Buckle up, buckaroos, because Avengers: Infinity War is one hell of an emotional roller coaster ride.
This has been a long time coming. Since Iron Man’s release in 2008, Marvel has simultaneously created new and spoiled old comic book fans with its nineteen super hero movies. Avengers: Infinity War is a culmination of a decade’s worth of planning and boy oh boy is it marvelous.
There is really nothing I can say about this movie except that it has everything: superheroes, magic, space and time travel, terrifying creatures, gods, badass Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse-type characters, a rabbit, Tyrion Lannister, some guy with a cool metal arm, people fighting over jewelry, and to top it all off, there’s love.
Yup, in this incredibly high-action and intense movie, nothing is more important than love. The characters’ love for one another, for their homes, their people, justice, duty, balance; all of it fuels the characters’ motivations. For at the center of all this fantasy, there are ordinary people dealing with extraordinary situations.
Those situations turn out to be the machinations of the elusive Thanos (Josh Brolin). The Titan has taunted audiences and characters from behind the scenes for years, his presence merely teased in the after-credit scenes of previous films. However, in the first few moments in this movie, he makes it abundantly clear that he very much intends to do everything himself. Despite his scarring appearance, eerily calm composure, absurd powers, and odd choice in accessories, Thanos is a strangely compelling character. His methods are unorthodox seeing as how most civilizations frown upon mass genocide, but his endgame is grimly justifiable. Further, his entire personality is unexpected. Compelling yet creepy, haunting yet haunted, sympathetic yet ruthless: all traits twisting in convoluted ways to create the ultimate villain.
Josh Brolin’s compelling performance as the bad guy is further enhanced by the combined magic of make-up and CGI masterminds. Thanos has had his skin change colors almost as many times as Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) has altered her hair, but the version Marvel has settled on gives the appearance of a very humane monster – one that has the ability to alter matter, time, and energy with the mere closing of his fist. However, it is the way that these abilities are put on display that is perhaps most impressive. Similar to the Kryptonians’ super speed and strength in DC’s Man of Steel, the differences in his prowess compared to our human heroes is blatantly obvious. All of those effects, fantastical as they are, flow with grounded aspects of the film. Balanced, as all things should be.
Let us talk about the cast for a second. If you have seen any of their interviews as of late, you will have indubitably noticed that the whole cast is one huge family. The casting department deserves special commendations for their spot-on choices. Although, perhaps what is even more interesting than their familial relationships off-screen is their dynamic on-screen when the characters finally collide with one another.
With personas larger than life and backstories of all sorts, there are inevitable misunderstandings between our adored heroes that somehow make the story all the more authentic. Relationships are formed, broken, tested, and encouraged, all while the fate of the universe falls into the hands of Earth’s mightiest heroes, a group of space mercenaries with a questionable moral compass, a hidden civilization, and two wizards. Totally authentic.
Obviously, this movie is the sequel of all sequels and there is a tremendous amount of story and people crammed into its two and a half hour length. Granted, the movie does feel much longer than it actually is. For the most part, the pacing is perfect and the plot fleshed out. Nevertheless, there are a few moments when you wish there could have been more time allowed for padding explanations justifying characters’ actions and thought processes.
All in all, if you’ve been an avid fan since Robert Downey Jr. made his acting come-back portraying Iron Man a decade ago, then by all means, go see this movie and take part in this cultural phenomenon. Just make sure you stick around until the end of the credits. The ending of this movie is a doozy but the credits scene effortlessly sets up the next wave of movies to join the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
This movie is infinitely better than what I expected and for that, I give it a 9/10.
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