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This week, there are THREE new films out for you to choose from: Avengers: Infinity War – yes, you know what’s coming with that, but there’s also a British thriller in Beast, and Mark Rylance lends his voice to the first big-screen outing for children’s favourite, Bing.
Avengers: Infinity War is where they throw everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink at the screen, as ten years of Marvel collaborative films from Iron Man onwards all come to a head in what is presumably the ultimate battle, blah-de-blah-de-blah.
Seriously? We had all that in the dull Captain America: Civil War. And that was just a rehash of Avengers: Age of Ultron.
It says a lot ALSO that press reviews have an embargo until tomorrow, so AFTER tonight’s midnight screenings!
Okay, so there is a plot… of sorts.
As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos (Josh Brolin). A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment – the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain.
Directed by brothers Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, from a script by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and starring Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Tom Holland, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Benedict Wong, Tom Hiddleston, Benicio del Toro, Cobie Smulders, Samuel L Jackson, Josh Brolin, plus the obligatory cameo from Stan Lee, I was going to go and see this, but when I caught up with Thor: Ragnarok, I thought that might re-interest me in this superhero series, but it didn’t.
I couldn’t give two hoots about Black Panther, so for now, for this film…
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
Beast
A troubled woman (Jessie Buckley – The Woman In White) living in an isolated community finds herself pulled between the control of her oppressive family and the allure of a secretive outsider suspected of a series of brutal murders.
Rather than sound like a horror movie, this looks more like a thriler. I’m not 100% sold of it, but it could be good.
Writer/Director: Michael Pearce
Also stars: Johnny Flynn, Geraldine James
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
Bing
Bing Crosby? No, a cartoon based on the CBeebies series, and just here for two reasons: one, it stars Mark Rylance as the lead character’s friend, Flop, with Bing voiced by Elliot Kerley, and two, it means there are, at least, three films out this weekend. Note, however, that Bing is only showing at Vue Cinemas. Note that it’s only an hour long, and will cost around £3.25 per ticket whether adult or child.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit – if you like Bing
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.