Avengers: Infinity War

The fact that I'm here, writing a review (SPOILER FREE!) about the uber-successful Marvel Cinematic Universe's 19th (NINETEEN!) film -- destined to be its most successful -- after 10 years of building and planning, is truly one of the most impressive, game changing cinematic achievements of all time. 

The forward planning that Kevin Feige and Co. have put into this whole Universe is bold, daring, exciting, and it's been a hell of a ride to get here. To say that they're in their stride would be an understatement with their most recent outing before this becoming one of the biggest movies of all time.

So it truly has all built to this, and Infinity War feels like it. Of course, much of this is from my own weight/investment that I've come to the theater with, but as the film started I realized that it felt like nothing I'd really ever experienced. I knew the characters. I knew the game. I knew the villain. I had my theories. Now after all these years, it was time to test them. It feels big. Corny as it may be to say, it feels bigger than a movie by this point. It's a true event; one where fans are claiming they're going to get some laughs and awesome action but really we're all deeply concerned with who we'll lose along the way. 

A few months ago, as I began to check in on reviews for The Last Jedi, I saw words like "mindblowing" being tossed out. Many claiming that it will go in a direction you don't see coming and leave you shocked. As much as I enjoyed that film, "shocked" or "mindblown" was not one of the adjectives I thought to use, outside of one scene. So as reviews for Infinity War poured in and used similar descriptions (I read far less this time in order to avoid spoilers) I smirked and thought, "Yeah, we'll see." I had my own hypothesis, ones which I was pretty confident in, of who'd bite the dust and how. 

By the time the credits rolled, none of that mattered. I was floored. I was shocked. I was devastated. I was curious. There's a separation of the film for me; one where it goes from being a great Marvel film and an ending that is one of the most ballsy, shocking, and outright dark we've ever seen in a film like this. It's going to make the wait for the next Avengers, due out in May 2019, very hard and truthfully it puts a tremendous amount of pressure on that film. The only thing I can think about is: 

Just how WILL they stick this landing?!?

Spider-man isn't in his neighborhood for this one...

Since this film was announced and you began to see how many heroes were involved, it was clear to me that the film would be bloated, overstuffed, and likely be needing to juggle several plot lines at the same time. Perhaps my acceptance of these shortcomings are why I barely give a damn about the effect they have on the movie and in fact, given all that's in Infinity War, what the Russo brothers were able to do from a pure-organization perspective is beyond impressive. By smartly grouping our heroes together most everyone gets some time to have a joke, kick ass, or have a poignant moment and the interactions between new groups is insanely entertaining to watch. What they achieved so well in Civil War in terms of balance is built upon here. 

Cue "On the Wings of an Angel"

Oh, and they have one other guy to balance: Thanos. All of Marvel's issues with villains in the past have seemingly led to an utterly fantastic and intimidating foe who's not only the hands-down best of the MCU (sorry Loki fans), but will likely be one of the more memorable villains of all time once it's all said and done. Hinged on a fantastic, shockingly heartfelt performance by Josh Brolin, Thanos is a "mad" titan who has surprisingly reasonable motives. I won't outright say I agree with him, but it's refreshing to see that he's not acting out of revenge or "just because" when he speaks of destroying half the universe. Whenever Thanos is on screen, the film is more than just routine Marvel. The jokes dial way down, almost to the point of non-existence, and we're left with this dread of wondering what will happen. Early on and throughout the film we see that Thanos is brutal and nothing will get in the way of his goal. We also see that he's insanely powerful. So how will The Avengers stop him?

The film starts to answer that very early and rarely lets up. It's near-breathless and doesn't leave much room for those who aren't invested in the MCU before. People may drop by who you've never seen and Infinity War doesn't have the time to explain. That's fine for most (like me), but others may just "have to deal" if they're not up to snuff on their Marvel knowledge. Unfortunately this affects Thanos' Children for everyone -- they're new baddies who aren't explained and, if we're being honest, greatly pale in comparison to Thanos himself. The film wisely knows this so they themselves are more used as plot devices for bringing groups together, but perhaps some backstory there could have been enlightening (maybe the next film).

Along the way we're treated to excellent Marvel fare. The jokes here are fantastic, with a particular interaction of male egos being nearly tear-inducing. The Guardians do get most of the laughs, but there's plenty to go around for the likes of Tony Stark, Peter Parker, and new-found funny guys Thor and Bruce Banner. Something that Thor Ragnarok struggled with was being so damn funny that it undercut the weight of the film. Infinity War balances this well by usually having the jokes come at times where the group isn't battling Thanos. Should they be making jokes with half the universe on the line? Probably not. Is the film all the better for these light-hearted moments? Absolutely. And, like I said, anytime Thanos is on screen, the jokes plummet and the film becomes heavy. We also get some fairly great action, which if you can sense my lukewarm assessment in there you'd be correct. The action certainly isn't as outright bad as some other superhero films or as un-inventive as Age of Ultron. But these are the Russos! They gave us The Winter Soldier and Civil War -- two tremendous action films! They still have that talent and "wow" factor at times in Infinity War, but there's a lot more big-scale battles without the small scale moments to impress. It's easy to say that I still enjoyed the hell out of the action we did get, but it's perhaps here that may be the only place where my expectations were let down.

Momma said knock you out! With a moon!

Infinity War was always going to hinge on how it ended though, similar to how this "2 part" finale will hinge on how things are wrapped up next May. Again, this is all spoiler free, but it's the ending of Infinity War that solidifies it in the history books. Without specific detail, it's easily one of the darkest endings I can remember and you'll be hard pressed to not feel something. It's an eerie sensation, and my theater was almost entirely quiet. My girlfriend, who enjoys these films but is not up to speed on some of the older entries, even felt impacted. I've heard some compare this film to The Empire Strikes Back, and there is some tone similarities there of knowing that the story isn't over, but damn I'm not sure where it can go now. As a Part I of this finale, I'd say this is perhaps the most complete Part I you could expect and while it does leave us on a cliffhanger, it's one that will be on your mind for a long time AND will be an absolute blast to theorize until May. I've already got several theories cooking that are exciting, but dark.

What happens next will shake your very core

I'd usually wrap up by saying "It's always incredible when a film this big..." but I'm continuously realizing now that there never has been a film this big. It's why I couldn't rip my eyes away from the screen last night. Avengers: Infinity War is the culmination of something we've never gotten before and as you're sitting in its "unknown", watching it unfold, it's both equally exciting and terrifying. It's a film where the gloves feel like they're off and that's not something we've gotten in a Marvel Universe that, while entertaining, has felt like the gloves are tied and strapped very securely on. Again, a lot of how well Infinity War is regarded in the future will be dependent on how things are totally wrapped up but even still (and at least for now) we were given one hell of a finale. 

CONS

• Has a lot to juggle and requires you to snap back and forth between groups on a dime
• Fun action, but probably the only element that underwhelmed me given the Russo's pedigree
• Children of Thanos aren't properly introduced and a bit underwhelming

PROS

• Thanos is likely to go down as an all-time great villain. His script and performance are superb and his motivations, power, intimidation, and brutality are things we haven't observed before in this MCU
• Our groups of heroes are outmatched, something we haven't truly seen in a while, but their personalities remain intact. The groupings of all 20+ of them are wisely chosen and allow most everyone enough screen time to make an impact
• Well-timed humor that continues to be one of Marvel's strengths. The various tests of male egos here is a delight
• Maybe at this point we take it for granted but the special effects work on this are redefining the bar. Truly incredible
• Poignant original music when/where it counts
• Balances a lot of plot and a lot of tasks well. It's not perfect here, but it's impressive given its unprecedented nature
• Some awesome, intense action throughout that continues to wisely recognize each character's powers/abilities and combine them
• Feels big, epic, and mysterious. Kudos to the marketing team for the way they kept this under wraps
• There's a certain weight present that's not in many films. It feels like a dangerous culmination and makes for a heavy viewing experience
• A brilliant, smack-you-right-between-the-eyes ending that will decimate some and leave others, like me, desperate for answers. It's 100% not something I saw coming
• Could a single film get bigger/more entertaining than this? 

Rath's Review Score | 9.5/10