If you thought an Avengers instalment without the helm of Joss Whedon would be concerning, don't worry. Infinity War is a blast that shows Marvel is still on top of their game

Rating: 8/10 (4 August 2018)

Marvel has done the inconceivable. I'm happy to admit that Avengers: Infinity War is the best team up movie in the franchise since Joss Whedon's first Avengers film. But is that too much of a good thing? The answer is a resounding yes, but in a sense that it can be let loose and do whatever it wants while strictly aiming towards fans and non-fans. It's not perfect by any means, but for the most part it is like a vending machine loaded with colourful geekiness, going full throttle on humour, enthralling set pieces and surprising moments that still thrill. Even the third act is as satisfying and effective as anything we've seen before.
The plot really kicks into gear from the get-go, not spending any time on setup and delving straight into the action. The past 18 instalments did the business of building everything up. Long story short, over 20 superheroes team up to take down the most powerful villain in the galaxy, Thanos (Josh Brolin). Rather than telling the story in predictable fashion, the script executes it unconventionally with splitting every character up into a different situation all over the place. Iron Man, Doctor Strange (the two Sherlock's: Robert Downey Jr. and Benedict Cumberbatch), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Peter Parker (Tom Holland) team up, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) pairs up with the Guardians of the Galaxy, while Captain America (Chris Evans) reunites with his Civil War crew.
What makes their interactions compelling is the commitment and energy that everyone involved brings to the film. Writers Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus structure scenes excellently, but the Russo brothers adapt them to the screen almost without a problem in sight. Where the duo's previous Marvel work were on the forefront of political seriousness, this time they channel the fanboy gleefulness that superhero films deserve, something that original director Joss Whedon had a knack for. They've just about matched him in terms of style.
Thanos is engaging but not the bad-guy-wants-to-destroy-the-world stereotype that you could imagine. He's humanly developed and masterfully designed, but perhaps not as empathetic or relatable as Killmonger in Black Panther. As the plot roaringly progresses forward, so does he.
This culmination doesn't always work. There is so much going on at once that sometimes you lose track of where you are and what's happening. The moments with underused characters frequently feel rushed, which makes scenes more appealing than others. Formulaic exposition can sometimes put the comedy to rest. But for a film as bulky as Infinity War, you can't have everything. It learns lessons from the frustrating overkill of subplots that plagued Age of Ultron and Civil War and goes for something leaner in its approach. More than a 'greatest hits' compilation, the film is the Pulp Fiction of the superhero genre. It is so good that it makes Justice League look like Batman and Robin.