Like all good things (especially good Joss Whedon things), this work improves the second or third time around. It's brutally fast and never repeats itself, so those seeking to be spoon fed may have a negative reaction at first. Try it again. All confusions go away. Everything is explained. It's okay that you missed it the first time around (it's brutally fast!). There's so much in this film, it's amazing to me that anyone would say it's not as ambitious as the first. I think they missed both the details and the subtleties. Another amazing and beautiful (from a story/character perspective) rendition of the Marvel universe from our man Joss.