While I was not a fan of the first Avengers installment, I can now look back on that one in near-reverence after seeing the swing-and-a-miss that is Avengers: Age of Ultron: a movie more concerned with corporate tie-ins and franchise-building that it forgets to put together a coherent, enjoyable story. Never once do the Avengers look like they are about to break a sweat nor are they ever in any real danger – the minions thrown at them are too easily dispatched and the central villain, Ultron (voiced by James Spader), is too busy trying to keep up with the witty repertoire rather than being actually menacing. The introduction of Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is underwhelming because they are approximately two-centimeters deep and not nearly as compelling as any member of the group we’ve come to know over the past 1,000 Marvel movies. Director Joss Whedon prides himself on making socially-conscious and detailed universes for his characters, but he has missed the mark completely with his half-baked farewell. Avengers: Age of Ultron feels less like a full-fledged film and more like a prolonged commercial for upcoming installments: there are too many characters with too many motivations that go half-realized throughout, making for a rather tedious two hours.