Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/977918
maltatoday SUNDAY 6 MAY 2018 44 This Week WHO would ever have thought that one day, we will be experienc- ing films in distinct 'Phases'? But with the ever-ballooning Marvel Studios franchise, and its inter- connected universe of superhero narratives that every couple of years releases a benchmark 'super- team' chapter in the form of the Avengers movies, we are getting precisely that. Having started with Iron Man in 2008, we now appear to be wad- ing into 'Phase Three' of the com- ic book-turned-blockbuster-film empire's masterplan for intercon- nected, fully-consolidated enter- tainment. And picking up where Thor: Ragnarok (2017), Black Pan- ther (2018) and Avengers: Civil War (2017) all left off, Avengers: Infinity War is a crossover event that shows off the full powers of the American Entertainment Industrial Complex in all of its might, for better or for worse. As such, summarising this near- ly three-hour epic of interlocking storylines is nigh on impossible, but the good news is that its core premise roughly amounts to a "collect the tokens" chase. The twist being, however, that the person doing the chasing just so happens to be the film's villain. Thanos (Josh Brolin), has been teased as the 'big bad' ever since the first Avengers film made its way into the multiplexes back in 2012. Having grown up impov- erished on a planet ravaged by overpopulation, Thanos firmly believes that wiping out half of the universe's population is the only logical move one can make. To perform this ambitious act of calculated genocide, Thanos needs to fill his 'Infinity Gaunt- let' with the appropriate 'Infinity Stones' – all of which correspond to a cosmic space-time principle which he would be able to manip- ulate at will once his collection is complete. Having already wreaked sub- stantial havoc on our heroes in the first frames of the film, Tha- nos appears to be distressingly on a course to personal fulfillment. But with the Avengers torn down the middle after the events of 'Civil War' and with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) halfway across the galaxy, new recruits like Doc- tor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Peter Parker/ Spider-Man (Tom Holland) need to be brought into the fray. Along with, to the audience's delight but to the more conventional heroes' chagrin, that rag-tag band led by Peter Quill/Star Lord (Chris Pratt) and calling themselves The Guardians of the Galaxy. One of whose number, Gamora (Zoe Saldana), happens to be the adoptive daughter of Thanos, along with her estranged cyborg half-sibling, Nebula (Karen Gil- lan). Brute force may not be able to defeat Thanos, but the dynam- ics of this unconventional family may just reveal some chinks in his purple-skinned armour. Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo from a script by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, 'In- finity War' is a sometimes exhaust- ing but incredibly well put togeth- er piece of franchise machinery, running at breakneck speed and IN CINEMAS TODAY Embassy Cinemas Valletta Tel. 21 227436, 21 245818 Avengers: Infinity War (3D) (12A) 10:15, 14:00, 17:30, 20:45 Rampage (12A) 10:30, 13:45, 16:05, 18:25, 20:50 Midnight Sun (12A) 16:30, 18:40, 20:50 Id-Destin (15) 10:00, 12:15, 14:30, 17:45, 19:00, 21:15 Peter Rabbit (PG) 10:00, 12:10, 14:15, 16:25 Love, Simon (12A) 18:40, 21:05 The Guernsey Literary And Potato Peel Society (12A) 10:20, 13:20, 16:00, 18:35, 21:10 Valletta Living History (U) 10:00, 10:45, 11:30, 12:15, 13:00, 13:45, 14:30, 15:15 Eden Cinemas St Julian's Tel. 23 710400 Mary And The Witch's Flower (U) 11:45, 14:05, 18:50 A Quiet Place (15) 14:05, 16:20, 18:30, 20:40 Avengers: Infinity War (12A) 10:45, 13:45, 14:30, 17:00, 18:00, 20:15 21:15, 23:25 Black Panther (12A) 14:25, 18:00, 20:50 Blockers (15) 11:50, 14:05, 16:20, 18:40, 21:05, 23:25 Ghost Stories (15) 18:40, 21:05, 23:25 I Kill Giants (12A) 11:40, 14:00, 16:20, 18:40 Id-Destin (15) 16:30, 21:00 Love, Simon (12A) 21:00 Manon (PG) 15:00 Rampage (12A) 14:10, 16:30, 18:50, 21:10, 23:40 The Hurricane Heist (12A) 11:30, 14:25, 18:00, 20:55, 23:50 Truth Or Dare (15) 14:15, 16:25, 18:35, 20:55 Tully (15) 14:20, 16:20, 18:25, 20:35, 22:45 Empire Cinemas Bugibba Tel. 21 581787, 21 581909 Blockers (15) 10:50, 13:45, 16:00, 18:25, 20:45 Rampage (12A) 10:55, 13:40, 16:10, 18:30, 20:55 Avengers: Infinity War (3D) (12A) 10:45, 14:00, 18:00, 21:15 The Hurricane Heist (12A) 11:00, 14:00, 18:10, 21:05 The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (12A) 10:40, 13:25, 16:00, 18:35, 21:10 Id-Destin (15) 11:00, 13:30, 16:20, 18:35, 20:45 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ INFINITY STONES ★ ★ ★ ★ INFINITY GAUNTLET ★ ★ ★ TO INFINITY, AND BEYOND ★ ★ WHO WANTS TO LIVE FOREVER ★ JUST END IT NOW FILM By Teodor Reljic Marvel's mammoth movie machine AVENGERS: INFINITY WARS (15) ★ ★ ★ ★ Tip of the iceberg: Danai Gurira (Okoye), Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther), Chris Evans (Captain America), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) and Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes) are just a fraction of the superhero pantheon featured in this sprawling franchise touchstone from Marvel Secret protagonist: Josh Brolin is Thanos