THE age of Marvel continues. The 11th entry in their cinematic universe and sequel to the 2012 all-star team-up, Avengers: Age of Ultron, marches its way into Australian cinemas and begins its inevitable climb to the top of the box office.

The villainous Ultron - a rogue Tony Stark creation bent on saving the planet from the plague of humanity is an undeniable breath of fresh air in the Marvel cinematic canon.

A hero is only as good as the opposing villain, and Ultron is the first truly compelling villain to test the super-powered team.

In fact, all of the newly introduced characters, including twins Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, and especially Paul Bettany as Ultron's antitheses The Vision, give the film an intriguing and surprisingly honest depth.

Unfortunately many of the factors that have let down previous entries are still present here.

Age of Ultron creates such high-stakes' scenes of war and destruction but keeps any actual violence as harmless as possible to not compromise its family friendly charm.

This isn't necessarily a bad thing (a blood-stained Avengers film is less than appealing) but, ultimately, it doesn't feel like there's any real danger or consequence for the actions on screen.

Even if Age of Ultron fails to deal with the real-world implications of its events, it more than delivers on its promise to be a humorous, action-packed and ultimately fun experience.

Quick Facts

• Release date: April 23
• Genre: Action
• Running time: 141 mins
• Director: Joss Whedon
• Stars: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo
• Showing at:
• Limelight, Riverlink
• Birch Carroll and Coyle, Ipswich
• Reading Cinemas, Redbank
• Star rating: 3.5/5