Avengers: Infinity War is the all-star Marvel game-changer you were hoping for

THE momentous, much-anticipated arrival of Avengers: Infinity War signals a seismic shifting of the plates when it comes to the ground rules

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (M)

Directors : Anthony and Joe Russo (Captain America: Civil War)

Starring : Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, Chadwick Boseman, Karen Gillan.

Rating : **** (four stars out of five)

Brave new worlds without end

-----------------------

The momentous, much-anticipated arrival of Avengers: Infinity War signals a seismic shifting of the plates when it comes to the ground rules we have come to know in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

The nineteenth production to hail from the all-star superhero stable of Marvel Comics — the most formidable and lucrative creative powerhouse in box-office history — is a gargantuan game-changer, with upwards of 20 iconic characters joining forces for an epic adventure which takes the MCU experience to a whole new level.

This image released by Marvel Studios shows, front row from left, Danai Gurira, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson and Sebastian Stan in a scene from "Avengers: Infinity War," premiering on April 27. (Chuck Zlotnick/Marvel Studios via AP)

Make no mistake, Infinity War is undoubtedly the biggest, boldest, brashest Marvel outing to date, an epic event movie of the highest calibre.

Is it the best Marvel movie yet? Only time will tell. As will your own instinctual reaction to the many new developments in the MCU as they unfold in quick (but not too quick) succession.

What we have here in Avengers: Infinity War is not so much a case of worlds colliding, as it is all about galaxies aligning.

Galaxies is very much the operative word here, as it is a good-humoured gate-crashing of the Avengers party by the Guardians of the Galaxy gang that is the real, undisputed success story of Infinity War.

Doctor Strange/Stephen Strange, played by Benedict Cumberbatch, Iron Man/Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr, Bruce Banner/Hulk, played by Mark Ruffalo, and Wong, played by Benedict Wong. Picture: Chuck Zlotnick/ Marvel Studios 2018.

Speaking of story, be rest assured that this review will keep the finer details of the often highly dramatic and unforeseen contents of the Infinity War narrative to a bare minimum.

All you really need to know going in is that the villainous Titan despot Thanos (a magnificent motion-captured performance from Josh Brolin) is now well on the way to completing his plan for a genocide that will effectively halve the population of all worlds in the universe.

What Thanos requires to seal this deathly deal is a complete set of Infinity Stones: six powerful orbs that can bend reality, time, life forces and a myriad of other entities at will.

Thanos, played by Josh Brolin. Picture: Film Frame/ Marvel Studios 2018

Naturally, all that stands in the way of this grotesque giant is a rapidly evolving and amusingly improvised alliance between virtually every big name you know from the Avengers and the Guardians.

Tracking the multiple lines of resistance taken by this lot is one of the unabashed delights of Infinity War, even if at times it will leave viewers needing a GPS to stay abreast of where they are and what is happening.

One minute, the story will drag you to an ominously dark middle of Knowhere.

Then all of a sudden, the action will switch to the wondrous, wide-open plains of Wakanda (yes, the mighty Black Panther posse are back in full force just months after taking the movie world by storm).

Black Panther/T'Challa, played by Chadwick Boseman. Picture: Marvel Studios 2018.

How the multitude of characters involved in Infinity War come together is best left unexplained for now. Let’s just say the movie gets its groupings exactly right as the story progresses.

Some are purely factional (Chris Evans’ Captain America leads a band of former exiles which includes Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow and Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch).

Some are problematically frictional (Robert Downey Jr’s tech tycoon Tony ‘Iron Man’ Stark is perpetually at loggerheads with Benedict Cumberbatch’s Steven ‘Doctor’ Strange).

Some are just plain fun (who would have thought Chris Hemsworth’s Thor would turn out to be such great buddies with Guardians goofballs Rocket and Groot?).

Star-Lord/Peter Quill, played by Chris Pratt, Groot, voiced by Vin Diesel, Gamora, played by Zoe Saldana, Mantis, played by Pom Klementieff, Rocket, voiced by Bradley Cooper, and Drax played by Dave Bautista. Picture: Film Frame/ Marvel Studios 2018.

Among those also joining a freewheeling fray as tensions rise and the domination of Thanos spreads are teen tearaway Spider-Man (Tom Holland), the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Guardians power couple Star lord (Chris Pratt) and Gamora (Zoe Saldana), plus all your faves from the Black Panther collective (including Chadwick Boseman and Letitia Wright).

The one over-riding joy that continually propels Infinity War to better things stems from watching the movie come alive as so many disparate elements react to one another.

This is no mere smooshing-up of previous plotlines for convenience’s sake. Nor is it just an SFX-driven smackdown-fest for purely spectacle’s sake.

No, Avengers: Infinity War marks a welcome turning of the page that will only serve to open up many exciting new chapters in the MCU canon.

---------

Avengers: Infinity War opens today in Australia. First screenings in the early afternoon.

Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth. Picture: Film Frame/ Marvel Studios 2018.

Originally published as Avengers: Infinity War is the all-star Marvel game-changer you were hoping for