Welcome one and all to my review blog for "Avengers Infinity War" the newest entry into the "Marvel Cinematic Universe". I am mindful that the film has just come out and some of you may have not seen it so I will tread lightly around main plot points and will avoid spoilers. As always if you have any comments leave one below or by following me on "Twitter" or "Instagram". I also have an "eBay" store where I sell a random assortment of items on a semi regular basis.
Where do I begin with "Infinity War" ? the selling point of the film is that it is the culmination of ten years of story telling and it really is. I'm aware that there will be the cynics who will be negative about anything made by a big studio or anything part of a franchise and it's OK to have your opinion but, "Infinity War" really is the best and most all encompassing film of the "MCU".
The story has three main threads that follow different combinations of characters that all lead to Thanos trying to gain control of all of the Infinity stones. The way in which this has been done shows the three main settings for past "MCU" entries. The first thread follows Thor as he comes across The Guardians Of The Galaxy after running afoul of Thanos and his children. This section of the story has the mix of emotion and humour that you would expect especially the interactions between Peter Quill and Thor. This section of the story also provides one of numerous heart breaking scenes that genuinely had me choked up. I really enjoyed this section and would go as far as saying a cross over film between these two film series would make for some entertaining films.
The second thread is set, for the most part, in New York and features Iron Man and his meeting Doctor Strange for the first time. The interaction between Stark and Strange is filled with hilarious one liners and insults. The pair form an uneasy alliance along with Spider-Man and the now earth based Doctor Bruce Banner. As with the Doctor Strange film, this section of the story provided some of the most visually creative scenes of combat between Doctor Strange and Thanos and his children. This was also a great mix of earth and off earth based scenes that ties the other two threads together nicely. As with the first thread this section also provides some great humour especially the naivety of Peter Parker and his desperation to be a full fledged Avenger, look out for his new suit too which is a great nod to the Iron Spider suit. There was also a couple of moments in this section, as with the first, that had me mysteriously come down with an eye irritation.
the third thread is set in numerous settings around the world and features an unpatriotic Steve Rogers and his team of Black Widow and Falcon as they come to the aide of Scarlet Witch and Vision as they have dropped off the radar in hopes of beginning a new life together. Of course they run into trouble as Thanos and his children are in pursuit of the Infinity stones lodged in Visions forehead. This leads the team, along with War Machine head to Wakanda to gain the help of Black Panther and his people. This section is held together nicely with the budding romance between Vision and Wanda and really provides some great action packed moments that really show the true jeopardy that the universe is in at the hands of Thanos. This is also the section of the story that kicks off the intertwining of all of the stories.
I was incredibly impressed with how the script and pacing handled the sheer volume of characters and stories told throughout. This truly is an ensemble piece with nothing but, good performances. Tom Holland continues to impress me greatly switching between youthful inexperience and vulnerability with ease and, I feel, will be the headline talent for the "MCU" going forward. Robert Downey Jr. is great as the now battle hardened and world weary Tony Stark and as I mentioned previously his interactions with Doctor Strange are barbed and hilarious. The thing I was impressed with the most was the seemingly effortless melding of characters from different walks of life, for example there is a tremendous fight scene that features Black Widow, Scarlet Witch and Okoye working together. It is Josh Brolin who impressed me the most. It would be easy to play Thanos as another one dimensional villain with no real feeling or vulnerability but, it's that vulnerability that really holds the story together. Throughout the story arcs you see why Thanos is the way he is and why he's doing what he's doing and in a strange way it really makes the threat he poses seem utterly terrifying.
I will warn there are notable absences that are addressed in a strangely throw away manner but, has probably been done for pacing and story line reasons. The one thought I had after I left the cinema was "How in the hell are they going to come back for this ?" and that's what I really want from a franchise film. I want to be surprised and shocked so much that I desperately need to know what happens next. After 10 years I have been left shocked, emotional and left with the feeling that all hope may be lost and after all isn't that what everyone wants ?
Will "Infinity War" become one of or even the most profitable film of all time ? probably. Does it really deserve to be ? absolutely. The sheer logistical feat of featuring an enviable roster of talent and giving them all equal footing is outstanding. The risk could be that the story could suffer and it really doesn't. "Infinity War" is a great mix of humour, action and emotion that has something for everyone. I would also suggest you stay until the very end of the credits for one of the most exciting end credit scenes in recent memory.
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