Avengers: Infinity War (2018) - Quantity, Not Quality

Rating: 4/10 (13 October 2018)

Well, here it is, what the MCU has been building towards, a showdown of epic proportions and a gathering of (most) of the numerous superheroes we've been subjected to mercilessly over recent years.
So the big question is, was it worth the wait? To put it bluntly, no, it wasn't.
No doubt Marvel fanboys (and girls) will go crazy for 'Infinity War' and regardless of the quality of the film itself, it is going to be loved and lauded by the franchise's enthusiasts simply for the privilege to see all of their beloved characters together in one place.
Unfortunately the enthusiasm of the fans does not seem to have reached the actors themselves, who now appear to have reached the point where they've realised that the film is going to be a commercial, and to a degree, critical success, no matter how well (or poorly) they perform. So, consequently, they don't really bother to put in much effort. And why should they? Their sizeable paychecks are already guaranteed just by showing up. So, just showing up is what they choose to do.
After all, let's face it, unlike the devoted audiences that continue to spend their hard-earned cash to go and see these films, they're in it for the money, not for their love of the source material.
The lead actors universally deliver not only the worst performances of their MCU careers, but in some cases (Mr. Downey Jr., I'm looking at you), arguably the worst performances of their entire cinematic careers. Content to just coast through proceedings without a shred of genuine emotion or charisma, they seem to be merely fulfilling the terms of their contracts, as opposed to what you'd call 'acting'.
And these are not bad actors, by any stretch of the imagination, almost each and every member of the ensemble cast have proven they are capable of delivering outstanding performances (Chris Pratt and Tom Holland not included) in their other filmic endeavours. So it has to be said that their devoted followers deserve better.

The one shining light in all of this is, ironically, the film's chief villain (or hero, depending on your viewpoint, but I'm not going to get into that now), 'Thanos', portrayed brilliantly by Josh Brolin, who seems to be the only actor that's aware he is in fact in a very, very big film and not some frivolous dress rehearsal. Maybe, as a newcomer to the franchise, in his excitement to be a part of the biggest cinematic universe of all time, he was determined to deliver an outstanding performance worthy of the Marvel name, or maybe he's simply the only one who cares enough to try. Either way, it's extremely hard to find anything to criticise him about personally. Well done, Mr. Brolin.
Now, the reason I've been so critical in my lambasting of the acting in this film, is because of how important is is to the outcome of the end product. This is supposed to be a genuinely emotional, moving cinematic experience, which if you can suspend disbelief enough, is not out of the realms of possibility. But when the characters appear to be completely indifferent to the events unfolding around them, it's very hard to empathise with them, much less care about what happens to them.
Without giving to much away, as many of you will know, it's in this film that we have to say goodbye (at least temporarily) to some of the saga's most beloved characters, I won't spoil anything by stating who these may be, but I will say that it's very unlikely that you're going shed a tear over, or indeed, give a damn about any one of them.
As for the plot, well obviously it's no 'Citizen Kane', but it's far from boring either, however the generic action sequences, though typically spectacular in their visual effects, can begin to border on tedious at times.
I know i'm not alone when I saw enough is enough. This exercise in escapism has been enjoyable enough at times, but it has now run it's course. I'd love to believe that after the next instalment of the Avengers, this whole MCU fiasco can finally draw to a close, however, I've got a sneaky suspicion that the powers that be will still manage to drag this out for at least the next few years, if not the next decade.
But, as a passionate film fan, i'm now going to try to avoid these movies as best as i can and stick to more intelligent, adult-orientated and, for lack of a better word: 'real' cinema.
4/10