The evil Thanos (Josh Brolin) is on a path to bring destruction to the world by collecting the 6 Infinity stones. With these gems, he can wipe out half of the entire universe at the click of his fingers. Earth's mightiest heroes and many more will need to come together to save the entire world from Thanos' sick plans.
10 years and 19 films later, Marvel have continuously been raising the bar and pushing the boundaries for how franchises and cinematic universes. This culminates with Infinity War, the biggest Marvel film to date which features characters from nearly every single film within the franchise. Featuring basically every hero shown on the big screen to date, this could very easily have been a completely bloated, incoherent mess. Thankfully, it's another hit from Marvel.
The pacing of the film is relentless - for better or worse at times - as each minute is used to further the many storylines and character set pieces as possible. Due to the focus on many different characters who are separated, the different stories come fast and furious at you with little time to catch your breath. This harms the films more emotional moments or reunions as something potentially powerful may be on the cusp of happening but is rushed and transitions into the next scene. In a film with fewer characters and stories being told, these could really have been capitalised on. Instead, they are mainly replaced for more spectacular moments. However, when the film reaches these moments, they knock them out of the park. There may not be as epic or memorable a shot or scene as in previous Avengers films or Civil War, but there are many great moments to satisfy the audience. The 2 and a half hour runtime completely fly by as there is plenty of action, great characters, humour and serious moments to satisfy. As far as big budget popcorn blockbusters go, it doesn't get much better than this.
With an abundance of stars and characters, some do get lost in the shuffle throughout the film which may leave some fans dissatisfied. With this comes a few surprises, including a standout performance by Zoe Saldana as Gamora. Saldana is very key in the story and provides a powerful, emotional performance which is up there with the best of the franchise. Each character does have a moment to provide some fan fair, with Robert Downey Jr excelling yet again in his beloved Iron Man role. Marvel continues to do right with their villains - one of the biggest criticisms they've faced over their 10 years - as Josh Brolin's Thanos poses a great threat to our heroes. Brolin is excellent and menacing throughout the whole film, with clear established goals and reasons that make him one of the best Marvel villains to date on the big screen. Thanos brings a whole new level of stakes to the film which is showcased immediately in the film. From the start, you know exactly how big a threat he is and how Marvel isn't messing about this time around. Like never before, there are real risks to these superbeings and they are believable - until perhaps the next film - but this brings a lot of weight to the story and actions regardless.
Epic is the only word that can really be used to describe this complete spectacle. Alongside the huge action set pieces, Alan Silvestri's score does an incredible job at maintaining the epicness of the film. From a score standpoint, Silvestri's is by far the best the MCU has ever had. A mix of past themes and new music combine tremendously well, leaving a lasting impression and one that will induce goosebumps. From triumphant action scenes and character introductions/returns to the more emotional scenes, Silvestri's score captures the feeling excellently, maintaining a high level of consistency throughout the film.
Over the years, Marvel have been criticised for playing it safe and not taking a lot of risks. This is absolutely not the case with Infinity War which is best shown with its ending. The finale of the film is really unexpected and is something Marvel deserve high praise for as they look to expand on the superhero movie in any way they can. Not only is it bold but it is incredibly effective, leaving a satisfied feeling but one that you can't quite believe at the same time.
Another hit for Marvel in what will surely be the highest grossing film of 2018, this is entertainment in its finest form. Fun with great action but some decent moments of seriousness sprinkled throughout, Infinity War is a fan's dream and will have you eagarly anticipating its follow up immediately after the film.
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
