by Ben Peyton
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away a Big Bang created six Infinity Stones. When combined, these stones provide unimaginable power to whom ever possesses them. Enter big, bad baddy Thanos as he stops at nothing to get his giant purple hands on them. The only people in his way are Marvel’s collection of heroes; some super, some furry and one a tree.
Directors Anthony and Joe Russo were pretty much given carte blanche to use the Avengers characters as they saw fit and it doesn’t take long to realise that none of them are safe from having their Asgardians kicked.
Coming in at about two and a half hours long the Russo brothers do their best to accommodate the massive cast and they do so with style, wit and action-a-plenty. Yes, some have more to do than others, but all of them have their moments and seeing them as a collective confirms just how perfectly cast they are and their chemistry is simply electric.
Breaking off into smaller groups the heroes go their separate ways to try and thwart Thanos’s evil plan. Sacrifices are made and relationships tested as we learn more about some of the main character’s pasts. Emotions run high particularly as some decisions have devastating consequences.
All these mini-groups have their own dynamic and it’s credit to the brilliant writers, Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus, as they skilfully weave between them and strike the perfect balance between drama and comedy and they create some very funny moments along the way, particularly between the Guardians of the Galaxy and Chris Hemsworth’s “Pirate-Angel” Thor. Most of this is at the expense of Chris Pratt’s Star-Lord and his excess baggage.
Tom Holland’s Spider-Man again impresses as does Mark Ruffalo as Hulk and Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Strange. Indeed, the doctor’s verbal sparring with Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man is a highlight. There’s a welcome return to Wakanda and the recent Black Panther gang, whilst it’s more of the same from the other Marvel veterans.
Avengers: Infinity War is as spectacular as it is entertaining and whilst the ending is slightly ambiguous, it’s certainly intriguing enough to wish that the next instalment wasn’t a whole year away.
DC World, I hope you were watching and taking notes, because this is how you make a superhero ensemble film.
Stick around for one extra scene after the credits.
Film Review Movie Review Ant Man Anthony Mackie Avengers Benedict Cumberbatch Benedict Wong Benicio Del Toro Black Panther Black Widow Bradley Cooper Bucky Barnes Captain America Carrie Coon Chadwick Boseman Chris Evans Chris Hemsworth Chris Pratt Cinema Comics Danai Gurira Dave Bautista DC Doctor Strange Don Cheadle Drax Elizabeth Olsen Falcon Film Film Review Gamora Groot Gwyneth Paltrow Heimdall Hulk Idris Elba Infinity War Iron Man Josh Brolin Karen Gillan Letitia Wright Loki Mantis Mark Ruffalo Movie Review Nebula Nick Fury Odin Paul Bettany Pepper Potts Peter Dinklage Peter Quill Pom Klementieff Review Robert Downey Jr. Rocket Samuel L Jackson Scarlett Johansson Sebastian Stan SHIELD Shuri Spider-Man Spiderman Star Lord Star Wars Steve Rogers Thanos Thor Tom Hiddleston Tom Holland Tony Stark Vin Diesel Vision Wanda War Machine White Wolf Zoe Saldana
Film critic. YouTube channel www.youtube.com/benpeytonreviews
Twitter @BenPeyton007
Former actor. Band of Brothers, Emmerdale, Holby City and a regular (PC Ben Hayward) in The Bill.
Voiceover artist with Rhubarb Voices.