Way to go Marvel, way to go The Russo Brothers

Rating: 10/10 (10 May 2018)

Major spoilers ahead
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Seriously, I discuss everything about the film without a concern for spoilers.
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Yes, I really enjoyed it. It was so well crafted and it was wonderful to see the directors working with characters that are already established and hence have resonance and weight behind them. This being shown in something as small as Bruce needing a hug from Tony, which caught him by surprise or Rocket telling Bucky that he wanted his arm on the battlefield.
The film just didn't let up, from the high drama at the beginning with the people from Ragnarok having been all but annihilated, to Hulk being trounced which clearly caused him to have some anxiety issues later (certainly the first time that he's been bested in a film) and then the death of Loki. I began to get worried come Thor 2 that Loki was taking over the franchise but Ragnarok firmly put Thor back in the picture and made me like Loki more because I didn't feel he was always getting the advantage over Thor.
And talking of Thor, it certainly felt like his film. His interactions with 'the rabbit' and Groot were great yet the makers built in enough peril that I thought he might be killed off when they were making the Storm Breaker ("it's a bit much"). He at last felt like a god where his power could be revelled in without it seeming like he was dominating everyone if you get what I mean. Make him too powerful and everyone else seems too weak. It really is remarkable how Marvel in the space of two films (Ragnarok and Infinity War) have managed to turn round Thor to someone that wasn't as liked to someone who just owns the franchise. Hell, he even manages to outshine Tony.
His entrance into the Wakanda battlefield gave me such a high that thinking about it now almost causes me to well up as I feel the rush of excitement. I was quiet in the screening but inside I wanted to jump out of my seat and punch the air. And whilst everyone is rightly terrified of Thanos, here is Thor bellowing "Bring me Thanos!" - what a badass.
I'm a big fan of Cap and hence felt a similar version of the above euphoria when Cap and the crew turned up to rescue Scarlet Witch and Vision. The use of the Avengers theme at that point was so well played. I would have liked more of Cap in the film but I did find a piece from the writers saying that whilst some characters (Cap & Black widow) got less screen time, they would get more so in the next one - which is encouraging.
Saying that though I wasn't upset by this. I thought the exchanges between Strange and Stark were great, I was worried that the levity of the Guardians crew might lessen the drama but it didn't. It provided a welcome release but with the death of Gamora showed that they were more than willing to plunge those guys into turmoil. I also thought Thanos was well developed. He believed what he was doing was right. And to some extent you could see the method in his madness and hence relate and understand where he was coming from. He didn't simply want to take over the world and have loads of money. He had a goal, he had a clear vision which made him richer as a character and more fearsome for his single minded determination.
So much else to say but I fear that I rambling incoherently now. I loved 'beard' talk between Cap and Thor on the battlefield and thought the end with half of the people disappearing played out so well. Thanos won, he kicked arse and this was the consequence and when Spiderman went, that really caused a lump. It reminded you how brave he is because deep down he isn't even an adult yet, just a kid. You can only imagine what an even greater burden Tony will feel having seen Peter die in his arms.
I genuinely can't wait to see the film again and obviously can't wait for the next one in the series. This really is how you do big epics. The recent Star Wars films have really disappointed me for showing film-makers dismissing their core audience for platitudes and PC sound bites but this film truly did deliver. A herculean task bringing a wealth of loved characters together and the writers and directors did an astonishing job. Servicing everyone's requirements, injecting new humour, making you feel tense and real peril for characters rather than it descending into an over indulgent CGI snooze fest. An incredible piece of work and an amazing experience to behold.
Way to go Marvel and way to go The Russo brothers.