WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!

Previously, on Part 1 of my Avengers: Infinity War Review…

Without revealing any spoilers, I basically wrote in a series of vague, needlessly cryptic details that Infinity War is awesome. It’s a masterpiece. Seriously, there are spoilers coming thick and fast for the rest of this review, so if you haven’t seen it, you need to. Some key points I made in my spoiler free review included the excellent cast, villain, scale, stakes, humour, emotion – I may as well stop here and say everything. Infinity War is an amazing film, one which is perfectly balanced, as all things should be, and really feels like a culmination of everything MCU fans such as myself have been following over the last ten years. From the early days of Iron Man, to something as jaw-dropping as this is an incredible achievement, and yet MARVEL Studios has managed to pull it off.

Final warning: I’m about to tackle this entire film chronologically, without ceasing on the spoiler front, so now is your last chance to fly away to pastures anew. Ok then, dread it, run from it, destiny still arrives, by which I mean my spoiler review has…

So, after an oddly chilling, soundless MARVEL Logo, we’re on the Asgardian ship from Thor Ragnarok. We promptly discover that everyone is dead (yikes!), and that Thanos already has the Power Stone, the collection of which I would have very much like to have seen. Something like the decimation of Xandar would really work well in a film like this, but I am aware that it would add to the already humungous runtime. Thanos makes a dramatic entrance, with gravitas that immediately makes him the focus of the scene, which is unusual when you’ve got Loki about. So Thanos tortures Thor, compelling Loki to hand over the Tesseract, the reason the Mad Titan came in the first place. However, Loki unleashes the Hulk on Thanos. Thanos beats him to the ground within seconds. This is such a cold, frightening opening, which not only sends shivers down the spine, but also establishes the threat that Thanos poses. Not only is he a powerful character, but his first lines in the film, an emotional speech, really help us catch on to the fact that he’s a clever and philosophical villain, something I admire the screenwriters for putting to the forefront here.

Heimdall, using the last of his strength, summons the Bifrost to send Hulk back to Earth. I like how Hulk’s arc evolves in this film, from fearless rage monster to someone humbled by a far more powerful, God-like being. The fact he becomes reliant on the Hulk returning is really intelligent writing, and works well when you consider the stakes of the film. So Heimdall dies (no… not… him), and then Loki attempts to double-cross Thanos. He fails miserably. Loki too has his character developed, even with limited screen time. No, not because he has the life squeezed out of him, but because we finally see his arc go full circle. His death really has an effect on Thor as the story progresses, and I like the way he becomes very central because of the loss of his brother. There is a real emotion in this scene, and whilst it’s later surpassed by even bigger emotional beats, there’s undoubtedly scope for what the rest of this film is to be like, and suitable menace for Thanos set up at the same time. Josh Brolin brilliantly channels threat during this scene, in such away that makes him seem very imposing.

Moving on, Hulk lands in the Sanctum of New York, where he meets Doctor Strange and Wong, and then we plough straight on to some banter and exposition, between them and Tony Stark. One of this film’s strengths is how it’s characters interact, and as always, Robert Downey Jr. has faultless chemistry with all of his co-stars. Almost immediately, we’re then thrust back into another fight scene – this film’s furious pacing also works in its favour, as it means we as the audience never lose focus, with the humour and character interactions also playing a key role in keeping us engaged. Ebony Maw and Cull Obsidian, two of Thanos’ Black Order from the previous scene, have parked a Krispy Kreme Spaceship over New York. Whilst on this subject, I’d like to discuss the Black Order; overall, very good. Perhaps underused, but you wouldn’t want to detract from Thanos. Ebony Maw for me shines among them, his actor bringing a sinister creepiness to the role. I’d have loved to have had the motley crew back for Avengers 4, but hey, I think they were used just right, and were all pretty much on a par with a lot of the DCEU’s antagonists.

The battle between them that ensues is fantastically directed. I said it in my spoiler free review, and I’ll say it again: the Russos have done a brilliant job here. It both captures the conflict within Bruce Banner in some hilarious ways, whilst also proving to be an entertaining spectacle. Spider-Man disembarks his school bus (driven by a familiar face. Excelsior!) to join the fray, and I love how this film develops the kind of relationship between Tony and Peter seen in Homecoming, with the ending having added emotional weight because of the great interactions and chemistry between the two. The more I see this, the better it is, and when Doctor Strange is taken away by Maw, I can only dread for his character. This is what I love about MARVEL movies; these fun, fast paced fights which you just can’t help but root for. I know, I’m going full fan-boy, let’s slow down.

Enter, Guardians of the Galaxy. I’m amazed that the Russos managed to capture the vibrancy and heart of the own franchise so well in this film, and immediately, they’re hilarious. It’s refreshing and fun. So, they pick up the Asgardian distress signal, hop on over to the destroyed ship, and then Thor lands on their front window. The interactions that ensue are hilarious, and once again, the chemistry, particularly between Pratt and Hemsworth, is on point. I’ll long stick to my belief that the Guardians have made two of the MCU’s best films, and here, we get the dynamics of the team laid out perfectly for anybody that hasn’t seen any Guardians flicks. It is here established that the team will halve, Thor, Rocket and Groot going to Nidavellir to forge Thor a new weapon, the others going to Knowhere for the Reality Stone.

Next, we catch up with Vision and Scarlet Witch, now Romantically entwined, in Scotland. For me, Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen both do excellently with what they’re given, and have great chemistry, however things do feel very sudden, especially I imagine for those walking in with very little knowledge of the MCU. However, they make up the heart of the film, and their scene at the end in which Wanda has to destroy Vision’s Mind Stone is very impactful and well executed. Then comes jump scare of the century, before we’re thrust into another action sequence. Sometimes everything can seem a little overwhelming, so if I was to suggest something it would be to break up the Wanda-Vision romantic scene and this action to give us breathing time, but it’s still very thrilling. We’re then, in the most awesome way possible, reintroduced to Cap and his New Avengers, comprising him, Black Widow and the Falcon. They stand up for Vision, fighting off Corvius Glaive and Proxima Midnight and rescuing the two lovers.

We then see them reunite with Rhodey, leg braces and all, chatting to Secreatry Ross about how he regrets signing the Accords. I appreciate this continuity, and this really pays off Rhodey’s journey in Civil War in a way that feels satisfying for his character, even if here he is painfully underused. In fact, Cap, Widow and Falcon also get very little screen time in comparison with the Titan crew, who I’ll draw on in little bit. They decide to take him to Wakanda, which we cut to and witness T’Challa, fresh from his ridiculously successful solo outing, giving Bucky (‘White Wolf you moron, I hear you cry) a new arm. If I was being perfectly honest, I love these scenes in Wakanda with Cap and Panther and their group, but I’d much rather be spending time with more interesting characters with more chemistry and charisma like Iron Man, Thor and Star Lord. Still, it’s nice to see how far the MCU has branched out over the years in witnessing all these characters cross over.

Moving on and we’re back with Doctor Strange, and one of those people that you’d never want to be in a claustrophobic space with, Ebony Maw. In my opinion, this torture sequence on the Donut Spaceship is excellently executed, Cumberbatch finally getting to show his acting range, even if it is just ticking away the time until that amazing battle on Titan. Spider-Man and Iron Man save him, with a nod to James Cameron that must make him look foolish considering the nasty comments he made the other week (at the time of writing) about Superhero franchises. After some more of that excellent banter and chemistry between the three characters, they decide to head to Titan to face Thanos themselves. Their plan is good, except it sucks, as they will later find out. I like how the screenwriters allow the Avengers to have these little victories, like killing or wounding various Black Order members, making the ending so much more devastating and ensuring that everything doesn’t feel too one-sided. It is also intelligently written so that all storylines are interwoven to either meet at Wakanda or on Titan. It makes these conflicts feel more epic, more of a last stand, something that justifies what we would expect going into the movie.

Next we’ve got yet another example of the Russos’ excellent direction. Admittedly, the flashback does come a little out of the blue, but it’s still a fantastically shot character scene for both Thanos and Gamora. In it we see little Gamora saved by the Mad Titan as his Chitauri army wipe out her home world. This is a really powerful change in tone, and suddenly we start to understand Thanos much better as a character, making Gamora’s sacrifice (more on that momentarily) even more tear-jerking. We are also notably informed that Thanos’ plan is to half the Universes’ population, using the smattering of multi-coloured jewellery he’s collecting. We cut back to Gamora, who is on the Milano with Star-Lord. She tells him she knows where the Soul Stone is, and makes him promise that if Thanos gets his sweaty pink/violet/purple fingers on her, that he’ll kill her before anything else could happen. This is such a poignant emotional beat that is really cleverly introduced by the script, and which ensures that the Guardians don’t just make an amusing cameo here but are also relevant. I really love the way Thanos, Gamora and Quill’s relationships are handled in Infinity War.

So the Guardians arrive at Knowhere, and immediately, the colour palette the visual effects guys use in this scene really makes it seem like something ominous is about to go down. And my word, there is so much to this scene, both emotional and funny, but also in terms of tension. When Thanos ‘disintegrated’ Drax and Mantis, I froze cold for a moment, it is such a shocking scene. We then see Peter forced to make the decision as whether or not to kill Gamora, after Thanos tosses even-creepier-DJ (the Collector) aside, and fools Gamora into thinking she’s murdered her father with the Reality Stone, using her emotion to captures her from behind and forces Star-Lord to make the choice. Peter can’t do it, and Thanos escapes with Gamora, the killing of the other Guardians shown to have been another trick of the Aether. My word, Pratt, Brolin and Saldana are on fire in here, and it’s all so bloated with emotion that it almost feels that there should have been longer spent on it. But the Russos have to keep up the relentless pace, and this scene is really impactful: it was one of those that made everyone go silent in the Theatre the second time I went to see it. Magnificent!

Then we get to Nidavellir with Thor, Rocket and Groot, deserted, save Peter Dinklage’s Eitri, a Dwarf with some serious scaling issues, but it’s still nice to see Boliviar Trask crafting weapons once more (just a little Days of Future Past joke for you there). For me, Thor has this film’s most interesting arc, one of vengeance, which makes real narrative sense when you think about all the things his character has been through in his solo outings. Thor and Rocket really bounce off each other in these scenes, and it’s brilliant to see that in most cases, this film has grouped together the best possible combos for cast chemistry and satisfying interactions. Eitri agrees almost immediately to help Thor craft Stormbreaker, a new weapon of the Thanos-killing variety capable of besting a God and harnessing the Bifrost.

After arriving with a crash on Titan, Iron Man, Strange and Spidey come across the Guardians and have a fight which satisfied me to no end. There is the best chemistry in the film between these two groups, and some excellent dialogue (‘I’ll do you one better, why is Gamora?). It was a really wise move narratively speaking, and this strong combination of awesome characters is one of the reasons I favour the Titan battle over Wakanda: this team just have so much more charisma. Anyway, they squad together alright. Then we get on to perhaps this movie’s most emotional scene (save the ending). Thanos and Gamora have such a complex relationship, and their dialogues really add layers to this menacing antagonist that is the Mad Titan. After Gamora chucks away his cooking, Thanos tries to tempt the location of the Soul Stone out of her by torturing Nebula before Gamora’s very eyes. One thing I will say is that things do start repeating themselves; this same formula of retrieving information was used in that first scene, and there’d already been another torture sequence with Doctor Strange and Maw between then and this scene. Still, this generates solid emotion, and the acting is superb. Plus, everything in this film is incredible, so any holes I dig is just nit-picking. Eventually, Gamora reveals that the Stone is on Vormir.

Upon arriving on Vormir, we’re greeted with a surprise; the Red Skull guards the Soul Stone (admittedly not the Elrond Red Skull, but still – it’s him!). He tells the Mad Titan that to obtain it, Thanos must cast something he truly loves off a cliff. This scene just shocked me. I knew Gamora would have significance going into the film, but this death just shook me to the core. As a huge Guardians fan, I almost teared up, and the way it is executed, Brolin’s performance truly unsurpassed by any other here, is just heart-breaking. You could see it coming, but the Russo Brothers did an amazing job at capturing Thanos’ vulnerability in this scene. I like that Thanos isn’t a villain without any range to his character, but one that is both emotional and committed to his goal. In many respects, Thanos fulfils the story arc of a hero in this film, following the same three act structure of any main protagonist. I like that this was well done; it feels fresh, and new.

Next, we’re back on Wakanda, where a threat is coming. Scarlet Witch is told that if it comes to it (it will) that she’ll have to destroy the Time Stone, but first Shuri has a crack at removing it from Vision (safely of course – we don’t want another screaming Paul Bettany). As I stated before, in my opinion, Titan is a more engaging conflict than the one that ensues, but nevertheless, this is an awesome fight. This captures all the spirit of a MARVEL third act, with some Banner-Hulkbuster centred comedy, a ticking clock, and lots and lots of hitting people really hard. I don’t know… maybe I’m old fashioned, but I prefer the Titan battle because it’s more emotionally driven. That isn’t to say that this isn’t amazing – I love this war against the Outriders, so fast-paced and entertaining. I love the chants, that Bucky is back – this is an enormous bundle of awesomeness, and with a film like this, I shouldn’t be dissecting microscopic flaws like this.

Then we get to my favourite part of the film; the Battle on Titan. No words can explain how awesome this battle is, from that short but sweet and chilling interaction between Strange and Thanos, to the fight, so well choreographed. The special effects are startlingly good, and this sequence partners really well with the previous one on Vormir, because it thrives off of Thanos’ newfound vulnerability. I just love the way the Russo Brothers do action, in the most jaw-dropping and relevant of ways. There is some awesome conflict, and the choreographers do well to make it not feel one-sided Eventually, after Nebula, freshly escaped from imprisonment, crashes her ship into Thanos, they are able to restrain him, and whilst Mantis puts him to sleep, Iron Man and Spidey get to work trying to get that Gauntlet off of him. It all falls apart when upon questioning him, Star-Lord discovers the death of Gamora, beating Thanos awake and restarting the fight. A number of people seem to hate Quill in this scene, but to me, it’s in character, and makes for a poignant moment, the first perhaps in which we genuinely realise that the heroes aren’t necessarily going to come out on top here…

Thanos manages to defeat everyone, leaving him one-on-one with Iron Man. Then we get yet another shock; Thanos stabs Iron Man. I almost peed myself and openly screamed when this happened. The score adds so much to the moment, before Doctor Strange does that ambiguous act of trading the Time Stone for Tony’s life. His reasoning is that this is the only way that the Avengers can possibly hope to defeat Thanos. Thanos is just such a threatening villain – I mean, who wouldn’t be if they threw a moon at someone? But the performance also contributes to his menace in this scene. I’m actually quite a huge supporter of the idea of a mystery box (something left on an ambiguous note for a later film), so I look forward to seeing exactly how trading the Time Stone so that Stark (RDJ is fantastic here, by the way) lives factors into Avengers 4, because there’s obviously some significance.

Finally, Thor manages to craft Stormbreaker, in the most agonizing of ways. I do like that Thor gets his own separate side quest in this film, but at the same time, I’d rather be on Titan than here. I’ll get back to him in a bit, but now it’s time to delve into the Wakanda battle…

Where Thor arrives, Stormbreaker in hand, and along with Scarlet Witch, basically kills off the entire threat singlehandedly. This final part to Wakanda has some excellent scenes, the special effects are spot on, and the score is still really great. There’s even a homage to the Me Too movement, which is cleverly threaded in so that unlike with the Last Jedi, this message doesn’t in any away effect the plot or my enjoyment of the movie – in fact, Black Widow, Okoye and Scarlet Witch taking out Proxima Midnight is actually a standout scene. Meanwhile, Thanos arrives, and after a string of Black Order related mishaps, is coming for the Mind Stone. I am a great admirer of the way this film is threaded together, each sequence linked to the next so that everything revolves around Thanos. This is, in my opinion, really clever screenwriting in terms of creating a solid antagonist.

There’s another awesome, slow-motion fight, where we see Thanos use the might of five Infinity Stones as he tries to make his way to Vision, who concedes that the Mind Stone needs to be destroyed to save the Universe. This is such a fitting end to Vision and Wanda’s story together, one which strikes such an emotional chord, especially when coupled with awesome Thanos-Avengers-beating action. Just before he can do so, she manages to destroy the Stone, but using the Time Gem, Thanos brings it back into existence, rips it out of Vision’s forehead (turning him off), and completing his Gauntlet. At this point, I just had my hand over my mouth, mainly in fear of what I dreaded was to come…

But then, Thor shoves his Hammer through Thanos’ chest. It’s so strange how before this happens, I almost wanted Thanos to succeed, such is the development of his character in this film. This also however feels like a resounding conclusion to Thor’s arc throughout Infinity War. But as he says himself, Thor should have gone for the head. When he clicked his fingers, my heart just froze. We then get a short, sweet, and oddly chilling scene between the Mad Titan and smaller Gamora in the Soul Realm, something which bizarrely works as a straight follow up to this shocking finale, but is also loaded with impact, and I love it when films include small, character driven moments such as this.

Then it happens. Bucky, Falcon, Groot, T’Challa, Wanda, Mantis, Drax, Peter Quill, Doctor Strange and Spider-Man. All of them disintegrate, on perhaps the biggest cliff-hanger ending… ever. So powerful, tear-jerking, jaw-dropping, and that’s even with the knowledge that most of them, if not all will be back for Avengers 4. This sequence is beautifully directed, and is cleverly played out without any score to create a deadly, haunting atmosphere. I can’t say I liked the ending, but for this film, it felt very right, and genuinely shocking. With his death scene, Tom Holland does a fantastic job, and almost had me tearing up. It was, simply put, outstanding. As the curtain falls on Thanos looking out, satisfied upon a sunset, I am shook. My God, what an ending.

So there you have it, my thoughts on Avengers: Infinity War, spoiler filled. An incredible film, with heart, wit, stakes, amazing action and that ending. What a masterpiece, which is a credit to the brilliance of the ten year old cinematic Universe that’s preceded it. With a fantastic ensemble and very, very few flaws, Infinity War is unmissable. The hype for Avengers 4 has begun!

Hey! Wake up! You made it to the end. Oh forget it. Well, if you made it through to my ‘end credits scene’, then here are some links to Theories and Trivia and other Stuff. Please don’t leave me all alone, rocking myself to sleep over all those deaths. Thanks for making it to the end.