Epic entertainer
FILM: Avengers: Infinity War
CAST: Josh Brolin, Robert Downey Jr., Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Pratt, Chris Evans, Chadwick Boseman, Mark Ruffalo, Paul Bettany, Dave Bautista, Scarlett Johanssen, Zoe Saldana, Gwyneth Paltrow, Elizabeth Olsen, Letitia Wright, Tom Holland, Tom Hiddleston, Anthony Mackie, Benicio del Toro, Don Cheadle, Peter Dinklage & voices of Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel
DIRECTORS: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
What’s not to love about this magnificent movie from the Marvel Comics stable? Action, romance, comedy, morals, pathos... Avengers: Infinity
War has it all. In truly epic proportions, as gargantuan as the Titan Thanos (Josh Brolin) who wants to bring “stability” to a resource-starved cosmos by exterminating half the universe. But the means must justify the ends and clearly, Thanos is an unethical, merciless creature for whom genocide is acceptable to accomplish objectives. Pol Pot/Hitler/Stalin anyone?
This, naturally, is cause for worry among the righteous who want to save the world. These include the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy and the royals of Wakanda who team up to thwart Thanos’s self-serving agenda which entails the collection of six magic Infinity stones which will endow him with omnipotence. And more: the godlike ability to control and manipulate existence and reality.
How do you assemble an entire galaxy of Super-heroes – Iron Man, Thor, Black Panther, Captain America, Star Lord, Spider-Man, The Hulk, Black Widow, Dr Strange etc etc – in a single narrative? Phew! Audacious as this film is, sibling co-directors Anthony Russo and Joe Russo managed to pull it off.
Writing with tongues firmly in cheek in parts, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely evoke laughter in scenes featuring Thor, Hulk and Drax the Destroyer. Elsewhere, viewers will gasp, specially in scenes which celebrate bravery, courage and selfsacrifice. Towards the shocking end, it’s clear that the script draws sustenance from scripture.
Is the movie perfect then? Nah. For one thing, some super-heroes are missing. Other characters get little screen time. But why am I sure we’ll see them all in the upcoming sequel? Because hope springs eternal. After darkness, comes the dawn.