The event we've all waited a decade for was worth the hype!

Rating: 9/10 (9 May 2018)

Review originally posted via Instagram ("@oratiosanctus") on April 29, 2018:
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Avengers: Infinity War was a film I was eagerly anticipating for not just months, but years. Ever since Iron Man took first flight in 2008 and Thanos turned to smile at the audience in the mid-credits scene of the first Avengers movie in 2012. A decade in the making. The Russo Brothers do an amazing job of making this film come across like that. Infinity War had the monumental task of bringing together plot threads from 18 previous films in Marvel's Cinematic Universe, but also to live up to the enormous ambition it had set for itself. Does it? Let's talk about it.
This film is an event, an action blockbuster that carries itself with real stakes and a truly mesmerising performance from Josh Brolin as the Mad Titan himself, Thanos. Here is a villain who is layered, menacing, and emotionally resonant. It is not hyperbole to state that for the first time in the MCU, the villain of this picture is its true star. The CGI work on Thanos is impeccable and Brolin's motion capture is jaw-dropping. This sits on the level of Andy Serkis' Gollum and Caesar.
One of the biggest fears going into this was how would it balance such a huge cast of characters? It does so admirably. Most are given their time to shine, and characters like Scarlet Witch and Vision are given their all to by their respective actors. This isn't a movie of one-liner cameos. Infinity War is undoubtedly Marvel's darkest and most daring film to date, and it tackles this with respect for what's come before it and to the pursuit of its own enormity.
However, like all of Marvel's movies, it is not without its flaws. The Children of Thanos (or The Black Order) are entertaining, if not at times, disposable. Ebony Maw is the clear standout and he steals every scene he's in. Proxima Midnight, Corvus Glaive, and Cull Obsidian are less interesting. The CG work is, at times, also lacking. While some characters you love will not get as much screen-time as others, the movie does a surprisingly effective job of making it appear they do.
This is one film guaranteed as best experienced on the big screen.