20 Best Movie Performances Of 2018

5. Josh Brolin (Avengers: Infinity War)

Avengers Infinity War Thanos
Marvel Studios

Performance-capture characters in superhero movies are always a bit of a gamble: just look at how Justice League's Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds) turned out.

But thanks to jaw-droppingly expressive visual effects and a fantastically imposing performance from Josh Brolin, Thanos lives up to the hype while cementing himself as the MCU's greatest antagonist to date.

Despite his fundamentally ridiculous appearance, Infinity War refuses to make the Mad Titan a cartoonish destroyer of worlds, instead establishing a clear motive and, through Brolin's unexpectedly heartfelt performance, at least making his actions understandable.

This isn't a performance that'll move the awards needle at all - given both the superhero and performance-capture biases working against it - but Brolin nevertheless gave fans an end-boss that sits proudly alongside Heath Ledger's Joker as the very best that the genre has ever seen.

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Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.