If you've followed it up to this point you are going to have a ball

Rating: 8/10 (20 May 2018)

I suppose now is as good a time as any to give my impressions of 'Avengers Infinity War'. I've never been a huge fan of the MCU but that isn't to say I hate it. The MCU definitely has made some films that rank among the best of the comic book genre and then they've made movies like 'Iron Man 2' and 'Thor The Dark World' where I'd rather watch an all day Zach Snyder film fest. And so I am kind of in the audience that wants something from this and yet won't go too easy on it.
I liked it. This was a huge gamble as it has been hinted at for a decade but for the most part the movie delivers on it's promises. The stipulation being that the movie will only work if you have seen the entire Marvel catalogue good, bad and downright ugly and have had some level of appreciation. If you are on board the movie immediately becomes a giant set piece that really stretches the confines of what has been done before.
Josh Brolin makes the film. He gives in my opinion arguably the best performance in a MCU film. So much depends on Thanos and for a film that doesn't really have enough room for any extraneous sequences Brolin is able to develop an intriguing character who makes this cartoony McGuffin based evil plan have just a bit more nuance and weight. The scenes with Brolin and Zoe Saldana have an intimacy and tragedy that you really don't expect in a film with this breakneck speed.
I don't want to spoil this but the shocks have to be reevaluated next year when the sequel comes out. I'm willing to do that however as the setup here warrants interest and belief in the possibilities of the next episode. In a way 'Infinity War' is kind of a victim of the MCU being an undying franchise. We all know the reset button is going to be pressed and it's just a matter of the pressing being as interesting as the thrills here.