I finally got to see the movie yesterday. I thought it was very good, but had a significantly different tone than the first film. The overall sense that got conveyed to me is that this is a far more dangerous world after the events of New York. Collectively, it seems that the Avengers themselves realize their own mortality despite their super-human abilities. And the introduction of the Scarlet Witch has brought their own personal wounds to the surface.
The divisions between Cap and Stark seemed pretty evident from the outset. Rogers seems to have maintained his idealism and has taken on that mantle of leadership in a very natural way. While Tony recognizes that they've been lucky and that a fatality on the team seems more like a matter of "when" than "if". And that did come to pass at the end of the film. And that's why Stark developed the Iron Legion and it led to his plan to build Ultron. As for the conflicting Artificial Intelligences? I think that's an interesting way to introduce both Ultron and the Vision.
The fight between the Hulk and the Hulkbuster armor was AMAZING! Banner and Stark both seem to have planned for the possibility of the Hulk going on a rampage like this in a meticulous way. This is something that seems to have been in the back of Banners mind for some time. He knows just how destructive the Hulk can be, and the fight between Iron Man and the Hulk really served to quantify why he is so fearful of a "Code Green" incident. It also makes it abundantly clear why he chooses to disappear at the end of the film.
I definitely like how this film also managed to get characters like War Machine and Falcon involved. They've been cool supporting characters in the other films, and seeing them come into their own in an Avengers film was pretty cool. As for the new team? It's going to be interesting to see where things go. And based on the cast list for the next Cap movie, I get the feeling that the new team may work their way into that film first.
Also feel stupid now because I had no clue Klaw was in that movie. Did I blink and miss the guy in red suit with a cone hand? Or did this have something to do with the Wakanda/Vibranium conversation? We're not talking about that Aussie douche with the brand on his neck I hope?
That's exactly who that was. He's going to be in Black Panther, most likely with the sonic hand considering Ultron whacked his arm off.
He's South African, but that's besides the point. I thought his scenes were an interesting way to introduce Klaw, especially with him hoarding vibranium.