AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (12)
materialises in London and convinces Christopher to return to the Hundred Acre Wood to track down Eeyore (Brad Garrett), Piglet (Nick Mohammed), Rabbit (Peter Capaldi), Kanga (Sophie Okonedo), Roo (Sarah Sheen) and Owl (Toby Jones).
Christopher Robin shoots for the same sweet nostalgia as Paddington but lacks the heart and soul of that marmalade-smeared adventure. Gentle laughs punctuate the soul-searching, like when Christopher picks up Eeyore so they can walk faster and the donkey deadpans, “It’s kind of you to kidnap me.”
The picture’s ponderous middle section meanders rather like the little bear on one of his quests for golden honey.
An emotionally manipulative final act, hung on an action set-piece in post-wartime London, is signposted as clearly as the fearsome Heffalumps and Woozles. ★★★★★
BLOCKBUSTER battle royale that unites characters from across the Marvel Comics franchises. It’s been two years since Steve Rogers, aka Captain America (Chris Evans) went toe to toe with billionaire inventor Tony Stark, aka Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr). “The Avengers broke up, we’re toast,” Stark informs Bruce Banner, aka Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). Supervillain Thanos (Josh Brolin) exploits these divisions to hunt the missing Infinity Stones. To defeat Thanos, Stark and Rogers must put their differences aside and pool resources with T’Challa, aka Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) et al.
■ Download/stream from August 20 and on DVD/ Blu-ray from September 3.