Joss Whedon uses slow-motion for emotional effect on several occasions in Avengers: Age of Ultron, hence sacrificing his integrity as a filmmaker. There’s simply no excuse for such nonsense. Sure, we’d let such a flourish pass for most contemporary blockbusters, but we all know Whedon should know better. A liberal activist, feminist and all-round smart guy, Whedon is the type of filmmaker who must really make a lot of effort to produce something as underwhelming, unmemorable and predictable as Age of Ultron. The first Avengers was, as we feared, a true once-off: a film levitated above the line of “greatness” by the shock of it being not only coherent, but tremendous fun. Ultron arrives with the burden of a $2 billion expectation on its head, and Whedon simply doesn’t have the energy to jump so high. His first big mistake: insisting on repeating absolutely none of the first film’s best story beats. There’s nothing wrong with a little repetition when it inspires nostalgia and, as a result, confidence. Age of Ultron is so astronomically different in tone and structure to the 2012 film that it’s almost like watching the start of a new franchise, but without any of the reassuring standard introductory clichés. On second thought, maybe this is a good thing! Perhaps Whedon has sneakily dropped into our waiting laps an experimentally innovative blockbuster sequel without any of the familiar tropes; if Age of Ultron isn’t welcoming, it least it may be original! Or maybe not. After all, however talented a director Whedon may be, he’s self-admittedly no Orson Welles or Abbas Kiarostami. He’s trying to make a damn fun movie, but the pressure may have been too great for Ultron to turn out as anything but sufficient.