Now Watching: Infinity War

I must admit, I had my doubts. I didn’t go to see Infinity War with the highest of expectations. I didn’t think it would be bad – none of the Marvel films are ever really bad. But Infinity War – the final piece of a 10 year and 19 film jigsaw (okay, part one of the final piece – there’s still more to come) could have easily fallen to pieces beneath its own weight.

And yet, quite remarkably, they managed to pull it off. I don’t think the film is perfect, but I’m astounded it was this damn good. How did they do it? Probably because they understood that people see these films more for the characters, than the plot. And they did a fantastic job of balancing so many popular characters.

They also understood that the key to Infinity War wasn’t just the characters we know and love, but the villain. A giant purple CGI man, Thanos has been teased since the first Avengers film. For Infinity War to work, they had to make Thanos work. They had to make him an actual character. And Infinity War is his story, as much as it is anyone’s.

Comparisons to Steppenwolf in The Justice League are inevitable. Two CGI big men who want to collect powerful things to do something bad. But Steppenwolf was a joke. No character. No personality. No clear motivation beyond evil for being evil. Once again, Marvel school DC in how to do it right. Thanos is the glue that binds Infinity War together.

The ‘look’ of Thanos has changed a little every time he’s been teased, but they sensibly rolled back the CGI on the face to let the actor shine through. It pays off. Thanos isn’t just ‘CGI bad guy who wants to do bad thing’ – he’s the star of the show. And to say he comes out swinging would be an understatement.

They’ve teased how powerful and dangerous the Infinity Stones are for years and yet to see them being used so creatively in the many action scenes is a joy to behold. The way the stones are utilised is clever and often unexpected. It’s also pretty terrifying when you realise just how powerful Thanos becomes with each additional stone.

Infinity War doesn’t pull its punches. The stakes are high, the threat is real. I’m sure in part two, certain aspects of Infinity War will be ‘fixed’ but that won’t demean this film, not if they do it right. And after Infinity War, I trust them to do it right. To do it justice. And I’m surprised to say, I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Overall, Infinity War was a blast. It has its flaws – some of the early action is pretty choppy and poorly cut. And I’m sure the plot has plenty of holes if you care to pick it apart. But for a film that could have so easily turned into a disaster given the hype, the expectation and what it was trying to achieve, Infinity War delivers the goods.

If you’re not a Marvel fan or if you’ve not followed these films, then you won’t have a clue what the f**k is going on, but that’s not who this film is for. If you are a fan, then I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

8/10