©Marvel Studios 2018
Avengers: Infinity War is the culmination of 10 years of work. Since the original Iron Man, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has introduced us to dozens of characters, each with their own rich backstory. Infinity War takes all of those characters and focuses them on one central threat; Thanos. We first got a glimpse of Thanos six years ago in the original Avengers, and from that moment, we knew he was a villain to be reckoned with. This review will contain no story spoilers, so if things seem a bit vague, that’s on purpose. With that said, let’s see if a decade of movies pays off as much as we hoped it would.
Infinity War wastes no time, immediately starting with a bang. From the moment we are introduced to Thanos (Josh Brolin), it’s clear he’s unlike any other Marvel villain we’ve seen before. He leaves absolute destruction in his wake, and his unfeeling and violent nature make him a wildcard. Any time Thanos is on screen, there’s palpable tension. Generally speaking, Thanos adds considerable weight to any stakes, making Infinity War one of the most unpredictable Marvel stories put to film.
The villainous Thanos is balanced by a staggering number of characters, many pursuing different objectives throughout the film. When characters are separated into groups, the composition is usually unique; resulting in fresh character interaction. Many of these characters have yet to meet on screen, so seeing some of them mingle for the first time is a highlight. Nearly every Marvel property is represented, and despite the vast existing roster, Infinity War adds a few new characters in as well. The pure number of characters is both a good and a bad thing, but the crossover element is one of the film’s biggest strengths. It’s hard to pinpoint any singular standout performance, as every single cast member does an exceptional job.
Although the subject matter and tone of Infinity War is decidedly dark, it manages to pull quite a few laughs along the way. Since the story jumps around from different locations and characters very quickly, the tonal shift can feel a bit disruptive at times. Some emotionally heavy scenes are surrounded by lighter, more humorous ones. With so much going on at once, I found it hard to reflect on certain aspects of the story as they happened. As an audience member, you’re often afforded very little time to catch your breath. This doesn’t keep scenes from reaching their full potential, but it does occasionally spoil the aftertaste. However, the truly momentous and important scenes hit incredibly hard.
This also is true for the action, which is wonderfully done. Although directors Anthony and Joe Russo have often utilized “shaky cam” in their previous Marvel movies (Civil War and Winter Soldier), the camera seems more stable this time around. Some fights can still be a bit hard to follow, but the set-piece moments are crystal clear. Like most action movies, the biggest and best fights are reserved for the final act. The large-scale battles are impressive to watch, and I was entertained by some of the more inventive aspects of the fight choreography. Much like Civil War‘s climactic battle, Infinity War likes to show characters using their powers in tandem, often to great success. Every action scene feels purposeful, and the explosions and excitement rarely linger to fill screen time.
Unfortunately, Infinity War is not without its flaws. The first half of the movie feels exceptionally disjointed, as the story attempts to introduce and bring every character into the story. Despite the solid opening, the movie takes its sweet time getting into a comfortable flow. With several groups of characters pursuing completely different things, Infinity War can often feel like multiple movies cut into one. There’s still a cohesive throughline, but it occasionally gets lost in the rapid change of pace. This issue is alleviated by the final act, in which the branching paths converge nicely. That being said, the road there felt longer than it actually was, and I could feel my concentration wavering. It’s not exactly a poor editing job, but an abundance of content slammed into a nearly 3-hour film that can at times feel longer. Additionally, some characters feel a bit off. When you go and see a Guardians of the Galaxy movie, it carries a certain tone. The same thing goes for a film like Black Panther or Thor: Ragnorak. Uniting all these characters under one umbrella sacrifices a bit of personality from every character. This is something I expected though, as it would be unfair of me to expect the Russo brothers to balance that amount of nuance with such a large character roster.
Overall, the quality of Avengers: Infinity War will vary from person to person. Your enjoyment will ultimately rely on your bond with certain characters, your expectations for the story, and the ability to track multiple story threads at once. Infinity War is certainly overwhelming in more ways than one, and I’m sure some of the story decisions will be divisive among fans. If anything, Avengers: Infinity War gives us an unpredictable story that completely alters the Marvel Cinematic Universe going forward. Going into most Marvel movies, I usually have a reasonable expectation of what I’m going to see. This film laughed at my expectations and wholly surprised me. Walking out of the theater, I found myself engaging in lively conversations, mostly focused on the future of the MCU. Considering we’ve been seeing Marvel movies for the past 10 years, you’d think that Infinity War would provide some decent closure. While it does give us some, we are now left with more questions than answers. Honestly, those questions have me more excited for upcoming Marvel movies than I have been in a while.
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Movie Rating: 4 stars.
Movie Rating Guide
1 Star = Unwatchable
2 Stars = Cannot Recommend
3 Stars = Great for the Fans
4 Stars = A Solid Movie
5 Stars = Must Own (DVD/Stream Download)
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