I could sum this film up in one word and be done with it..."Spectacular!"
But then again it would be a very short review and there is so much I want to talk about.
The imposing Thanos
When we entered the screening studio the whole audience were given a lapel badge to wear with the words “THANOS DEMANDS YOUR SILENCE”. I thought, well this is exciting, only to be reminded with yet another message plastered across the screen just before the start of the film instructing us not to give away any spoilers.
Wow! This is going to be one of the toughest reviews I have ever had to write. Not that I give out any spoilers in my write-ups. It’s just that this film is full of jaw-dropping moments and I don’t think my shoulders ever touched the back of the chair. I didn’t want to miss a thing.
The Synopsis:
The movie opens with the aftermath of a space battle and from then on it’s action all the way.
Thanos (Josh Brolin) is our villain. We first saw Thanos in a teaser trailer on the post-credit sequence at the end of Avengers Assemble (2012) and then we saw more of the rock-jawed colossus in Guardians of the Galaxy.
Spidy, Iron Man and the Guardians
This is a character that is more than a match for the likes of Iron Man, Thor and The Hulk put together and will take more ‘brain rather than brawn’ to defeat him. He is massively powerful and already has a reputation as being a conqueror of planets and other worlds causing genocide wiping out generations of other populations.
As if this is not enough, Thanos wants more and he is searching the galaxy for the six infinity stones, which will make him the most feared and deadly ruler in the whole universe.
Along with all the best bad guys, he has a team of henchman that do a lot of his dirty work and what a nasty band of rentavillans they are. Known as the Black Order (which sounds like a Star Wars Empire side order or a dark evil enemy of Hogwarts), these guys and girl are pretty nasty and may be very frightening to younger audience goers but hey! That’s the fun of being a kid.
The Hulk suit is back.
Thanos and his team scour the universe for the stones and even Earth where Dr Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and the evolving android, Vision (Paul Bettany) both guard two of the stones on their person.
It’s Dr Strange who assembles the Avengers with the help of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and an overexcited Spider-Man (Tom Holland) like an eager puppy to help track down Thanos and destroying him.
Along the way they are also joined by the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Black Panther's extended family not to mention a reunion with some old friends.
Some familiar faces return
Can the Avengers save the world as we know it?
The film could have been named Thanos: Infinity War. Although the character is primarily CGI, Josh Brolin acts out Thanos using motion-capture techniques and is a formidable adversary. Brolin dominates every scene he is in and is really the catalyst throughout the two-and-a-half-hours screen time. One of the best villains we have seen in the cinema for a while.
Back in the day we would have called this an epic movie but I’m afraid the word epic has lost it’s kudos with more everyday use along with the word literally. But I think spectacular still works.
Thor teams up with Rocket and Groot
Thankfully the Russo brothers Anthony and Joe are at the directing helm once again and they know how to please an audience. Marvel has always insisted on strong storylines and characters with just the right amount of humour thrown in and this film is no exception.
I guarantee this will be the biggest film of the year (maybe ever?) I think Robert Downey Jr deserves his ‘last supper’ stance on the posters as he started it all off back in 2008 (I know, 10 years ago!) with Marvel’s Iron Man and the MU franchise has just spiralled into a massive entity adding new and fantastic superheroes.
Falcon joining the fight in Africa.
Spider-Man with new Stark costume
The action set-pieces have to be seen to be believed. People sitting next to me were actually shouting at the screen and whooping with delight at some scenes. Although we don’t really want that but it is quite an emotional film.
You have to feel a bit sorry for the Star Wars franchise, hopefully Solo will work as a standalone movie which happened with Rogue One which many people preferred to the Star Wars sequels and the dreadfully plodding (literally) plot of The Last Jedi.
Anyway Avengers: Infinity War gets a stonking 5 out of 5 from this reviewer. I can’t wait to see it again.
In cinemas Thursday April 26
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