After a spate of successful superhero movies, ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ became probably the most highly anticipated film of the year, both for long-term Marvel fans and those just joining the crowd. Now we’ve finally got the backstories for each character out of the way, it’s time to see how the team fair against Thanos (Josh Brolin), the Eternal-Deviant hybrid from the planet Titan who you may remember from ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’. Thanos is still on the search for the six infinity stones, powerful stones that, when utilised together, bring absolute power to the user, and it’s now up to - not just the Avengers, but many other superheroes as well to put a stop to his goal of ruling the universe.
So far I’ve found that the films Marvel have been releasing have just got better and better, with ‘Thor: Ragnorak’ being my personal favourite so far for its excellent pacing, humour, and storyline. ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ manages to take whatever was going well in ‘Thor: Ragnorak’ and make it even better, but with something about it that still makes it so original-feeling. Unlike other superhero movies you may have watched, whether they be from Marvel or DC, the film has a unique filming style to it – less polished, and more realistic and intimate. Rather than watching from a distance a load of shiny people in shiny situations, it feels more like the viewer is actually there, in between the action.
The structure and the plotline are also quite original compared to other superhero movies, which is refreshing. Despite being 2 hours 40 minutes, it doesn’t feel like a long film, as so much goes on and it’s paced perfectly. CGI is particularly well done – there’s a hell of a lot of it so it needed to be, but it felt super realistic and perhaps even better than the CGI we got to witness in ‘Black Panther’. There’s a good balance of comedy and emotion, with characters having to make some really tough choices at times (and, as we expected, it certainly doesn’t disappoint with the number of deaths).
One worry I think a lot of us had was that, with so many heroes on screen, it would be impossible to focus on them all. Thankfully this didn’t play out – all characters have an important role to play, and none of them get left behind. The chemistry between characters is very convincing, with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Starlord (Chris Pratt) being particularly hilarious together. The character I was impressed with the most though was Thanos, as he makes such a great villain. Despite being a seeker of absolute power and with some seriously crazy thoughts running through his head, he’s complex and emotional and at points, it’s hard not to sympathise with him. DC could certainly take note here, especially after the disappointingly flat Steppenwolf featuring in ‘Justice League’.
By far the best superhero showdown movie to grace our screens, ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ is everything you want and need from a Marvel movie and more. It will definitely challenge your perceptions of the genre and I can guarantee after watching, you’ll be counting down the days until the sequel finally comes out next summer.
★★★★★
Hannah Read
Avengers: Infinity War at CeX
