WARNING: THERE ARE SPOILERS FOR THE MOVIE IN THIS REVIEW.

Avengers: Infinity War was an insane movie. And to accompany it we have an insane score by Alan Silvestri.

It is an absolute joy that we have Alan Silvestri back to score this film. He scored the original Avengers movie and gave us that iconic theme (I would honestly put it up there with the likes of Superman and Batman) as well as Captain America: The First Avenger. Much like with Ready Player One, I hotly anticipated this score and I have to say I really wasn’t disappointed. Avengers: Infinity War‘s music has its ups and downs but overall it is pretty damn good.

To begin this review I shall dive straight into the top tracks of the score, starting with number one; The Avengers. It is only 26 seconds long but that was all the time Silvestri needed to bring back his amazing Avengers theme for the title card of the film. It sounds even better than in the original film and sets a high standard for the rest of the album.

Travel Delays is where we first hear the theme for Thanos, and honestly it isn’t that great. Unfortunately (at least from my listening experience) one thing Alan Silvestri seems to find very difficult in general is constructing good villain themes, and he is no different here. Considering how much of an interesting and important villain Thanos is, he really deserved a good theme and he just doesn’t get it here. His theme is very generic dark-bad-guy music and it is disappointing.

The first proper action cue comes in He Won’t Come Out, and action music is Silvestri at his best. Plenty of brass and hints to the Avengers theme makes for a pretty strong and fast-paced piece. This rapidity is continued in Field Trip, where Spider-Man joins the battle and we hear an interesting light-hearted theme for him. Its appearance is only brief however before Silvestri dives right back into his brass-heavy action piece. The action music is strong in this score, and that is great because there is an awful lot of it.

A fair chunk of the Avengers theme is played in Help Arrives as Captain America and friends arrive to battle the Black Order. The action music quickly fades however as the score moves into more emotional territory. Strings play a prominent part in this as well as another appearance of the dull Thanos theme.
Even For You is the most interesting track on the score so far, as Thanos has to kill Gamora to gain the Soul Stone. You can feel his heart-wrenching decision in Silvestri’s music here with a pretty emotional piece. Strings and brass come together, building up the track from quietly sad to dramatically loud. Silvestri shines a great deal here.

We return to action music in More Power, and once again the brass is powered on for some damn good music. This plays all the way through the track and into the next; Forge. Now this is arguably the standout cue of the album. Forge starts at a fast pace and utilises plenty of choir to gain the emotional traction it needs as Thor desperately holds the dying star open to forge his new hammer. The piece builds up for a good three minutes before moving into some dark we-are-all-going-to-die, and just before all hope seems lost we are treated to the full Avengers theme at full blast as Thor swoops in to save the day. It is a glorious theme that is used fantastically here, and is the cherry on top of the standout cue of the score.

The worst happens in Get That Arm, a very heartfelt piece with a lot of emotional weight. Scarlet Witch is forced to kill Vision in a bid to save the universe, and Silvestri absolutely nails the drama with this track. Plenty of strings and brass are used to create this tear-jerking music and you really feel just how bad the situation is in the film.
The next track; Infinity War continues this level of dramatic with a dark, gut-wrenching piece as several of the Avengers fade away into dust. Drums and strings are used here to illustrate the magnitude of Thanos‘ finger snap, and that the Avengers have lost the fight. And just before you thought the track couldn’t get any sadder, Silvestri plays a slow piano version of the Avengers theme and the screen goes black. Game Over.

End Credits is a beautiful summary of some of the best pieces of the score, while curiously omitting any heroic music whatsoever. This is likely due to how the film ended, so what we get is a 7 minute long emotional rollercoaster that refuses to tell you that everything will be OK. It is hard-hitting and hammers home the dramatic finish of the film.

Avengers: Infinity War is an interesting score. It is heroic and upbeat in only a few points and for the most part is dark and dramatic, particularly at the end. This is Alan Silvestri as I have never heard him before and he does extremely well at hitting you with tear-jerking musical moments. The film itself completely blew me away and the score is no different. It could have been a little better I feel (for example, Thanos badly needed a great theme) but overall the score was as heart-wrenching as the movie.

Score:  8/10

Standout Cue: 20. Forge