference, and I was so excited to see Thor’s role and then see him in person the next day. Like every woman out there, we rate which Avenger is our favorite, and Thor’s always been mine, but now that we plan to see the movie again this weekend as it opens, I have to say Captain America bumped up my list. Chris Evans was so mischievous and smiling so constantly during the press conference, I see his role in an entirely new light.

Without giving anything away, as there is so little of the movie that I could share without revealing a spoiler, I will say that it may be my favorite Avengers movie yet. In fact, it may be my favorite Marvel movie yet, and I’ve seen them all…many, many times. The one-liners are hilarious and well-timed. The array of people who make appearances is so inclusive, with only one real gap, but I’ll leave that for you to see. (And it makes sense, but still…) We get the chance to know each character better, and after the twists and turns, you’re going to even be tempted to want to like Ultron. Like Ward’s character on Agents of SHIELD, and like Loki, everyone’s favorite villain, Ultron offers glimmers of an understandable soul, for lack of a better word.

One of my favorite scenes is straight out of one of the trailers, where the Avengers are sitting around a fancy part of Tony Stark’s lab, trying to lift Thor’s hammer. Each Avenger approaches their attempt differently, and when Captain America makes it move — just enough that you’ll miss it if you blink — Thor’s demeanor changes, but only long enough for him to realize that the hammer’s still back in place. With his long hair in a pony tail and relatively normal clothes, he makes a dashing hero.

Stark, as always, is the cocky genius you’ve come to love, and Banner the quiet, almost brooding, Hulk. Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) takes on an expanded role as well, which you’ll be familiar with if you saw this week’s episode of Agents of Shield. And then there’s Hawkeye, who as Jeremy Renner said in the media interviews, “I actually get to speak in this movie.”

Then there’s Vision. Little has been mentioned of this quiet, wise and ethereal character who comes in just when he’s needed to help save the day. His name is no coincidence and his interaction with Ultron will have you thinking a little more deep than most action-hero movies have ever done.

From start to finish, Joss Whedon’s newest movie is the masterpiece mix of heroes. He’s the only person who can put a big green monster and a pretty girl together with a hammer-wielding thunder-inducing gorgeous demi-god, an archer, a “righteous hero” with a heart of 40’s gold and the philanthropist with big dreams and make us line up to watch it. And buy the DVD so we can watch it again and again.

Avengers: Age of Ultron is a great date night or a family movie night. Its violence level isn’t enough to stop me from taking a small child (and I have four, so I can speak from experience) and my only recommendation is to potty the kids and buy the popcorn before you buckle in, because you’re not going to want to miss any of it.