(3.5 / 4)
After 10 years and nearly 20 films that have been building to this particular story, Avengers: Infinity War has finally arrived in theaters. With the built-up anticipation from the years of waiting as well as the film’s ambitions to interweave nearly every featured MCU protagonist while also introducing new locations and a new antagonist, there are colossal expectations attached to this film. Despite the Marvel series being no stranger to defying conventional wisdom regarding the number of characters that can successfully be included in a new story, I’d be lying if I didn’t admit I had doubts about whether directors Anthony and Joe Russo would be able live up to the insurmountable hype and pull off their most ambitious feat to date. I am elated to say that Infinity War not only met, but exceeded my expectations by producing an epic spectacle that manages to be one of the most thrilling and emotionally resonant chapters of the entire MCU series.
The film wastes no time, by picking up immediately after the events of Thor: Ragnarok in which we witness Thanos (Josh Brolin) continuing his quest to collect all six infinity stones in order to wipe out half of the population, and in his mind, bring balance to the universe through this genocide. In the aftermath of an attack on a ship containing Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and the remaining surviving Asgardians, Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) is transported to Earth where he rushes to warn several of the Avengers about Thanos’s plan. What follows is a frantic race to protect the infinity stones from Thanos as he continues his search across the galaxy to acquire each stone. There is obviously a lot more to the story, but one of the best aspects of the film is in being surprised by how certain characters meet and end up working together, so it’s best to go into the movie knowing as little as possible.
It is immediately obvious by the somber un-Marvel like opening fanfare and introductory scene that Infinity War is different in tone from its peers, opting for a sense of dread and futility rather than the exuberant optimism that has become the norm of this series. Despite myself being a huge fan of the MCU, I have taken note of how each film has been largely consequence free and there has been a reticence from the creators to confront some potentially darker themes as well. Past films such as Iron Man 3 and Avengers: Age of Ultron have been criticized by many fans due to the advertising campaigns alluding to the presence of this darker tone, when the actual final product was much more in line with Marvel’s signature feel-good tone. Infinity War’s bold choice to deliver on the dark and serious tone is one of the film’s greatest achievements and will definitely satisfy fans who have been clamoring for this shift for some time now.
This overarching sense of futility can largely be attributed to much of the film being focused on the new major antagonist, Thanos. Actor Josh Brolin skillfully portrays the genocidal madman as equal parts nuanced and pained as well as terrifyingly ruthless and unstoppable, as the story manages to find time in between his brutal acts of murder and torture to touch upon the rationale for his choices. It’s no secret that the villains portrayed in the MCU have largely been middling at best, and while the villains featured in the most recent additions to the series have been a considerable improvement, Thanos manages to top even Loki as the best villain of the series. There were times during the film in which just the sight of Thanos had my stomach in knots, which is a feat none of his MCU villain predecessors had ever come close to achieving. One scene in particular involving a creative setup with the Reality Stone’s abilities actually left me gasping long after it concluded.
It deserves mentioning that while Infinity War contains some of the most somber moments of the series, the film does feature many humorous moments as well. Although on paper this may give fans pause as this was a minor issue with other films like Thor: Ragnarok, in which the serious moments are somewhat tainted by them becoming the butt of a joke, this is not a problem for Infinity War. The film manages to carefully balance the humorous situations with the dark tone, which also make Infinity War one of the funniest films in the MCU portfolio. This brings me to what I believe is the biggest strength of not only this film, but what can be attributed to elevating the MCU to what it is today starting in 2012 with The Avengers.
It’s no secret that the MCU series has connected with audiences in a way no other series has, and I believe that Infinity War in particular helps to reveal why fans have flocked to watch these films. While definitely assets, it’s not just the top-notch effects, the well-known actors, or story material with a built-in fanbase that transformed the MCU into a cultural phenomenon. It is rather the authentic portrayals of human relationships between these god-like heroes and the anticipation of witnessing how these distinct characters we have come to know will react to one another. Whether it be Star Lord and Spider-Man discussing pop culture, Iron Man and Doctor Strange butting heads as two egotistical narcissists, or simply the sight of Thor working along with Rocket Racoon the series has never disappointed in these meetings being anything less than remarkably engaging. Infinity War continues this trend by beautifully meshing together each character’s disparate arc resulting in each interaction being unique and all the more rewarding when these heroes can put aside their personality differences and work together for the common good.
Although largely perfect, there are still a few minor criticisms for the film. While balanced extremely well considering the astronomical roster of characters, I did feel that some characters such as Captain America’s storyline of protecting Vision, were somewhat lacking in comparison to the other storylines. The fallout from Captain America: Civil War was brushed over for the most part, and it made that past movie feel somewhat as if its consequences didn’t matter other than briefly disrupting the team’s harmony.
At times, the concurrent events also are a bit out of sync, with key battle sequences being disrupted with seemingly less pressing matters. The most notable instance of this occurs with a lengthy sequence between Thor and a new character named Eitri played by Peter Dinklage that probably should have been trimmed down a bit in hindsight. One could also make a case that aspects of the concluding battle were lacking creativity as it was essentially another skirmish featuring the heroes fighting an army of disposable drones as a means of showing off each hero’s unique abilities that we’ve now seen in every Avengers movie to date. It could be argued though that there was sufficient deviation from this model by featuring several battles in which the group of heroes fought against Thanos, which was different than any battle previously depicted. Despite being a bit repetitive, the concluding battle between the opposing armies was a crowd pleasing delight that I enjoyed every second of.
Although bordering on being overly ambitious, Avengers: Infinity War manages to provide fans with an extraordinarily satisfying culmination of 10 years-worth of storytelling. As I mentioned earlier, perhaps the MCU’s long-running criticism for its reluctance to approach dark themes for past films is exactly why this film is so poignant in comparison with every film that has come before it. We as an audience have grown accustomed to seeing our heroes face minimal strife, so when they face brutal adversity this time around it is heart-wrenching to witness and ultimately rewarding for diehard fans. Much like the original Avengers film in 2012, Infinity War manages to once again defy seemingly impossible odds and ups the ante even further than in the past. The MCU’s patience and attention to detail has paid off as they have nearly perfectly executed their endgame narrative and have primed Infinity War: Part 2 to close off this chapter of the Marvel saga impeccably.
