WOWZA! Have the heroes finally met their match?

Rating: 10/10 (28 April 2018)

I've tried to keep this review as spoiler-free as possible as I really want everyone to go in and be surprised. Since there may be minor spoilers, I have tagged it as such.
First of all...WOW. It honestly blew me away. I truly don't think we've had a superhero film feel this epic yet. And it gave you a bit of everything too. It was dark, it was emotional, it was full of twists, but also knew when to make you laugh and smile. There was a nice balance.
One of my big worries going into the movie was the sheer size of the cast and how that would be balanced. And I think it was pulled off well. Yes, there are some characters that get more screen time/lines and there were a few that werent in the movie at all. But, I felt it was all a decent amount of screentime (no one feels like a glorified cameo). And the thing with having such a big cast like this, is seeing all the various team ups. For the most part it seems to follow 3 different groups. One on Earth and 2 in space. But even when some of the characters do join another group, that was great as well. I smiled so much at the interaction between Winter Soldier and Rocket. Or Cap and Groot. And speaking more specifically about the characters there were a few that really stood out to me and were my favourites in this. First is Cap. Now, I've always liked Cap and his movies. Winter Soldier has been my favourite movie so far (although I honestly think that honestly might be replaced with this one). But in this one, he's just so especially baller. Like, I dont think people give him enough credit when it comes to the "strong" Avengers. But my god, he really holds his own against Thanos. Second standout is Thor. One of the biggest reasons is that he gets some more of the more emotional moments. There is a scene where he is talking about how he has nothing else to live for now (his family is gone, his friends are gone, his home is gone etc) and I legit was tearing up. It was such a great scene, well acted. Hit me in the gut. He also has another great scene earlier when he finds out that Gamora is Thano's daughter and everyone expects he's gonna start a fight, but instead he justs pats her on shoulder and tells her that it's ok. Family is complicated. Plus, of course he also just gets some really badass moments too. Gamora also is a standout. Again, there's lots of really great emotional scenes with her. Specifically scenes with her and Thanos. She despises him and wants to take him down and yet and the same time has this connection with him and it is hard for her. And Zoe as well just really does a great job. Thanos is also one of the HUGE standouts. There's been a couple of good villains so far in the MCU (mostly forgettable) and Thanos tops the cake. Like, he is honestly scary. And he's powerful. Like, our heroes definitely try their hardest but they just can't best him. And its honestly a bit refreshing to see. Plus, he also doesnt come across as a one note, mustache-twirling villain. This is a guy who honestly thinks what he is doing is for the greater good and to bring peace. And he does care for Gamora. And Josh Brolin also just does a great job. And the mo-cap is really good and can make you forget at times that you're watching a CG character and not a real person.
Story wise, also good. I had a small gripe that Thanos already has the power stone at the beginning, and so you never know if the characters that you meet in the first GOTG movie like Glenn Close and John C Reilly's characters are ok. But I also understand that it was likely due to time. I mean, you cant show everything unless you want this to be over 3 hours long. And they had a lot to get through, and I think it was balanced well. The reality stone was really cool and Im suprised he didnt use it more, cause I think it would have really effed up some people. I did like that there was a theme of sacrifice. More specifically sacrifice for the greater good. It pops up a number of times. With Gamora and Star Lord. With Gamora and Thanos. With Vision and Scarlet Witch. Even Doctor Strange does.
It does set up so many questions and possible theories for the next Avengers installment, but honestly I'm excited. I think the first Avengers film is going to play a big importance in it. That it will come full circle in a way.