The Avengers: Age of Ultron

SF: I did everything I could to avoid too many trailers and spoilers so I could watch this without my expectations being too high. I also feel this needs two scores because from a totally bias view its a 10, it delivers everything I want, tonnes of Marvel universe nods and hints. I'm enjoying the move from the more Ultimates line up to a traditional Avengers roster, I also screamed with glee when Vision appeared, ok not the Vision we are used to but Wonder Man isn't around so lets go with it. Having said that - Ultron without a mention of Hank Pym despite the Ant-man movie being on the way? Surely Tony Stark could of had him on Skype of something. Anyway I digress. As a film I didn't feel the same sense of awe that the first installment delivered. Maybe the attempts at character development were a tad shallow but this had plenty of action, a few good quips, amazing effects and I can't wait to see it again, maybe even three times so it deserves 9/10

50Eggs: Winter Solider having restored my faith in Marvel films, I was expecting big things from this. It partly lived up to those expectations. As a standalone film it tries to cram in far too many story threads, but viewed as 'hub' film in a massive story arc you can understand why. The first hour is a little slow but it does pick up, and the finale, whilst close to being a rehash of that of the first film, is spectacular. 1 point off for too much Hawkeye, but a point back on for lots of Black Widow. 8.5/10

DB: These Marvel films are definitely starting to suffer quite seriously from the law of diminishing returns, creatively at least if not yet financially. It is just not as good as the first one, not as funny, not as exiting, the bad character is nothing like as interesting (no Tom Hiddleston). The set pieces don't feel as spectacular, while I'm prepared to be told they are in fact 200 times bigger and involve twice as many people etc etc I just don't care very much about computer animations of things hitting things with things. The film has two ideas in it, neither of which are new or particularly interesting but both involve Bruce Banner: his conflict over whether he should assist serial world endangering narcissist Tony Stark and his conflict whether he can form a relationship with Natasha. Both ideas are under explored in favour of the ridiculously boring Hawkeye, who I was disappointed to see survive death near the start of the movie. There are none of the memorable moments typified by Bruce Banner swinging Loki about like a toddler with a doll from the first film in this film, it is all just more of the same. I was under the impression we were going to be getting some Hulk films, we only need one, but I would have preferred to see that than this. 6/10

Overall: 7.8/10

The Cabin in the Woods

SF: A pleasant surprise. This reminded me of the 80s comedy horrors, a genre that has sadly vanished. Enough gore and humour to keep me happy. A very enjoyable bit of fun. Plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing. 7/10

50 Eggs: This is why I go to the cinema! For 2 hours I totally forgot about life and then came out happier than I went in. This is such a good movie, somehow managing to tick all the horror boxes while simultaneously being utterly surprising (so no spoilers in this review). I can't fault it, and that is a very rare thing. Go see it. 10/10

DonkeyB: n/a

Overall - 8.5/10

Avengers Assemble

Sequel to Captain America, Iron Man 2, Thor and The Incredible Hulk

SF: For me this was either going to be fantastic or a horrid disappointment. I'm pleased to say I loved it. Perfect blend of action, humour and character. Joss Whedon did an amazing job, captured the essence of the Avengers (well Ultimates really which is fine). Also best Hulk so far. A well earned 10/10

50 Eggs: It would have been so easy to mess this up but instead Marvel have excelled themselves. All the characters mesh brilliantly whilst retaining their individual appeal in a storyline worthy of the Avengers name. A minor plot hole aside, this is the best superhero movie ever...and yes, that includes you Batman. 9.5/10

DonkeyB: It was fun, a good popcorn movie (if popcorn was an appropriate cinema food). It's still too long and too much crash bang wallop though. Not as good as Captain America but within the margin still gets 7/10

Overall - 8.83/10