'Avengers: Age of Ultron' Review: Gods, Men and Hulks

There's a moment in "Avengers: Age of Ultron" in which a character close to Hawkeye (we won't say who exactly to avoid spoilers) worries about the superhero team.

"I see you with these gods," she says, referring to the superhuman Thor and Captain America. "You think they don't need me," he responds, with that textbook Clint Barton self-deprecation.

"No, I think they do," she says.

It's a moment that reflects a very important recurring theme of this movie, one that sets "Avengers" and indeed most Marvel movies apart from other superhero flicks: the humans are just as important as the gods...or Hulks.

It's a theme that shows up on a number of levels in this sequel, particularly in which members of the team it chooses to focus on the most. While Hawkeye was almost completely absent from the first "Avengers" movie, he's a big focus here. So is Bruce Banner, so much more than his more superheroic side, the Hulk.

This time around, the Avengers are already a working team, firing on all cylinders in an attempt to find the scepter that Loki used in his Chitauri invasion in order to secure it. They succeed, but Tony Stark decides to try to use the power source they find inside to create a peacekeeping force that uses artificial intelligence.

Of course this backfires, and was is created instead is Ultron, an AI with a twisted view of the world that has him set on annihilating the entire human race.

In a way, it's Ultron's genocidal obsession that helps the movie take a better "every life is sacred" stance than the likes of, say, "Man of Steel." Our heroes, in contrast to Ultron, do everything they can to save each and every civilian, even when they could easily let a few die to save many more. Compare the final battle against Ultron in this movie to the city-leveling battle in DC/Warner Bros. "Man of Steel" and you have to admit there's far more emotional weight on the Marvel side.

Even the characters chosen as the focal points in this movie are the human ones. While the first "Avengers" focused mosly on Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America (Chris Evans) and how they could bring the team together, here we spend a lot of time with the mortal Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and the mostly mortal Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo). It's the latter of the three that provides perhaps the most heart and humanity, as his Hulked-out rages become an increasing source of guilt that he must overcome.

If there's a major gripe with "Age of Ultron," it's that Black Widow is relegated to a romance, something that we're not entirely sure the story needed. In fact, "Saturday Night Live" just mocked the decision in a sketch that imagined a solo Black Widow movie (which, by the way, has not been announced yet and might never happen) as a romantic comedy.

Still, at the very least it's Natasha that does the pursuing here, and with Joss Whedon's stellar track record with strong female characters we'll give him a pass.

Plus, any moments that feel forced in this movie are quickly forgotten thanks to incredible visuals, thrilling action sequences, and the occasional surprise to keep die-hard Marvel fans happy. The cast shines yet again and Spader is terrific as Ultron, who provides as much humor as malice.

We recommend getting 3D tickets to this one, as some of the action set-pieces are tailor-made for it. But even if you don't like 3D, still see this one in theaters. Hey, it's already the 2nd-biggest opening of all time...you don't want to feel left out, do you?