Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin, Zoe Saldana, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Pratt, Karen Gillan, Elisabeth Olson, Sebastian Stan, Tom Hiddleston, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Holland, Idris Elba, Chadwick Boseman, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff, Danai Gurira, Benico Del Toro, Paul Bettany, Kerry Condon, Bradley Cooper, Carrie Coon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Peter Dinklage, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Mackie, Terry Notary, Winston Duke, Benedict Wong, Don Cheadle, Marija Juliette Abney.
It doesn’t seem that long ago that the idea of the Marvel Cinematic Universe was one that would not embrace the ideals set out by the comics or graphic novels envisaged by the likes of it Commander and Chief, Stan Lee and notable personal such as Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Todd McFarlane, John Romita Sr. and even the likes of Frank Miller and Alan Moore who are arguably known for their works have successfully transcended the medium and become big box office draws with their own creations; nobody surely had the insight into how to ensure that Marvel’s creations stood out more than 3D representations on a screen, nobody could make them incredible.
In the ten years since Robert Downey Jr. took the cinema screen by storm as Iron Man, super hero films and stories have gone from strength to strength, even having other directors biting their lip, inwardly cursing the success of the genre; but in an age where the world has no heroes in which to look up to, too embrace, when all around us is the temptation to beat down anyone who shows even an ounce of individuality or the flair for solving a problem, it is only natural to turn the thoughts to those heroes who drew us in as children, teenagers or even late in life with graphic novels, it is arguably why Marvel’s success has been unprecedented.
The second phase of Marvel’s story-lines, ones weaved with precision and without resorting to the disgrace that befell the latest version of The Fantastic Four, has been leading up to the moment where The Infinity War, one of Marvel Comics most loved stories, was inevitable, where the overload of heroes and action was not just required but demanded in full.
Avengers: Infinity War is off the scale, if The Black Panther was immense, if Civil War was mammoth, then Infinity War is arguably colossal, an expected return in both monetary sense and overwhelming passion from the fans, a bench mark in how to write a massively expansive plot and for a huge cast list, one in which every moment is to feel the pulse quicken faster, never letting up, never holding on to sentimentality in the way some characters are treated, this is the end game taken to a new level and one that might never be equalled.
With incredible performances from Josh Brolin as the mad Titan Thanos, Zoe Saldana, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo, Avengers: Infinity War the pinnacle of Marvel’s cinematic powers, and yet there is still more to come.
Ian D. Hall