A deeper, more human MCU film

Rating: 8/10 (28 April 2019)

Avengers: Infinity War transforms the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A franchise renowned for its success on the superhero formula for so long finally comes to a beautiful fruition in this first of two Russo masterpieces.
In this epic installation, not only are the action sequences and the threat of the antagonist magnified, but the emotional stakes and exploration of the humanity of the much-loved characters increases tenfold. The Russos do a spectacular job of unravelling the human element of their heroes, pitting them against their greatest fears and revealing the drastic internal conflicts and their consequences.
Particularly for Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man, Elizabeth Olsen's Scarlet Witch and Chris Hemsworth's Thor, this threat takes on a personal note that gives this particular blockbuster a very human, very emotional undercurrent.
Remarkably, with over sixty characters to work with, the story is not incredibly mispaced. There are certainly plot sequences and details that could have been dwelled on a little more, but the Russos achieve the unachievable - doing justice to all of our favourite characters within the space of just two and a half hours.
Josh Brolin's Thanos is perhaps the strongest element of this film. He has been, quite accurately, labelled "the 21st century's Darth Vader". This is a villain with true conviction to his cause, who breaks the stereotype of the simple one-dimensional "universe dominator". Thanos holds no prejudices. He believes that he is right and he refuses to stop at anything to achieve his goal. His motives are incredibly arguable, which makes both the physical and internal battles of the Avengers more intense and three-dimensional.
Brolin himself is threatening and full of the conviction of his character. His performance shines through the CGI to be one of the most fantastic in the history of the MCU.
Infinity War transformed the landscape of the Marvel Cinematic Universe through its depth beyond the realms of the superhero franchise. It is a gritty, human chapter in the saga that brings to the fictional universe an unprecedented threat and truly meaningful emotional subplots.