It has all come down to this. What began in 2008 with Iron Man has led us to this very moment. For ten years Marvel has redefined how to approach big budget comic book films and in 2012 they released their first superhero mash-up, The Avengers. In my Road To Infinity War review of that film, I suggested that when that film was first released it made it clear that anyone trying to compete with them, would have to raise the stakes. It was the perfect union of spectacle yet grounded filmmaking that wowed audiences and has continued to leave a lasting impact.
Marvel has continued to raise the bar since that film and they raised it even higher with the release of Black Panther back in February. That film became a hit of epic proportions and received critical and fan raves that lifted their brand to even greater heights. At this point, Marvel seems immune to superhero fatigue.
It’s amazing that just 11 weeks after the release of Black Panther, Marvel has shown its resonance once again with Avengers: Infinity War. If you were impressed by their first union in 2012, what is accomplished here is staggering. Not only do we have the core group at play here but we have characters crossing over from various solo films that have helped build the MCU over the last 10 years. I’ve seen some jokes on twitter saying this is “the most ambitious crossover event in history” and while that statement may have gotten around to get laughs, there is a lot of truth within the statement. We’ve seen many grand franchises over the years but this brand of universe building seems exceptionally unique to Marvel who have put their stamp on it and continue to be the best in the game at it. I’ve talked about Marvel’s confidence when reviewing the past MCU films and while this was likely a daunting task, the confidence at play during Avengers: Infinity War is what allows it to be one of the best films the MCU has served up to us to date.
Trying to sum up the plot of Infinity War seems futile at best. There is a lot going on and there are too many characters to summarize everything that transpires. Everyone is embroiled in their own little subplot but the overarching narrative thread is that uber-villain Thanos (Josh Brolin) is coming and, unless he is stopped, he will bring with him a universal apocalypse. His goal is to collect the six so-called “Infinity Stones.” Once he gets them, he will have the power of a god and no living entity will be able to thwart him. It’s up to the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and a variety of other non-affiliated MCU heroes to saddle up and engage Thanos and his minions before the Infinity Stones quest is completed. But Thanos is as complete and unstoppable a character as we’ve encountered, evolving from the shadowy puppet master lurking in the background to a destroyer of worlds.
With their last two releases (including this one) Marvel has fixed an issue that has been its one Achilles heel in a few of their films: they have given us compelling villains. Black Panther gave us Killmonger who wasn’t a villain simply bent on world domination. His motivations were deeper and much more personal. This made him a villain to not only be feared but understood.
Infinity War has accomplished a similar feat with Thanos who, while extremely powerful bent on his own brand of genocide, has legitimate motivations for his endeavors. He may be the destroyer of worlds but he has a higher calling and it transforms him into a tragic figure. There are consequences at stake for what Thanos is trying to accomplish but they don’t just extend to our heroes. The ripple effect also affects Thanos and that gives him nuance that isn’t always seen in villains featured in big budget studio films. Josh Brolin, who is the king of the summer with the release of this film, Deadpool 2 & Sicario: Day of the Soldado, will be in our faces a bit for the next few weeks but this will likely go down as his best performance of the bunch. It’s a combination of impressive motion capture work and Brolin’s ability to transcend it through his delivery of dialogue and his overall presence. The fact that we see what Brolin is bringing through this larger than life character is a testament to his talent.
Much of the screen time is devoted to battles. Infinity War doesn’t waste a lot of time with exposition or character interaction, although there are a few nice moments, mostly early in the film. On our podcast one of the writers stated that he has seen some complaining about the “lack of character development” but his response to that was “what do you think the last 10 years was for?” We have learned to love and care about these characters over various films and that was where the character development took place. Infinity War drops you into the thick of the battle and doesn’t really let up but that’s to be expected. We have been building to this war and the fact that the focus is squarely on this cataclysmic event is necessary.
That isn’t to say that the signature Marvel banter is lacking amongst the characters. It’s still there but used when necessary and by the most necessary characters. Iron Man and Spider-Man exchange quips in the heat of battle and the same can be said about Thor, who gained a huge sense of humor thanks to the release of Thor Ragnarok. It’s fitting that a majority of the humor comes from the Guardians of the Galaxy because those films established the humor amongst their core group but even they have to get serious when the plot calls for it. Marvel has found a nice balance between levity and emotional resonance and it’s probably at its best here.
Infinity War delights in throwing surprises at viewers with frequent regularity. The movie is many things but predictable isn’t one of them. It goes dark early and often; at times, it almost feels like the MCU has borrowed from the mood of Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy (although it avoids the distressingly downbeat tone of Zack Snyder’s DCEU outings). The apocalyptic nature of the threat has a way of sobering up even the most sarcastic of superheroes and it definitely does here. The film is all about consequences and there are many at stake here. This is a spoiler free review but you get the sense that no one is safe here. Even if they’re played by a big name actor or you’re aware that future solo sequels are in the works, you feel like everyone is expendable and that comes from the approach by directing duo, of Joe and Anthony Russo. It’s easy to see why they were kept in the Marvel fold after Captain America: The Winter Soldier. These guys know what they’re doing and are more than capable of handling the scope of the film while creating quieter moments that are instantly memorable. Additional credit needs to go to screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely who not only create a solid script here but also respect the past films by ensuring that all the characters have the voice we have grown accustomed to. When you’re with the Guardians, you can feel the James Gunn influence and when you’re in Wakanda, Ryan Coogler’s signature is all over that as well. Apparently, the past directors and writers of the films leading up to this one were consulted at great length when creating this screenplay and it most definitely shows.
The volume of characters guarantees that not one person eats up all the screen time. If you’re a big Tony Stark fan, know that Robert Downey Jr. clocks in more minutes than most of the actors but the film is aware that this isn’t just his movie and he doesn’t overpower it, despite his infectious screen presence. Thanos appears more than any of the heroes and in some ways, this is his movie. In order to make things manageable, the characters are broken into groups. Iron Man, Spider-Man (Tom Holland), and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) hang out and trade quips while providing me with my personal favorite union of the heroes. All of the pairings have their moments but Holland continues to shine as Spider-Man while Cumberbatch steps up his game significantly by making Doctor Strange resonate even more here than his own solo film. The Guardians – Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket Racoon (Bradley Cooper), Brooding Teen Groot (Vin Diesel), and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) – are joined by Thor (Chris Hemsworth) when they find him floating around in space. No-Longer-Captain-America (Chris Evans) returns to the fray, bringing his ex-Avengers compatriots with him. Vision (Paul Bettany) and Scarlett Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) share a few tender moments before eventually winding up in Wakanda with Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman). Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) starts out the film with one group (the one he was with at the end of Thor: Ragnarok) before moving on to another then a third. All of the pairings seem well thought out, with all of them bringing out the best of their co-stars. Even though you might long for all of them to be in one place, you’re pleased with who they’re keeping company with.
It’s safe to say that Avengers: Infinity War lays down the gauntlet for superhero team-ups and gives the fans exactly what they have longed for. This is the third Avengers movie and the 19th entry into the ongoing series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and it shows that the long game is approaching its end. Avengers: Infinity War delivers what it promises. It’s overstuffed with familiar characters; moves with breakneck speed on an obstacle-filled track that careens between New York, space, Wakanda, and other locales; and ends with a shock to the system. The battles are more visceral and personal this time around and while there is a lot of exceptional CGI at work, the core of these battles are the emotions behind them. The film begins with a bang and ends on a solemn and incomplete note that will leave fans clamoring for the next installment. It’s a bold mood to wrap things up this way that is very reminiscent of The Empire Strikes Back. Everything isn’t wrapped up with a tiny bow by the end of the film and it’s very rare in this cinematic day and age for a studio film to go in this direction but Infinity War deserves credit for sticking to its artistic integrity. A year will seem like a long time to wait for the next Avengers movie to see whether the Russo Brothers craft a worthy conclusion to the story begun in Infinity War, but for at least in that year we can savor where this story has taken things.
