This movie is fantastic, but introduces too many metaphors to pay off by the end. Director Joss Whedon stated in an interview that he challenged himself to make it shorter than The Avengers (2012), and it shows. This movie tries to do more in less time, and although it does an incredible job with what it has, an extra 10-20 minutes could have made this a 5/5. That being said the action is dazzling, the concept is solid, and they even managed to squeeze in three new characters that went on to appear in other MCU movies. With so much crammed into one movie, it definitely improves with multiple viewings.

Closest comparison: It’s the troubled middle child of the Avengers franchise.

Setting: Super hero
Plot: Super hero
Tone: Super hero