Finally a villain we can believe in

Rating: 10/10 (27 April 2018)

Avengers: Infinity War
From watching the trailers for this epic summer tent pole movie. I got the same feeling as I did when viewing the trailer for The Dark Knight Rises.
A real sense of real peril. The feeling of dread that our beloved heroes may not make it all the way through this one.
Just as Bane looked like the unstoppable force too powerful for The Batman to stop.
Thanos appears to be too big and bad for all the Avengers assembled together to take on.
Boy was my initial feeling spot on!
From the opening ten minutes enough happens to solidify the fact that our heroes are neck deep and some may not get to hang up their cape at the end of the day and kick back with a nice glass of Chardonnay.
Even with the help of the Guardians of the Galaxy and a couple of new recruits in the form of Spidey, Dr Strange and the Black Panther, Thanos is the villain we've been craving for.
Unlike the poor generic CGI creation of Steppenwolf from the Justice League.
Here we have a baddie we can believe in and most importantly fear. He has a motive and depth to his character. Not just another big smashy blow stuff up villain.
He is wonderfully realised on screen with a commanding performance from Josh Brolin.
The computer wizardry used to bring him to life is jaw dropping.
Facial expressions look realistic and Brolin"s performance is able to shine through.
Anyway enough said about the bad guy, what about our heroes.
I'll not go into story and plot.
If you are planning on seeing this you'll most likely already have the gist of things.
If not then going into this with no expectations will further elevate the experience.
I can say that there's good news as everyone seems to get their moment in the sun but for me it is both Thor and Starlord that steal the show.
It is the scenes with Thor and the Guardians that are the highlights of the movie.
Thor in particular has risen from being the bland member of the MCU to one of the most likeable.
His turn in Ragnorok and now here further proves this.
Also this time around we get a bit more Banner and a little less Hulk, which on paper sounds disappointing but Mark Ruffalo's performance is most enjoyable.
Tom Holland as Peter the Spiderman Parker once again cements the fact that he was the right choice for the role.
For me he's the best onscreen incarnation of the character yet.
Benedict Cumberbatch nails it as Doctor Strange and Robert Downey Jr once again is supremely likeable as the Ironman.
Everyone is great but some get more screen time than others.
It is commendable how the Russo brothers have managed to weave everyone into the plot and give weight to their involvement in the story.
No one is included just for the sake of it.
Certain characters are side lined but this is understandable and necessary to help the story proceed in part two.
Infinity War is definitely a movie that will get even better with multiple viewings. There's so much going on that it's impossible for the human brain to absorb it all first time around.
This movie may not be a perfect one but it is perfectly entertaining.
CGI, cinematography and set design are second to none.
Only a scene right at the end with Bruce Banner inside the Hulk buster armour looked a little jarring.
Sound is ear shatteringly good and the score gives a real sense of dread and looming threat.
Despite all the doom and gloom this movie still has a good dose of humour. There's something deeply satisfying in seeing all your favourite Marvel heroes from separate movies uniting and interacting with one another.
The Russo brothers played a master stroke in pairing certain characters together for the first time. Stark and Strange worked wonderfully together as did the aforementioned Starlord and Thor.
Avengers: Infinity War is a ten out of ten movie for me.
It did exactly what I wanted it to.
It gave me plenty of surprises, humour, peril and action and left me hanging on.
It's going to be a long wait til part two rolls into theatres.