PLEASE NOTE - THE FOLLOWING IS A SPOILER FREE REVIEW. I WILL NOT REVEAL ANY MAJOR PLOT POINTS FROM THE SHOW.
“I hope they remember you.”
Over the past 116 years of cinema there are certain movies, inventions and conventions that stand out and forever leave their mark on the landscape. Whether that be the introduction of sound to movies, so audiences could finally here actors speak, the creation on CGI that allows creators to put anything they can imagine one screen, or a movie like Jaws that is solely responsible for the definition “blockbuster” and also the summer movie season we are so used to.
In recent years, one could make a good case for the “cinematic universe”. Since it’s successful inception with Ironman in 2008, Marvel Studios has achieved something that traditional movie making commentators said was impossible. And while an argument can be made that not every MCU movie has been a runaway success, they have yet to make something wholly terrible. Meanwhile, other studios have tried (in some cases multiple times) to replicate the cinematic universe formula that Marvel introduced. However, Marvel seems to be the only studio to have the magic formula to ensure a combined cinematic universe works, engages fans, creates new fans and raises everyones anticipation for each new release time and time again.
From the time Nick Fury mentioned the Avengers Initiative in the Ironman post credit scene to Thanos smiling at the camera at the end of the first Avengers, all roads have been leading to this new movie.
Can Avengers Infinity War do the impossible and successfully combine every Marvel superhero in one film? Can the MCU produce a villain worthy of such heroic opposition? Will this movie be the one when Marvel Studios finally stumbles?
THE STORYTwo years after the events of Captain America: Civil War, Thanos, the mad Titan arrives on Earth to collect the infinity stones for a gauntlet that will allow him to bend reality to his will. The Avengers must join forces with the Guardians of the Galaxy to stop him before his onslaught of destruction puts an end to half the universe.
OVERALL OPINION
WOW! Just wow.
I tried going into this movie by tempering my expectations, just in case Marvel were unable to pull off the amazing feat of combining eighteen heroes in one film. I know the Russo’s did an amazing job with Captain America: Civil War, but this is something else. The culmination of 10 years worth of storytelling and set-up for supposedly the biggest badass bad guy any Marvel character has ever fought against. Despite my attempts, I was giddy with excitement sat in the cinema. And……I was not disappointed.
Having only come out of the movie an hour ago, its hard for me to say where this movie places in the MCU right now. However, I will say that it is a very different Marvel movie to any we’ve had so far. Yes there are still jokes (which land 9 times out of 10), but they do not in any way undercut any of the dramatic moments. The action is epic in scale and the interactions between characters (the audience) has seen before meeting new people brings up just as many exciting outcomes as one might have hoped for.
This movie is different, however, as it is essentially Thanos’ movie and is almost told from his point of view. I do not mean to say that the heroes are sidelined. Far from it. But throughout the movie the Russo brothers do an amazing job of fully fleshing out this character and his backstory, so you understand his motivations, while simultaneously fully understanding the threat he represents.
It is really hard talking about this movie without giving anything away. However, I will say that I was not disappointed with the story telling, character interaction or how the film ended. While we have seen several “team-up” movies already (two Avengers movies, Justice League), this is the first “event” comic book movie. As in, massive, galaxy spanning crossover event featuring multiple characters all fighting towards the same goal. Stop Thanos. There are some surprises along the way too that made me squee (in a manly way of course). And the ending……just WOW!
THE PERFORMANCESDUE TO THE SHEER NUMBER OF ACTORS IN THIS MOVIE I SHALL NOT BE COMMENTING ON THEM ALL. Mainly because after 10 years, we all know how great these actors are in their roles as the heroes. Instead, I shall focus on the villains, as this is an area that Marvel has received consistent criticism for in the past (weak, throwaway villains).
Josh Brolin - ThanosBetween this, Deadpool 2 and the sequel to Sicario, Josh Brolin is having a hell of a year. Despite being a mo-cap character you truly believe that Thanos is real; in the same way Andy Serkis brought Gollum to life, Josh Brolin imbues this character with life, nuance and subtly. He is not the loud brash villain some may expect, which makes his all the more menacing.
Tom Vaughan-Lawlor - Ebony MawPart of the Black Order, he is the most talkative of the order and the one seen threatening Dr Strange in the trailer. Despite his thin demeanour he is a real threat and all his scenes are terrific. He also seems to be the most sycophantic of the group when Thanos is around.
Terry Notary - Cull ObsidianAnother part of the Black Order, he could be described as “the muscle”. He is a hulking presence (no pun intended) whose physical threat really manages to affect our heroes in battle.
Carrie Coon - Proxima MidnightPart of the Black Order, the British actress gives this character a deadly air of superiority. Every time she’s on screen you worry for the safety of our heroes.
Michael James Shaw - Corvus GlaiveFinal member of the Black Order, he is most often seen with Proxima Midnight and is just as deadly. Not many lines, but still a huge threat.
OTHER STUFF
The Action
As always, the action is great with some of the set-pieces managing to be different, unique, fun and thoroughly engaging.
The CGIMarvel knows how to use their budget wisely and the three main locations (Wakanda and Space) look amazing. The CGI characters are totally believable and the suits for Ironman and Spiderman look particularly wonderful. One shot towards the end looked a little wonky, but otherwise everything was on point.
The PacingAt 2h 40 mins, this is by far the longest MCU movie to date and it flies by. The movie wastes no time getting into the story and it does a good job of spending sufficient time within each location without you wanting to leave or wishing you were somewhere else.
Musical ScoreI’m not someone who usually notices the score in films unless they are really epic and standout. For the most part, I would say it’s the standard rousing Marvel score. Not bad, but nothing that really stood out for me
Post Credit Scenes?Of course. This is Marvel after all and they have trained audiences well to expect a little bit of a tease for the future. However, unlike the more recent MCU movies, there is only one post-credit scene. Is it a good one? You’ll have to watch and decide for yourself. (but I thought it was AMAZING)
CameosApart from Stan the Man (of course), there is one MAJOR cameo and two minor ones. That’s all I’m saying.
FINAL VERDICT
If you have been following Marvel on this incredible journey over the past 10 years then this movie will not disappoint you. It is not a faithful adaptation of the Infinity Gauntlet run in the comics, but is more akin to what Marvel has done with over movies; take certain elements from the comic book and weave a new story from it to fit the film medium. Comic book fans will love it. MCU fans will love. General public who have seen all or most of the MCU movies will definitely enjoy it. I just hate that I have to wait a full year for the story to continue.
If I did have one gripe, its that due to the sheer number of heroes and scope of the tale they are telling, some people get less to do than others. No-one is wasted, but I felt I wanted a little more time for some characters to shine. But then again, that’s what the individual movies are for.
My Score: 9.6/10
Rotten Tomatoes rating - 87% (critics) 98% (audience)
(at time of writing)
MY MOVIE RATING SYSTEM
10- Citizen F*%king Kane (A+)
9- Bloody Great (A)
8- Really rather good (A-)
7- Pretty decent (B+)
6- Definitely above average (B)
5- Middle of the road average (C)
4- Mediocre (D)
3- Meh (E)
2- Crap (F)
1- Why the hell did I waste my time and money on this abomination (Unrated)