This week, the biggest film of the year arrives when Marvel
Studios unleashes AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR. In this spoiler-free preview is
everything you need to know about this super-sized epic.
What is this about? –
INFINITY WAR is the conclusion of the story that Marvel Studios began
telling way back in 2008 with IRON MAN. Since then there have been 18 films
(grossing $14.8 billion!), covering Marvel Comics most popular heroes;
including Iron Man, Hulk, Spider-Man, Thor, Captain America, Ant-Man, the Guardians
of the Galaxy, Dr. Strange, Black Panther, the Winter Soldier, and many more.
The primary storyline over these films has been the mysterious Infinity Stones,
which have appeared here and there in the series. In INFINITY WAR, the
super-villain Thanos (motion captured and voiced by Josh Brolin), who has been
seeking the Stones, arrives to collect…only to be rivaled by the Avengers and
their super-friends.
Who is in this? – The
massive cast gets everyone together
from the series; Josh Brolin, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris
Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave
Bautista, (the voice of) Bradley Cooper, Paul Rudd, Tom Hiddleston, Tom
Holland, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Elizabeth Olsen,
Paul Bettany, Karen Gillan, (the voice of) Vin Diesel, Benedict Wong, Pom
Klementieff, Benicio del Toro, Don Cheadle, Gwyneth Paltrow, Chadwick
Boseman…and a few more surprises.
Who is behind this? –
INFINITY WAR is directed by the sibling team of Joe and Anthony Russo, who
are veterans of the Marvel universe; having helmed the critical hits CAPTAIN
AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER (2014) and CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR (2016).
Random Facts – This
is the first time the primary Avengers lineup has been together since AGE OF
ULTRON in 2015 * According to Marvel
studios, there are around 65 main characters in the film * INFINITY WAR was originally sub-titled Part 1, with Part 2
releasing in 2019. Since then, the sub-titles have been dropped, and the next
film is as yet untitled * INFINITY
WAR takes place four years after the events of GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY and its
sequel. Both films/stories took place in the same year * The Infinity Stones shown on film so far appeared in AVENGERS
(2012), AGE OF ULTRON (2015), GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (2014), DR. STRANGE
(2016), and THOR: THE DARK WORLD (2015). There is one remaining stone yet to be
uncovered * This is Robert Downey
Jr. and Chris Evans’ ninth time playing Iron Man and Captain America,
respectively. This ties them with Hugh Jackman (Wolverine in the unrelated
X-MEN films), for the actor with the most appearances as the same superhero. * This is the first time the Guardians
of the Galaxy will meet the Avengers *
This is the longest Marvel film to date at 156 minutes * The film’s cast includes two Oscar winners and eight Oscar
nominees.
What to expect – From
day one, Marvel has done an impressive and unprecedented
job in building their universe and setting up this ultimate showdown...but
anyone who has been following the series is well aware that INFINITY WAR has a lot of ground to cover. After all, the
Stones are spread out all over the universe with one un-accounted for, and the
last we saw the Avengers…they all hated each other’s guts. All that has to be
resolved, along with integrating the Guardians and other characters into the
mix. So we can expect plenty of galaxy-hopping, and with all major players on
the field we can certainly expect one hell of a WAR to be fought on the big screen. Characters are key in a
big-budget spectacle like this, and Marvel has always made sure that their
adventures are character-driven. The Russo’s have done great work in their last
two Marvel outings, and with this being the crown jewel (stone) of the series,
we can expect the brothers to step up. Getting here has been a massive
undertaking, and the payoff should, and has to be equally massive. This is as
large as it gets.
*
AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR arrives on April 27th, in
2D, 3D, and IMAX formats.
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