Which new movies are worth your money?

'Avengers: Age of Ultron'

Director Joss Whedon knows how to make a wryly funny, action-packed extravaganza, as he proved with 2012's The Avengers. So why did he overstuff the 2½-hour sequel? Cutting Whedon some slack, it's an all-star superhero saga that will likely please die-hard Marvel devotees and many fans of the first film. But for the less dialed in, the fun of watching these top-tier heroes save the universe diminishes with the passage of time. (**½ out of four stars)

'Far from the Madding Crowd'

Thomas Hardy novels tend to inhabit a dark world, where suffering reigns supreme. But this enthralling adaptation takes that landscape and taps into its vibrant beauty, complexity and romantic potential, while still remaining faithful to the source. The latest version of Hardy's 1874 classic works on all levels. (**** out of four stars)

Other recent releases:

In Age of Adaline, a freak accident leaves Blake Lively young and beautiful forever. Rough life. (**)

Russell Crowe makes his directorial debut in Australian tragedy The Water Diviner. (**)

Furious 7 brings thrills and chills in this latest installment. (***)

Few frights are as relevant in 2015 as those in Unfriended. (***)

Nicholas Sparks' The Longest Ride hits the big screen...and it's a snoozer.(*½)

Follow the drama and heart in Disney's Monkey Kingdom.

Rihanna and Jim Parsons voice the spunky leads in Home. (**)

Get Hard is hard to sit through and hardly funny.(*½)

Will Tris fight the power? Find out in The Divergent Series: Insurgent (*½)