Avengers: Infinity War

Release Date: Out Now

The following review has been written with no spoilers, however as I will be referencing sections of the movie I would advise that you proceed with caution as you should any review. 

I have just come out after watching Avengers: Infinity War for the first time and I can say that I will be going again. The cumulus of  ten years of planning and stage setting is here, and for good measure, it's in two parts that will be released a year a part. The characters that many of us have grown up with are to meet their mightiest foe, he has been teased for years and now his time to shine has come, Thanos is here to destroy the Galaxy.

For ease, I have split this review into three parts.

Characters and Acting

As with any team up movie there are characters, and as you can imagine a lot of them. This is the nineteenth instalment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) yet somehow the Russo brothers have managed to give each of the heroes something. Coming off the back of Thor: Ragnarok, Chris Hemsworth has discovered who Thor is and how he should act. I enjoyed his surprisingly nuanced performance which kept the funny Thor but built upon it, and became something wholly his own. 

Similarly Mark Ruffalo continues to bring a perspective to the mental strain that comes with being the Hulk. He is still the Bruce Banner that we have known in past films but he too has grown. Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch has grown from strength to strength and her acting throughout captured the emotion and raw feeling that is essential to illicit a response from the audience. Zoe Saldana's Gamora is still secretive and manipulative but when faced against the adopted father who stole her from her planet, her story becomes clearer and jaw-dropping. 

Chris Evans remains the steely eyed man we have seen previously, as Robert Downey Jr has remained the Iron Man we know. These two found their characters early in the MCU but as the world around them changes, so do they and I enjoyed seeing how the characters choices have influenced who they are becoming. Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow remains strong and battle ready, as does Danai Gurira's Okoye. The rest of the ensemble retained their characteristics and performed well. I didn't find anyone's acting particularly stunted, but this may change on a second viewing. 

My stand-outs were definitely Thor, Gamora and Scarlet Witch, the acting and character arcs were beautifully done and acted upon. Thanos is a character with some depth although saying anymore may bring about spoilers. 

Visuals

This movie hops around a fair bit, we have New York, Edinburgh, Wakanda and various alien planets and ships. The visuals throughout are bright and striking, even during the grittier aspects, the creators have ensured that the scene in front of the audience is visually stimulating. However, as previously seen in the trailers, Tony's suit looks less and less metallic although I believe this is an aesthetics based choice. 

The choice of camera angles throughout created an atmosphere that made it feel like the viewer was part of the ensemble. It brought you into the movie and made some characters larger than life. Lense flare is a technique seen often and one I often attribute to J.J. Abrams, so it felt right that it was used throughout the scenes set in space, while the earth-based scenes remained more grounded without the piercing light. 

Story

This is the tricky part right here, was the story good? In my opinion, it was. We have a lot of character pay off, be it built up over multiple films or just over a few. The characters actions felt right, and that it had to be this way. Would I say there is a solid defined narrative throughout the film? Maybe not so much, it very much is the payoff from the films that came before it, I think Avengers 4 will definitely pick up more of a story though!

A theme which has been threaded through multiple movies is family and we all know family, it's challenging. Infinity War is no different and family, whether chosen or biological remains a theme throughout the larger MCU. The ending will have all fans itching for the next year, it will feel like an eternity especially alongside the little post credits tease - oh Feige, please stop!

Conclusion

Avengers: Infinity War left we awed and speechless as I left the cinema, it is quite possibly one of the most ambition films ever made, crossing over multiple distinct film personalities to morph them into what you will see before you. It is not perfect, but then what movie is? It is enjoyable and the narrative is well balanced, feeding the audience what they want, when they are emotionally ready for it... or not ready for it.