---
title: "Avengers: Age of Ultron: the reviews"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/avengers-age-of-ultron/reviews"
title_page: "https://film.one/film/avengers-age-of-ultron"
critics_score: 62
critics_reviews: 20
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015): what the critics said

Critics' score 62 from 20 reviews: 12 positive, 5 mixed, 3 negative.

Most critics like it, with reservations. Twelve of twenty reviews are positive, and the praise clusters on Joss Whedon rather than the spectacle: his dialogue, the banter between returning cast members, and the quieter scenes he finds room for between the fights. James Spader’s voice work as Ultron is singled out repeatedly, as is Paul Bettany’s Vision, and several reviews call the Black Widow and Hulk thread the film’s emotional centre. The British press is the warmest, with Empire and the Evening Standard both judging it an improvement on the first film.

The reservations are consistent even among admirers: too many characters, too much plot, and too much of it serving future films rather than this one. The spread is wide. The New Yorker finds it a bitter disappointment, the New York Times and Los Angeles Times find the action blurs into dreariness, and the American broadsheets are markedly cooler than anyone else.

## Empire — Helen O'Hara

Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 21 April 2015. 

The review finds Age of Ultron a stunning achievement that is bigger, darker and more consistent than the first film despite the vastly expanded cast and plot demands. Whedon's character work and the charismatic ensemble are singled out for holding the dense, globe-trotting story together.

[Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/avengers-age-ultron-review/)

## Evening Standard — David Sexton

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 4 May 2015. 

The critic calls the film bigger and better than its predecessor in every way, a juggernaut of quantity with more heroes and action that works thanks to Whedon's intuitive handling of the genre. He singles out the exhausting scale and the lack of moral consequence in the robot battles as a minor drawback but overall deems it high, loud entertainment.

[Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/avengers-age-of-ultron-film-review-there-s-no-stopping-this-juggernaut-10199637.html)

## Radio Times — Jeremy Aspinall

Rating 4/5. 

This exhilarating sequel returns the Avengers with a rousing opening and a chilling robotic villain in Ultron. Witty repartee leavens longueurs, a humdinger Hulkbuster fight and the Vision’s debut add highlights, and the earth-shattering climax delivers despite some plot obligations to future installments.

[Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-krxnjt/avengers-age-of-ultron/)

## The Guardian — Peter Bradshaw

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 21 April 2015. 

The film is an exuberant, funny, silly and crazily exhilarating aspartame rush from Joss Whedon. The critic singles out the witty script and the unresolved romantic tension between Black Widow and Hulk as highlights amid the operatic madness.

[Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/apr/21/avengers-age-of-ultron-review-film-joss-whedon-exhilarating)

## Total Film — Rosie Fletcher

Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 1 May 2015. 

The critic praises the film as a smart, personal superhero story that blends horror, love and morality while raising the bar with its political and petrifying elements. Ultron's voice performance and the interior character turmoil are highlighted as strengths, though the lengthy final battle is noted as a genre-typical weakness.

[Read the review](https://www.gamesradar.com/avengers-age-of-ultron-review/)

## Screen Daily

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 21 April 2015. 

Keeping the team together proves tougher than assembling it in this overstuffed but spectacle-filled sequel that recaptures some of the original’s novelty through emotional underpinnings and thrilling final action. Whedon excels at character work in the third-act battle, delivering laughs, adventure and a visceral, emotional close despite early dialogue-heavy sections.

[Read the review](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/avengers-age-of-ultron-review/5086407.article)

## Sight and Sound — Kim Newman

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 22 April 2015. 

Whedon juggles multiple plot threads, new characters like the Vision and Scarlet Witch, and quieter emotional moments amid large-scale battles. The film delivers strong set pieces and character beats in its extended climax while contrasting spectacle with smaller-scale snappy dialogue.

[Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/review-avengers-age-ultron)

## Variety — Scott Foundas

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 21 April 2015. 

The sequel improves on its predecessor with a looser, more inventive style and surprising emotional depth, particularly in character relationships. It balances heavy action with human-scale moments and humor effectively.

[Read the review](https://variety.com/2015/film/reviews/avengers-age-of-ultron-review-1201474856/)

## Time Out — Tom Huddleston

Rating 3/5. 21 April 2015. 

The sequel has a mid-season feel, buckling under Marvel mythology with half-formed ideas and a crowded cast, but remains fun with Whedon’s signature pathos, snappy action, and one-liners. It lays groundwork for future films while delivering a derivative but entertaining story about ambition and rogue AI.

[Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/avengers-age-of-ultron)

## Slant Magazine — Chris Cabin

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 28 April 2015. 

Whedon’s camera catches the action in thrilling long takes and the growing relationship between Black Widow and the Hulk is the tender heart of the film, but the few sublime scenes of expressive melodrama are drowned out by massive amounts of exposition and backstory.

[Read the review](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/avengers-age-of-ultron/)

## The Hollywood Reporter — Todd McCarthy

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 21 April 2015. 

The film succeeds in introducing a worthy opponent and giving the heroes new things to do but this time the action scenes don’t always measure up and some of the characters are left in a kind of dramatic no man’s land.

[Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/avengers-age-ultron-film-review-790246/)

## Los Angeles Times — Kenneth Turan

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 29 April 2015. 

The film delivers proficient superhero thrills and strong effects but is ultimately forgettable, with little that lingers after viewing. Its overabundance of action sequences blurs together and weakens the overall impact.

[Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/la-et-mn-avengers-review-20150430-column.html)

## The New York Times — Manohla Dargis

Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 30 April 2015. 

The critic finds the film diverting yet ultimately dreary due to its overpacked story and excessive action sequences. Whedon's direction is praised for attempting to inject life into the blockbuster formula despite its flaws.

[Read the review](https://nytimes.com/2015/05/01/movies/review-avengers-age-of-ultron-gets-the-superband-back-together.html)

## The New Yorker — Anthony Lane

Fi1m's normalised score 10/100 (inferred from the text). 27 April 2015. 

The review criticizes the film as a bitter disappointment filled with incomprehensible plot elements and endless fights that fail to engage. Whedon's witty talents are noted as underutilized amid the Marvel mythology overload.

[Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/05/04/fighting-on)

## Collider — Matt Goldberg

Rating B+. 30 April 2015. 

The critic finds the film exhilarating yet exhausting and ambitious but messy and crowded as a progression of the Marvel narrative rather than an evolution. It praises the nonstop jokes, banter, character relationships, and go-for-broke energy while noting it overwhelms with its scale and burden as both a blockbuster and continuing story.

[Read the review](https://collider.com/avengers-2-age-of-ultron-review-movie-is-exhilerating-and-exhausting/)

## /Film — Germain Lussier

Rating 7.5/10. 21 April 2015. 

The critic finds the film satisfying as the first full Avengers team-up movie, with consistent excitement, laughs, drama, and action, though it falls short of the original in "wow" moments and warmth. They single out Hawkeye's expanded role and the Vision for praise, while noting some character absences in the finale and setup for future films as drawbacks.

[Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/537211/avengers-age-of-ultron-review/)

## Den of Geek — Don Kaye

Rating 3.5/5. 1 May 2015. 

The film is larger with more action sequences but feels shaggier and less exhilarating than the first Avengers, with frantic pacing and some clumsy transitions. Strengths include Whedon's dialogue, strong cast chemistry, and Paul Bettany's standout performance as the Vision.

[Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/avengers-age-of-ultron-review/)

## Polygon — arthur-gies

Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 1 May 2015. 

The review calls the film big, sprawling, excellently choreographed, and human where needed, appreciating its confident handling of the interconnected MCU and sharp character moments for some supporting players. It criticizes the overcomplicated plot that serves future films at the expense of a self-contained story, underdeveloped new characters, and occasional stumbles in comedic timing.

[Read the review](https://www.polygon.com/2015/5/1/8523973/avengers-age-of-ultron-review/)

## Deadline — Pete Hammond

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 21 April 2015. 

The critic finds the sequel bigger and louder than the first Avengers but not better, with a been-there-done-that feel that lacks the original's thrill despite solid action and banter. The witty interplay among the returning cast is a highlight amid the overstuffed franchise setup.

[Read the review](https://deadline.com/2015/04/avengers-age-of-ultron-review-robert-downey-jr-chris-hemsworth-chris-evans-1201413464/)

## The Wrap — Alonso Duralde

Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 21 April 2015. 

The film sags under the weight of franchise requirements and prior MCU entries, feeling like overstuffed connective tissue rather than a delight, though it remains entertaining on a basic level with thrills and laughs. James Spader's voice work as Ultron stands out as the scene-stealing highlight.

[Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/avengers-age-of-ultron-review-joss-whedon-robert-downey-jr-scarlett-johansson/)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/avengers-age-of-ultron.md