Avengers: Infinity War

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Josh Brolin, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 84%

The latest major picture from the cinema monopoly that is Disney/Marvel, Infinity War looks set to be the latest record-breaking film for the conglomerate. However, with all the money and actors and expectations flying around, are the Russo brothers able to bring it all together and create a great film?

After constantly pulling the strings from the background, now is the time for Thanos (Brolin) to strike himself. With one of the infinity stones already in his hands, he sets off to lay claim to the other five, destroying everything that gets in his way. The only people who can stop him are Earth’s superheroes, but with the Avengers divided and unprepared, it falls to whoever can answer the call to try to stop him before he becomes unstoppable.

I should say from the start that I’m not exactly a huge fan of the Marvel movie franchise. I think there’s some really good films and some excellent characters in this universe, but my interest has waned. The first Avengers film – now incredibly minute in comparison – was fantastic. The second Avengers movie was a great action movie, and while it’s hard to argue that Infinity War wasn’t an enjoyable experience, I can confidently say it wasn’t a great movie.

It started really well. As mentioned above the Marvel universe isn’t short on engaging characters with big personalities, and the opening stages where everyone is introduced in their own suitable way like a kind of Disney parade was really fun to watch. However, while it’s clearly unavoidable I think the sheer number of personalities, and particularly how they were spread out across the different points of the universe creating separate stories made this a story that was hard to get into. The story itself is also incredibly simple, which makes the disconnect that the constant chopping and changing caused me even more apparent.

In the enviable and intimidating cast list, I can’t think of any actor who didn’t do themselves justice. Downey Jr. was, somewhat surprisingly the highlight – the father figure in the Marvel franchise, he seemed the most at home out of everyone in this film. I was also impressed by Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Holland here, seeing them both for the first time as their respective characters.

The directing was solid overall, but another itch I had with this movie – especially in comparison to previous Marvel and Avengers movies – was the fight scenes. Thanos’ seemingly unstoppable power did pose a particular problem to the choreographers, I’m sure, but I felt like the majority of battles lacked any sense of rhythm and flow, not aided by the brother’s direction. The large fight in Wakanda was good, though, which highlights the fact that there’s only so much flair you can portray before the big purple man snaps his fingers and ends it all.

Overall, this is another enjoyable cinematic experience from Disney and Marvel, and I feel like I’m leaving almost all of their films saying just that, now. Plenty of characters and a jaw-dropping collection of personalities creates plenty of fun moments, but at the same time over complicates a very simplistic story. The quality of the fight scenes was a particular disappointment, but on the whole this film does more than enough to make the filmgoer satisfied with how their time was spent.

What were your thoughts on the latest mass-produced blockbuster out of the Disney factory? It’s not harsh to say that the romance of cinema has been somewhat lost by this never-ending torrent, but even by modern standards was this latest title a little too much? Let us know in the comments, and subscribe for more movie reviews!