Avengers: Infinity War

Uh...I...it...uh...hmmmmm. Maybe I'll be able to overcome my distress by reminiscing. Ten years ago when I saw "Iron Man", I was thinking that its legacy would similar to the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man franchise. I was also focused on the upcoming films like "The Dark Knight" and "WALL-E". Now, I can't believe how much we have seen and experienced after nineteen films that all take place in the same "universe" as "Iron Man". Looking back to 2008, I knew I had just seen something very entertaining from the newly created Marvel Studios but all I could foresee was traditional sequels. I don't think very many people then envisioned a film franchise where the installments feature various different heroes that would then appear together in crossover movies. The massive success of the first crossover movie, "The Avengers", proved that the Marvel Cinematic Universe would continue. It also led to other studios attempting to invent their own shared universes. The MCU however has continued to dominate, even spilling over into television. This success caused Marvel to think big about what to do with a new villain that was briefly seen during the end credits of "The Avengers". Instead of rushing ahead with Thanos as the next foe for the superhero team, the filmmakers took the time to properly set up a massive crossover film that makes the first Avenger film look like a cakewalk. I also believe that Marvel didn't waste that six years time period after Thanos' first appearance by working solely on "Avengers: Infinity War". They expanded the universe with twelve more films and introduced more superheroes via those movies. All of these intervening movies were successful in their own right and set up "Infinity War" quite well. I still thing the Russo brothers best work is "Captain America: Civil War" but this sequel was a well-earned second place. "Infinity War" was heavy on the drama but that is on purpose. The movie still contains some great laughs and maybe over time, this imbalance between drama and comedy will not matter so much. Considering how many characters are in this show, the balancing act turned out pretty good. I will remain very vague in my analysis and many of my comments concerning "Infinity War" will be discussed in my review for "Endgame".

So much can be said about the MCU in relation to this new movie. Before a new Avengers film, Marvel always seems to release a great prelude. "Captain America: The First Avenger" and "Guardians of the Galaxy" both directly preceded Avengers films and the success of "Black Panther" likewise got us excited for "Infinity War". We have seen the character of Thanos in three MCU movies previous to "Infinity War" and he was mentioned in "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2". With the release of each film in Phases Two and Three in the MCU, our anticipation grew for the movie where Thanos would finally appear as the main villain and seek after each Infinity Stone. Thankfully, Marvel took this hype seriously and did not disappoint. Previous to "Infinity War", we have been introduced to five of the six Infinity Stones. There is the blue Space Stone in the Tesseract, the red Reality Stone in the form of the Aether, the purple Power Stone on Xandar, the yellow Mind Stone in the forehead of Vision and the green Time Stone in Kamar-Taj. When I went to see both "Thor: Ragnarok" and "Black Panther", I was expecting to see the last stone introduced: the orange Soul Stone. When that didn't happen, its revelation in "Infinity War" was pretty much guaranteed. Like the whole film, the Soul Stone's arrival in the MCU was worth the wait. The keeper of the stone was a huge surprise by the way but it's too bad the original actor did not return. What's amazing about the MCU is that the solo films serve the overlying purpose of setting up for future crossovers. Normally, studio interference will result in a flop. Marvel Studios however creates a big picture that is large enough for each film to do their own thing but also serve the greater purpose. "Infinity War" and "Endgame" is the purpose that Marvel Studios has been working towards for a while as mentioned. I believe those at Marvel Studios have a great respect for the source material but have to reinvent some elements for a variety of reasons. The line "I am Iron Man" for example was an attempt to create originality from previous superhero films. Most of the other times the movies stray from the source material, it is because some elements from the comics wouldn't translate very well in the type of universe that has been established. The universe though evolves and grows with each new installment and that is healthy. Another great quality of the MCU (and this movie) is that foreshadowing happens subtly. The foreshadow may be more apparent to comic book fans but the movie-lover may not catch everything the first time. An access of obvious foreshadowing can ruin a movie and I know "Infinity War" did not have this problem due to how powerful the ending is. Speaking of the ending, I see it as additional proof that Marvel was not trying to make any political statement with "Black Panther". That film was just another show in a long list of shows that set up "Infinity War".

"Infinity War" itself is mostly an amazing experience. There isn't a perfect balance between drama and comedy but I believe that is because this is much like Part 1 of "The Deathly Hallows". You have to be thrown down in order to rise again. Also with this many heroes, you need two movies to tell a proper story. I always appreciate plotlines that are hard to predict. You think the protagonists can't win, then you start to have a strong hope but the carpet is pulled out from under your feet. This kind of emotional roller coaster happens multiple times in "Infinity War". With how many characters there are in this sequel, the Children of Thanos could have caused a lot of congestion. They had a purpose thankfully because after Gamora, Nebula, Loki and Ronan failed in their duties, Thanos needed new minions. It's true that Thanos is taking a more direct approach in tracking down every stone but if he did it completely solo, the story would be even longer. Considering just how many characters are in this show, the juggling act turned out pretty good. There are a lot of subplots but then subplots converge and we get something new to enjoy because of the heroes playing off of each other. And to think that previous to 2012, we were wondering if a crossover film was going to work. For years, I was happy that sequels within the MCU were not going for a darker approach that some sequels usually undertake. Some good examples include "Age of Ulton" and "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2". I believe this is the first time that the MCU went dark but there was still a noticeable sense of comedy. When I say that the MCU goes dark though, I don't mean in the literal sense but rather the level of drama is so much higher than ever before. I was expecting to see Xandar in this show because that is where one of the Infinity Stones ended up at the conclusion of "Guardians of the Galaxy". Because of how much had to be packed into one movie, I understand why Xandar was left out of "Infinity War" but Marvel Studios could have included it as the mid-credit scene in "Thor: Ragnarok". The actual mid-credit scene of "Ragnarok" in turn could have opened "Infinity War" quite nicely. I am partial to Spider-Man's usual attire and so I didn't know what to make of the Iron Spider suit first seen at the end of "Homecoming". The upgrade however is justified because of where Spider-Man spends most of "Infinity War". The audience was spellbound during the climax. All the knowledge of the upcoming Marvel movies already announced was completely forgotten in this moment. A large group in the bottom of the theater I was in couldn't help but scream multiple times and louder each time as the movie drew to a close. The whole ending is delivered so powerfully that you can't process any forthcoming resolution but that is the best way to end such a film as this. There are a few signs of hope such as the last thing Doctor Strange says in the movie. Another sign of hope is Bruce Banner mentioning that the Hulk likes to make an appearance at the last possible second. Then there is the last image of the end credit scene. Despite how emotionally heavy the film is, there were still some hilarious moments like Star-Lord's nickname for Thanos, Thor's "elective" and the sporting event Okoye had in mind when Wakanda was going to open up to the rest of the world.

It seems like all of the actors were kept in the dark to some extent. At first I couldn't tell if that was a marketing tactic or an honest attempt to keep the plot a secret but after seeing the movie, I genuinely feel it was the later. As a fun fact, Benedict Cumberbatch was unavailable for much of the filming and a stand-in was used until Cumberbatch was available for re-shoots. In May 2018, we get to see Josh Brolin play two Marvel baddies: Cable and Thanos. His motion-capture performance for "Infinity War" was pretty impressive. The actor they chose for Eitri was a nice touch and Stan lee's cameo is funny as usual. The brief appearances of some supporting characters from previous MCU films were appreciated. Anthony and Joe Russo have proven their worth after making the previous two Captain America films. Their style contrasts that of Joss Whedon, director of the first two Avenger films, but the MCU must strive for originality otherwise it will die. Writers Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely have been involved in the MCU since the first "Captain America" and the first movie I ever saw that they wrote was "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe". They also have written ever MCU film that the Russo brothers directed. I think they were a good choice to write this important film. Alan Silvestri is back as the musical composer and Jon Faverau & James Gunn are among those on the list of executive producers.

"Avengers: Infinity War" is the fourth most expensive movie in history (At top spot is "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" with "Age of Ultron" and "Endgame" at 2nd and 3rd place respectively). "Infinity War" is also the first Hollywood movie to be filmed completely with IMAX cameras and smashed quite a few records during its theatrical run. Unfortunalty, despite its success, current social trends are causing this movie to be overlooked and underrated. For example, "Infinity War" became the highest grossing film of 2018 but the press like to refer to the domestic numbers. The Academy nominated its special effects for an Oscar but "Black Panther" on the other hand earned a Best Picture nomination. For the record, I like both movies equally but "Infinity War" was a little better and I would have liked it to be nominated for Best Picture. I am grateful that Marvel Studios took the time to set up this massive crossover film and make the most of that time. "Infinity War" is a hard movie to watch but it was still funny and I am impressed how the studio pulled off a movie with this many major characters in it. I hope the movie gets even better upon multiple viewings and after the next Avenger film to be released in a year.

4 Stars out of 5