Avengers: Infinity War

As the 19^th film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Infinity War was always going to be hugely ambitious. Just like every other Marvel movie these days, hype has surrounded virtually every detail ever since its production was first announced by the studio. Therefore, it’s been well known for quite some time that the latest addition to the franchise was going to somehow be the culmination of a decade’s worth of preceding films – seeking to tie together the whole story so far in a similar fashion to that of The Avengers (2012). Only now, there is much more at stake.

Just the fact that Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely’s screenplay maintained a healthy grasp on the characterisation throughout is wonderful. Much of the vital comedy and character quirks established over the last ten years have been mercifully maintained – even if some of the superheroes in question have limited screen time. This faithfulness to tone is particularly noticeable with Spiderman and the Guardians of the Galaxy. While these misfits have lost none of the unique, offbeat humour that made us first fall in love with them, the way they mix with the other heroes still seems perfectly natural.

As a result, the majority of the feature is vastly entertaining. The character-building dialogue is backed up by solid performances (Tom Holland and Elizabeth Olsen being highlights), there’s plenty of well-shot action and the powers that be were even brave enough to allow some truly disturbing and heartbreaking scenes of torture and death. Suffice it to say that none of your favourite heroes or villains are safe. It’s truly a wonder that the thing is a 12A.

But still, as is characteristic of the genre now, there’s also an ample dose of cheese and a pretty thin plot. In this case, it’s largely held up by the viewer’s ability to suspend enough disbelief to accept Thanos’s simplistic motive for wanting to destroy half the universe. However, these flaws notwithstanding, the crowning glory of Avengers: Infinity War is its ending: it takes no prisoners, and – even aside from the heartbreak – one character’s final line, in particular, will undoubtedly keep the hype going strong until the sequel drops.

Aidan Milan

Avengers: Infinity War is released nationwide on 27^th April 2018.

Watch the trailer for Avengers: Infinity War here: