INFINITY War not only makes good on all the promises the Marvel films have made about the Mad Titan Thanos.

It also delivers a well-paced and emotional story that flips the Marvel Cinematic Universe on its head.

The plot of the film essentially sees Thanos face off against the superhero ensemble the Avengers on his quest to collect the six ‘Infinity Stones’ which when combined could destroy the universe.

The film takes place on multiple planets which at times can be difficult to follow but the strength of these beloved characters, and Thanos, hold the film together.

Infinity War wastes no time in showing the terror of the big villain in the ambitious opening sequence.

Josh Brolin brings a depth to this character that really surprised me especially as Marvel has had a frequent problem when it comes to creating interesting villains.

After Michael B Jordan’s excellent performance as Killmonger in Black Panther, I was worried that Thanos might feel one dimensional in comparison.

These worries were dispelled before the 20-minute mark.

The film starts as it means to go on – the intensity of the plot is matched by the desperation of the circumstances for the heroes, with only one subplot that felt a little unnecessary.

With a total of 67 characters, not everyone gets their fair share of the screen time but this is never a detriment to the film, it only adds to the epic scale directors, the Russo brothers, clearly wanted to attain and this culminates in a final act that is as good as any comic book film has produced.

Despite the title, this is undoubtedly Thanos’ film, he has more screen time than any one else and Josh Brolin steals the show in every single scene.

His character arc has plenty of surprises along the way and the final 30 minutes of the film are harrowing, tense and thrilling.

The stakes have never felt higher going into ‘Avengers 4’ which is due for release next year. The cliff-hanger ending will not work for everyone, but if you have been a fan of these films for the past 10 years, the ending feels like the shake-up these films needed and the possibilities for the sequel are endless.

The Russo brothers deserve a lot of credit for not only delivering on the hype for this film but for also crafting an epic story that never feels too bloated or convoluted for its own good. This is a landmark achievement in filmmaking.

RATING: 9.5/10

ANDREW LEIVESLEY