Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Movie Review

Synopsis:

In their quest to protect Earth, the Avengers must face their most dangerous foe yet, the Mad Titan, Thanos (Josh Brolin). His mission is to collect mystical gems called Infinity Stones. With them, he seeks to wipe out half of Earth’s population.

Review:

In a movie 10 years in the making, the Russo brothers had a difficult task ahead of them.

Infinity War decides to bring the Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers characters together. In its efforts, it succeeds.

Popular Avengers characters such as Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America all play a role in this film.

Chris Evans’ Captain America has very little screen time in comparison to Downey Jr.’s Iron Man or Chris Hemsworth’s Thor.

Despite this, his time on screen gets used well enough. Hemsworth’s Thor, in particular, receives many of the film’s standout moments.

One of these is his arrival during the film’s climactic Battle of Wakanda action sequence.

As usual, Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, a.k.a. Iron Man, is a welcome presence.

This film also includes a one-on-one confrontation with Infinity War’s main antagonist, Thanos (Josh Brolin).

Thanos, without a doubt, is the movie’s standout character.

Brolin brings a surprising amount of depth to the character. This includes quality visual effects and motion capture.

Brolin’s vocal performance also adds to the character. He provides a suitable amount of gravitas with each word spoken.

Other characters such as Mark Ruffalo’s Bruce Banner/Hulk aren’t used as well. Much of his screen time is as comic relief, which is irritating.

Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther also makes an appearance in Infinity War. This is during the Battle of Wakanda action sequence.

Aside from this, though, Boseman’s time on screen is very limited.

Making a return to the MCU is Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange, who is a welcome addition.

As expected, Doctor Strange uses a variety of magical powers and spells in Infinity War.

These are all achieved through the creative use of visual effects and CGI.

A one-on-one confrontation with Thanos highlights these magical spells and tricks. This is also in conjunction with Thanos’ use of his Infinity Stones.

As a whole, Infinity War has many standout visual sequences. These include Thanos and the creative use of Doctor Strange’s powers being among them.

Other sequences, such as the climactic Battle of Wakanda, are less accomplished. It's made obvious that the background is on a green screen.

Infinity War’s plot moves at a reasonable pace, never lingering too long on a character or shot.

It’s one of the MCU’s more well-paced films, which slows down to build character or dialogue.

As a whole, Infinity War’s plot is rather simple in its approach.

Despite this, its pacing and action sequences should be enough to entertain MCU fans.

Making his return to compose the musical score is Alan Silvestri.

Silvestri brings back several recognizable melodies from The Avengers (2012). This also happens to include his main Avengers theme.

Silvestri also accomplishes a sense of dread with his theme for Thanos. With it, he highlights how much of a threat he is.

Silvestri’s music hits the right notes and should please fans of his work from The Avengers (2012).

Conclusion:

Avengers: Infinity War is a film with some creative action sequences. It also includes a standout main antagonist in Josh Brolin’s Thanos.

Thanos’s on-screen presence also complements Infinity War's visual effects. With it, the film achieves very realistic results at times.

Infinity War’s other visual effects are also well above average.

These include Thanos’ use of the Infinity Stones and Doctor Strange’s magical powers.

As mentioned, some of the visual effects-heavy sequences lack background detail. This makes the green screen all the more obvious.

Infinity War’s plot, whilst familiar in its approach, has good pacing.

It spends the right amount of time on characters and its big-budget action sequences.

This film's characters are also well done, such as Chris Hemsworth’s Thor and Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man.

Chris Evans’ Captain America and Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther are also underutilized.

Despite their limited screen time, these characters serve their purpose.

Alan Silvestri’s score brings a familiar tone from The Avengers. He also brings menace with his compositions for the Mad Titan, Thanos.

Also, Silvestri’s score is entertaining. This is a score that should please most Avengers fans. As a whole, Infinity War is a well-paced film.

Furthermore, it has a standout main antagonist and sharp, precise pacing.

One of Infinity War's problems is some characters' lack of potential due to their lack of screen time. It also has some unfinished visual effects.

Despite these flaws, Infinity War is an entertaining film that should please most MCU fans.

Sam’s Action Reaction score:

Characters - 8/10

Story - 7.5/10

Action - 7.5/10

CGI and visuals - 8/10

Soundtrack - 7.5/10

Overall score: 7.7 out of 10