Avengers: Infinity War

Image credit: BadTaste

It’s finally here. Quite possibly the most anxiously awaited blockbuster of the last five years Avengers: Infinity War is finally here. The culmination of a bunch of different franchises fusing and clashing on a cosmic scale to deliver one of the most exciting and intense filmic experiences in the history of superhero movies.

The overarching story of Thanos’ inevitable invasion of Earth as he hunts down all six infinity stones has been circling like a bird of prey since Guardians of the Galaxy, but for those who –ill advisedly- go into cinemas without being up to date with the Marvel universe, here’s what you need to know. A big bad alien named Thanos (Josh Brolin) has a plan to wield the power of all 6 infinity stones and thus wipe out half the galaxy in a ‘merciful purge’. After attacking Thor’s ship Thanos turns his attention to Earth where two stones reside –the time stone in the hands of Dr. Strange and the mind stone in the head of Vision. It’s bad news for the disbanded Avengers who have not been on speaking terms since Civil War.

We’ve all been super keen for all of these heroes to finally come together and once again the studio delivers! Better balanced between action, grit, and comedy than Age of Ultron Infinity War adheres to that unwritten, unspoken contract between films and viewers delivering an experience that takes its audiences through an array of emotions in not time flat. A definite drain of energy in the amount of emotional investment that gets completely ransacked the film stands as a knockout action movie and sci-fi flick!

While it’s a little jarring seeing singular heroes e.g. Doctor Strange demoted to supporting character status the chemistry and balance between the heroes stands strong for all building up drama, suspense, and enriching the film with an intricate network of storylines that have you on tender hooks for the next installment. Admittedly some characters lose a little of their signature spunk – a side effect from fusing with a bunch of other franchises that have their own vibe- but for the most part everyone works well together and the film doesn’t feel like its overloaded with characters and baggage.

Image credit: Forbes

For the comic book fans and people who are really emotionally invested in these characters I will warn you –though you’ve probably seen the film already- that it’s pretty harrowing. Violence, destruction, death, and loss are driving themes and it’s fair to say that this film is the Marvel equivalent of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Though if I had to pick out one problem it would be the film’s lack of mourning for the characters it snuffs out. While drama, action, and comedy are handled perfectly throughout the Marvel movies, death is something that –for me at least- doesn’t have the impact that it should and while I get the shots of adrenaline and fits of giggles in all the right places, the emotional intensity –that this movie does have in spades- seems to be reserved for those who are strongly invested in the characters. But hey there’s nothing wrong with that.

At the end of the day Infinity War is another epic superhero movie that has something for everyone. With mind-blowing action sequences, spot-on dialogue, dramatic engagement, and well-timed comedy it’s a great night out!

Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Pratt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Ruffalo, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Zoe Saldana, Karen Gillian, Tom Hiddleston, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Idris Elba, Danai Gurira, Peter Dinklage, Benedict Wong, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, Benicio Del Toro, and Josh Brolin