Review: Avengers: Infinity War
- Tom
- May 2, 2018
- 5 min read
Ten years, 18 movies and over 20 heroes in the making, "Avengers: Infinity War ," is an epic, action-packed and unexpectedly emotional superhero adventure that changes everything we've come to know about the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Wow. Just Wow. You can't imagine how hard it is to put into words the sheer awesomeness that this movie is. There has been a lot of buzz and expectations about this movie ever since it was announced way back after "Age of Ultron." All of my expectations and reservations were completely blown out of the water. I'm actually glad I went to see this movie by myself because I was utterly speechless walking out of the theater when it was all over.
Picking up immediately after "Thor: Ragnarok" (roughly two years after "Captain America: Civil War") "Infinity War" finds our beloved Marvel heroes (all of them) in a race against time to stop the mad titan Thanos from obtaining all six of the all-powerful infinity stones in order to save the universe from a catastrophe of cataclysmic proportions.
We've sure come a long way from 2008's "Iron Man" haven't we? One could argue that all three phases of the MCU have been building up to this single film that showcases the best Marvel has to offer. "Infinity War" masterfully showcases it's dizzying lineup of diverse heroes while delivering a dark, emotionally-absorbing story with lasting stakes. I really have to applaud the writers for crafting such a great story that, despite the 149 minute run-time, never gets boring or feels too long. They've also manged to combine the varying tones of each of the different Marvel movies (i.e. the snarky fun of "Guardians of the Galaxy /Spider-man" and the grounded realness of "Captain America/Black Panther" etc.) without any noticeable hiccups. Praise be to the Russo brothers for directing this blockbuster with the same skills that made "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" my favorite MCU film.
One of my favorite things about this movie was that while it does indeed include more than 20 heroes/villains from all over the Marvel universe, it never once feels bloated or like they were focusing too much on a single character. All the major players got their time to shine and everyone's favorite hero gets a moment in the spotlight. The film does jump around between multiple locations but in an appropriate way that serves to help the plot flow better. My other favorite thing about this film was just how deliciously dark it was. With this movie, Marvel seemed to finally have the guts it didn't have back in "Avengers: Age of Ultron." What I mean is that "Ultron" attempted to showcase a darker story but didn't really deliver on any lasting stakes or emotional fallout (sorry Quicksilver but your death didn't affect me all that much). "Infinity War" delivers on both of those things and it's all thanks to Thanos.
Without spoiling anything, one could say that this is Thanos' movie. While this isn't the first time we're introduced to the mad titan, this film gives him the backstory and character development that so many villains have been lacking in the MCU. As I explained in my review for "Black Panther, " Marvel's biggest problem was not any shortage of dynamic and colorful heroes, but it's lack of truly compelling bad guys. The best villains are somewhat empathetic and throughout "Infinity War" audiences learn all about Thanos and completely understand why he's doing what he's doing. While logical, his ultimate goal is at the same time unspeakably horrifying which makes for a great moral debate for audiences to chew on. He never once comes off as "generic evil guy" doing "generic evil things" and I'm so so grateful for that.
Now don't worry, it's not all doom and gloom. While the film is more on the dark side in tone and story, we have to remember that this is a Marvel movie. You simply can't bring characters like Tony Stark, Peter Quill, Thor, Peter Parker and Drax together and not have any laughs. There is definitely plenty of Marvel's trademark gags and quips included throughout the movie but it always feels natural (like Iron Man trying to explain how they're helping a wizard fight aliens) and never once took away from the darker story being told - which was my biggest problem with "Ultron."
Visually, the movie is stunning. I mentioned above that the movie does jump around from place to place but each location has it's own distinct look and feel so you actually believe actions are taking place across the universe and back. Locations such as Thanos' home-world look just as impressive as the Wakandan jungle. Another high-point of the film is the masterfully choreographed and edge of your seat exciting battle scenes. Whether our heroes are fighting Thanos, his generals, or his army of disposable demogorgan-like aliens, every fight scene is thrilling, suspenseful and simply fun to watch. I actually can't wait to go see this movie again if only to watch one scene in particular.
As far as the cast goes, not one actor comes across like they are phoning it in. A big relief considering how many of these movies some of them have done in the past 10 years. There's also some pretty amazing stand-out moments delivered by certain cast members that - not gonna lie - made me tear up at least twice. I do have to re-emphasize though that Josh Brolin's Thanos is really the stand-out player in this movie. I can't say more without spoiling anything, but this amazing ensemble cast delivers some powerful stuff in this movie so better grab some extra napkins at the concessions stand just in case.
I really don't have anything negative to say except that there were at least two points in the film where I felt that what happened was pretty predictable. Though looking back, the completely unexpected and truly shocking ending absolutely makes up for it. There's also a new side character introduced that I felt we didn't really need to spend too much time with, and a distinct lack of a certain hero, but all in all, it's a minor complaint.
This is also a movie I believe needs to be seen more than once. Don't get me wrong, the first time is tons of fun and an emotional roller coaster, but I feel the second time you can just sit back and enjoy the amazing story unfolding before your eyes. Like I said above, I was totally speechless after seeing it the first time - just blown away by the massive blockbuster I just watched. So I'm definitely looking forward to seeing it again to catch anything I missed and simply enjoy the ride. One could also argue that this movie is just a tiny bit unfinished. I won't give anything away, but I'm super happy with the bold, gutsy decisions the filmmakers made in this film. It makes me so excited for the future of the MCU, even though I have absolutely no idea where it's headed next.
FINAL THOUGHTS: "Avengers: Infinity War" is a heart-pounding, emotionally absorbing and refreshingly dark blockbuster of epic promotions that is sure to entertain as audiences watch their favorite heroes come together to do battle against Thanos for the fate of the universe.
OVERALL GRADE: A
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