Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

I watched this movie in bits and pieces. I thouhgt it was much better than I was led to believe it would be. I think it comes from the same mold as many of the other Marvel Cinematic Universe movies.

I passed on it (until now) because I had heard a lot of negative things about it. I went back to watch it because of all the references to it in subsequent movies, most recently in Thor: Ragnarok but also in Captain America: Civil War. As a stand alone movie it probably isn't that great but it feels like an important piece of the puzzle. It features the first appearance of the Vision and Scarlet Witch. It is in this movie that Segovia is destroyed. Hulk disappears at the end of the movie not to return until Thor: Ragnarok. Thor takes off and similarly does not return until Thor: Ragnarok. Unlike some of the solo movies this feels much more like an important chapter in the overarching story.

There are some holes in the plot, which allow the Avengers to get some moments away from action. The romance between Natasha and Bruce seemed to come out of nowhere. This is not a perfect movie but for the most part I enjoyed it.