Director Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Genre Action | Adventure | Fantasy
Cast Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr.
Rating PG-13
Release Date April 27th, 2018
“The Avengers and their allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.”
Avengers: Infinity War is easily one of the most anticipated films of the decade, and serves as the ultimate culmination for Marvel superheroes to date. Captain America: Civil War directors Anthony and Joe Russo return to the helm with a plethora of talent to work with, so it should come as no surprise that Infinity War broke the pre-sale record set by Black Panther in less than 6 hours. The cast includes Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr., Benedict Cumberbatch, Mark Ruffalo, Chadwick Boseman, Jeremy Renner, and Josh Brolin (to name a few).
Shattering records and blowing up the box office as the biggest movie of the year, Avengers: Infinity War is a powerhouse of a film that will both thoroughly entertain and stun Marvel fans. The anticipation for this movie was palpable- with fans shuffling into their seats all sharing the same level of excitement and nervous energy- fans have been waiting a long time to see all their favorite superheroes on-screen at the same time. Granted Captain America: Civil War helped to scratch that itch, but this was surely the culmination of the Marvel films that have released in the last couple years. I’m not a comic book fanatic but I am a HUGE Marvel guy, and admittedly as of late my allegiances have fallen to Captain America. Nonetheless, I was hyped for Avengers: Infinity War and it did NOT disappoint! This movie may have been the fastest two and a half hours of my life because it absolutely flew by, and I was like a kid in a candy store the entire time. I realize that some people tend to bash the abundance of humor prevalent in the majority of Marvel films as of late, but I honestly feel like the banter keeps the film on an even keel. Even though this is easily one of the more intense Marvel films, the balance between humor and drama is really spot on. I refuse to spoil anything but each and every superhero and group of superheroes in the film deserve a pat on the back, it really was a collective effort.
Chris Hemsworth, better known as Thor, is fresh off the Taiki Waititi directed Thor: Ragnarok and he continues his reign of humor in Avengers: Infinity War. I may be somewhat biased as a huge fan of New Zealand native Waititi and pretty much anything he touches, but I LOVED Thor: Ragnarok and really enjoyed the fun and hilarious tone held throughout. Waititi insisted that Hemsworth had been restricted as far as his comedic abilities and he was right- this guy has perfect comedic timing. Now add in Chris Pratt’s Peter Quill/Star-Lord, and you get banter that easily rivals that of Captain America and Iron Man. Once again, I won’t give anything away but the battle for masculine supremacy between these two is just too good. Now, moving on to the darker side of Avengers: Infinity War. In my personal opinion, Thanos is easily one of the best movie villains in recent memory, and I’m not just talking about superhero movies. Played by talented actor Josh Brolin, he is much more than your prototypical “I want to take over the world” bad guy. Sure ultimately his goals are similar, but where Thanos separates himself is the incredible depth of his character, which is a credit to the writers as well as Brolin himself. I was conflicted as to my feelings towards Thanos- on one hand it was a simple determination, he is a bad guy and wants to end the lives of all my favorite superheroes, to that end sure I despise him. Things get interesting as his intentions and beliefs are explained, and in some strange way I found his beliefs to be compelling. More than anything else, Thanos has a heart and his ability to show emotion is on the forefront of Avengers: Infinity War. I could go on forever but I don’t want to bore you with my childlike giddiness surrounding Avengers: Infinity War- instead I will reiterate the simple fact that this is entertainment at it’s finest and Marvel fans should feel lucky to experience cinematic brilliance such as this time and time again.
Is it possible to break down the cast for Avengers: Infinity War?! I mean honestly, to say it is stacked with talent would be a severe understatement. Instead of trying to break down each and every actor’s individual performance, I will try and break things down as a group. Similar to Captain America: Civil War, a number of superheroes crossed paths with each other for the first time, and I really relished these moments. We all have our reasons for preferring one actor/superhero over the other, but Avengers: Infinity War places a strong emphasis on the initial interactions between each superhero and they are all AMAZING. My two favorites without question are Iron Man and Doctor Strange crossing paths for the first time. Robert Downey Jr. has been absolutely crushing it as Tony Stark/Iron Man for quite some time and there is a reason why he is the highest paid actor. Benedict Cumberbatch stepped into the role of Doctor Strange not long ago and he fit right in. As two egomaniacs who were/are at the top of their respective “professions”, the interactions between these two are priceless.
Josh Brolin is incredible as Thanos, first making his debut as the muscle bound bad guy in Guardians of the Galaxy. The veteran actor has been making his mark in films since his debut in the 1985 cult classic Goonies, which initially released when I was a year and a half old (Wow, that is crazy!). Brolin has built himself one heck of a career earning himself an Academy Award for his role in the drama Milk (2009). For me one of his best films is the intense crime drama No Country for Old Men, absolutely incredible. Brolin is a force in Hollywood and was undoubtedly the right choice for Thanos. We will be seeing him again soon as Cable in Deadpool 2- man he is a busy guy. Now as I alluded to earlier on, my favorite interaction is between the two Chris’, Hemsworth and Pratt. If you can watch the first interaction between these two with a straight face, you have some serious issues in the sense of humor department. Like really, get that checked out. Seriously though, the cast for Avengers: Infinity War is basically a red carpet rollout at a huge Hollywood premiere, and each and every actor/actress did their part and then some.
Avengers: Infinity War is full of humor, emotion, and an unlimited supply of star power. The Russo brothers are incredible in the director’s chair yet again, with another record breaking addition to the Marvel franchise. Avengers: Infinity War will leave the entire theater speechless after what unfolds in the final moments of the film, but just remember part 2 is only a year away. Plus we have some other fantastic Marvel films to look forward to including Ant Man and The Wasp, Captain Marvel, Deadpool 2, etc. Steer clear of social media and be sure to get to the theater as soon as possible before the big moments of the film are ruined for you. Highly recommended.
Need a refresher? Check out an exclusive preview for Avengers: Infinity War here.