Paula Fleri-Soler takes a behind-the-scenes look at the eagerly-awaited Avengers: Infinity War Part One.
I don’t think I am alone when I say that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) changed my view of superhero comic-book adaptations. While the likes of the Superman movies of the 1970s and 80s, starring the late, lamented Christopher Reeve left me with fond memories, I would never have called myself a fan of the genre, having never really been a comic-book fan.
Since its launch in 2008 with Iron Man, however, the series has won me over. Starring Robert Downey Jr as billionaire industrialist Tony Stark and his titular alter-ego, Iron Man was a sign of what was to come – a big-budget, CG-crammed action blockbuster of gargantuan proportions, certainly.
But it was also a character-driven piece, with a strong narrative, fully-rounded characters and chock-full of drama and humour in equal measure, making for a completely engaging and entertaining movie.
Ten years, 18 films, €13 billion, myriad adventures and dozens of heroic characters later, the MCU is still going strong and yet to experience a dip in quality or popularity. And now, its 19th film, Avengers: Infinity War Part One, finds the Avengers facing their biggest challenge yet: Thanos.
A despot of intergalactic infamy, Thanos will stop at nothing to collect all six Infinity Stones in his quest to wield unimaginable power and his twisted will on all of humanity.
Directors Anthony and Joe Russo have been tasked with bringing together not only the core characters from the Avengers Films, but also many of the other protagonists of the MCU.
“It is a story that consumes the entire Marvel universe, and it has one overarching theme to it – what does it cost to be a hero in a world where there are no easy answers?” says Joe Russo.
Helping the filmmakers develop and craft the story were screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who had previously collaborated with the Russo brothers on Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War.
“Markus and McFeely understand the voices of each of the characters in the MCU about as well as anybody,” comments Joe.
“It really was a unique challenge to try and bring together these many characters into one film, combined with the scale and bringing closure to 10 years of this grand experiment that has been Marvel. It is both alluring and daunting.”
There will be new beginnings
Alluring and daunting indeed – the story features a ridiculously powerful ensemble of around 30 characters: Iron Man, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Colonel James Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle), Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Vision (Paul Bettany), Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) and Idris Elba as Heimdall.
The film also brings together Benedict Cumberbatch and Wong from Doctor Strange; T’Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Danai Gurira as Okoye from Black Panther; Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), and the Guardians of the Galaxy themselves, including Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Nebula Karen Gillan, Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff); with appearances by Groot (Vin Diesel) and Rocket (Bradley Cooper).
Rounding up the extensive ensemble are Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, with Benicio Del Toro as The Collector, Josh Brolin as Thanos, and Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord.
“The story of Avengers: Infinity War is the result of everything we’ve ever done to this point,” adds Kevin Feige, head honcho at Marvel Studios.
“It is the unprecedented culmination of a series of storylines interlinked together, which had never been done before.”
Anthony Russo says: “Audiences are going to see a new dimension of their heroes in this film. One that deals with challenges in ways that they haven’t had to in the past and one that deals with consequences that they haven’t had in the past. The takeaway is going to be; wow, Super Heroes are people too. I also hope that we have brought an even more human expression of these characters to the table, and I hope that audiences feel that.”
Joe concludes: “I don’t think that audiences have seen anything on this level of intensity with this level of stakes and ramifications in the Marvel Cinematic Universe before. There’s nothing comparable to it. If Marvel has been writing a book for the last 10 years, these are the final chapters of the book. And there’s finality, and there will be endings. And there will be new beginnings.”
Also showing
Ghost Stories – Professor Phillip Goodman, psychologist and sceptic, has his rationality tested to the hilt when he stumbles across a long-lost file containing details of three terrifying hauntings. Shaken by what he reads, Goodman embarks on a mission to find rational explanations for these ghostly stories.