Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War held its world premiere in Los Angeles on Monday night, and the first critical reactions have been trickling in. Although full reviews are embargoed until later today, the following should give you a flavour of what is the most gargantuan Marvel movie so far.
We'll kick off in the best possible way with this from director and perennial movie geek Kevin Smith.
I am overwhelmed. The movie is epic beyond compare. LOVED it. My legs are still shaking. It’s a gigantic @Marvel masterpiece. So much to say but I’ll stay Silent Bob til Monday so as not to slip in spoilers. Suffice to say it’s gonna be a looooong year until @Avengers 4... pic.twitter.com/aHnsgj5MK0
— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) April 24, 2018
The Playlist journalist Rodrigo Perez says the movie raises the stakes – and then some – as the Avengers face off against Thanos (Josh Brolin).
#AvengersInfinityWar: #Marvel puts it all on the table and wipes it off. Stress-inducing, full of dread, darker than usual, yet, funny as hell and super entertaining. Terrifying Thanos razes the ground without mercy. Blockbuster noise? Yes, but with emotional stakes attached. pic.twitter.com/3zWP5LtCCk
— Rodrigo Perez (@YrOnlyHope) April 24, 2018
He does, however, acknowledge that the sheer scale of the world-obliterating action has its consequences.
Does it have issues? Sure, it’s a punch fest, yeah, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially the dynamics of all these disparate teamups. Let’s see a Thor and Rocket Racoon buddy comedy spin-off. pic.twitter.com/jfjNxTWZYj
— Rodrigo Perez (@YrOnlyHope) April 24, 2018
People magazine editor Nigel M. Smith is even more effusive, describing it as one of his favourite movies in the franchise so far.
#AvengersInfinityWar is my second fave @Marvel movie after #BlackPanther. The superhero interplay is hilarious and surprising at every turn. The action is monumental. And there are actual stakes this time around. Kevin Feige is not f-cking around with this one.
— Nigel M. Smith (@nigelmfs) April 24, 2018
Collider writer Perri Nemiroff says the Guardians, making their first appearance in an ensemble Avengers movie, steal the show.
After 10 years of investment in this series & these characters, boy does #AvengersInfinityWar knock you on your ass. Humor, sky high stakes & a truly overwhelming amount of emotion in it. Russos did a great job spreading screen time for the ensemble but my MVPs - The Guardians.
— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) April 24, 2018
The associate editor of Screenrant, Molly Freeman, meanwhile, says it all comes down to those character beats we all know and love.
I saw #AvengersInfinityWar earlier tonight and I can say that it delivers. There's a lot of really fun character interactions, some cool action moments (Thor's powers, Iron Man's suit), and a few powerful emotional beats.
— Molly Freeman (@mollyrockit) April 24, 2018
Joshua Yehl of IGN says that, as a Marvel fan, the movie left him an emotional wreck.
#AvengersInfinityWar pretty much had me laughing, screaming, or crying the entire way through. It never lets up. I sat in my chair stunned as the credits rolled, speechless and sobbing.
— Joshua Yehl (@JoshuaYehl) April 24, 2018
Rotten Tomatoes editor Grae Drake says viewers need to be prepared for the full-on assault to come.
Laughter. Fights. Tough decisions. Triumph and emptiness. @Avengers has it all. I feel the weight of what I just saw and the journey of the last ten years bearing down. Mama needs a drink. Wow. #infinitywar #ThanosDemandsYourSilence
— Grae Drake (@graedrake) April 24, 2018
Verge film and TV editor Tasha Robinson says she's never heard an audience reaction like it before.
Another thing: I've been reviewing films for decades now, and I have never heard an audience react to the end of a film like the #InfinityWar audience reacted tonight. It was an astonishing experience. (And it's another reason I want to see the film again in a packed house.)
— Tasha Robinson (@TashaRobinson) April 24, 2018
Negatives? Well, several critics say the movie perhaps leaves us hankering for more, including Uproxx writer Mike Ryan.
AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR has like ten legit "chill down the spine" great moments. But it's for sure the first half of a two part movie and I left a little unsatisfied/frustrated, maybe by design ... at least that's how I feel right now three hours later.
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) April 24, 2018
Mashable's Angie J. Han says that the film suffers in the wake of the monumental Black Panther.
#AvengersInfinityWar: Despite some truly thrilling moments, feels like less than the sum of its parts. A definite step down after that epic run of GotGV2 / Spidey / Thor 3 / Black Panther, but what else did I expect?
— Angie J. Han (@ajhan) April 24, 2018
And Screencrush's Matt Singer says the movie is a mixed bag of elements.
AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR: A movie version of a massive comic-book crossover, for better (fun character interactions) and worse (it's pretty much all Infinity Stone shenanigans). YMMV. #avengersinfinitywar
— Matt Singer (@mattsinger) April 24, 2018
Those are some selected responses, and it won't be long before you can share yours. Click here to book your tickets for Avengers: Infinity War, previewing from midnight this Thursday, and be sure to send us your initial reactions @Cineworld.
