Avengers: Infinity War (2018 Film) Semi-Spoiler Review
"Avengers: Infinity War" stars virtually everybody in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. All of the Avengers show up, as do the Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, and Black Panther's crew. Anthony and Joe Russo, the directing duo behind "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and "Captain America: Civil War," return to direct this film.
Avoiding the Marketing
For those of you who don't know, I chose to avoid all trailers, TV spots, and overall marketing for "Avengers: Infinity War." It was difficult at times, but there were some easy parts like, for instance, avoiding it on social media. All I had to do was carefully browse through Instagram, Twitter, etc.The hardest part was going to see movies in the theater and avoiding it there. From "Star Wars: The Last Jedi" to "Ready Player One," I waited outside the auditorium to wait all the trailers out, thinking that they'd show the trailer for "Avengers: Infinity War." Sometimes I'd wait outside only to find out that they didn't show it. Other times, I thought that they wouldn't show it only for them to show it and then I'd run out covering my ears and avoiding the screen. Lucky for me, Marvel Studios emphasized the "ten-year anniversary" part of the film with its marketing. If they hadn't, I would've seen more than just the teaser poster for the film. Let me tell you, all the effort of avoiding the marketing was absolutely worth it.
Overall Thoughts
Because I avoided all the marketing for the film, the experience of seeing "Avengers: Infinity War" was something special. I laughed, gasped, and clapped more than I usually do in these films. I even caught some of the subtle technical flourishes the Russo's put into the lighting, camerawork, and editing, something that I took notice in their previous directing efforts and looked for in this film.
After watching "Avengers: Infinity War" for the first time, I felt like Marvel Studios had made a film with some of the same qualities as "Lord of the Rings." Whether it was the epic tone, the swelling and extravagant music, or just in length alone, I overwhelmingly received many feelings of that nature. Like "The Lord of the Rings," this film does feel its length. That's not necessarily a bad thing. Actually, it's a great thing. I'm glad that it didn't go by so quick. If it did, I would've been disappointed. The film took its time and I relished every moment of it. The way the locations are filmed here are of that nature: grand and beautiful. Every location is distinct and varied which automatically draws your attention to it.
The story is more simplistic and straightforward than previous MCU films and unlike some of the other films, there isn't much depth. Then again, does it really need to? Maybe that's a good thing. In fact, the Russo Brothers manage to do something different with their third MCU film. Where "The Winter Soldier" and "Civil War" were great character studies that also delivered excellent commentary on real world problems, "Infinity War" plays like an excellent comic book. There's not much depth or real world application this time and because of that, the burden of having to juggle the innumerable cast with a multi-layered story is lessened. It's simple, but for different reasons than you might think. The emotional connections you have with each of the characters are still there and so is the spectacle which has improved since the last time the Russo's directed one of these films. I don't think anyone will leave the theater dissatisfied, except for the ending.
While Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, believes that "Infinity War" and the soon-to-be-titled Avengers 4 are two different movies, the ending of this film gave me the impression that "Avengers: Infinity War" is very much a Part 1 film. The ending is unquestionably a cliffhanger and unlike the previous MCU films, the filmmakers don't create a stylish end credits to complete the film. Even the music that plays over the end credits screams that there's more to come to the overall story. Having already filmed Avengers 4, though some reshoots are scheduled, it feels like the Russo's shot one complete film and split it in half. Maybe that's not the case. Maybe Avengers 4 will feel like it is its own movie, but from where I stand, "Infinity War" feels like a Part 1 with a Part 2 coming in Avengers 4. Oh boy, time to talk about the characters. I'm going to switch up my formula. Instead of starting with the heroes, I'm starting with the villains.
While Kevin Feige, president of Marvel Studios, believes that "Infinity War" and the soon-to-be-titled Avengers 4 are two different movies, the ending of this film gave me the impression that "Avengers: Infinity War" is very much a Part 1 film. The ending is unquestionably a cliffhanger and unlike the previous MCU films, the filmmakers don't create a stylish end credits to complete the film. Even the music that plays over the end credits screams that there's more to come to the overall story. Having already filmed Avengers 4, though some reshoots are scheduled, it feels like the Russo's shot one complete film and split it in half. Maybe that's not the case. Maybe Avengers 4 will feel like it is its own movie, but from where I stand, "Infinity War" feels like a Part 1 with a Part 2 coming in Avengers 4. Oh boy, time to talk about the characters. I'm going to switch up my formula. Instead of starting with the heroes, I'm starting with the villains.
Thanos/The Black Order
As someone who loved a majority of the past villains in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I don't agree with the fact that Marvel has a "villain problem." In fact, when the Russo Brothers come to direct an entry, they usually make some of the best villains in the franchise, so I had high hopes for Thanos.
Despite that, I did feel that the attempts at establishing Thanos in the previous films were a bit half-baked. In the grand scheme of things, the attempts felt like the studio was saying, "Oh, and Thanos is coming." I wouldn't exactly fault them for not giving him more time in the previous films, but since he was billed as the puppet master of the entire universe, the character deserved better seeds sown for him.
Regardless of what the marketing told you, this is really Thanos's movie and the Russo Brothers dedicate a large amount of the runtime to establish his character and his reasons for destroying half the universe. He actually makes for a fascinating character. You expect that this character cares about nothing except completing his ultimate goal, but in actuality, you see that caring, fatherly figure that he tried to be for the children he "adopts." It's oddly heartwarming in a way.
However, like the thing Thanos is OCD about, that's perfectly balanced with a menacing and frightening side to the character. Kevin Feige was right. Thanos does show us why he's one of the best villains to come into the MCU. Josh Brolin was captivating as Thanos. His motion-capture performance along with excellent delivery makes the character as enthralling as possibly could. From cartoonish to life-like, the CGI has vastly improved from where we last saw the character. The effects done for the character are the icing on the cake. If the icing was bad, it would've spoiled the character as a whole. While not my favorite MCU, Thanos is definitely in my top three.
You might take Thanos for a hypocrite when he enlists his adoptive children to get some of the Infinity Stones for him, after he so clearly stated in the end credits scene of "Avengers: Age of Ultron," "I'll do it myself,"but that's not true at all. Since there are a lot of stones to find, the most efficient way to find them is to divide and conquer. Thus, while Thanos is busy locating one stone, he enlists his four "children," collectively called "The Black Order." Expectedly, they end up being cannon fodder, albeit very effective cannon fodder, for our heroes. Unlike Thanos, they have very little lines and personality. Although, I'd credit the four of them for taking after Thanos's frightening presence. They manage to get some things done and while they aren't memorable per se, The Black Order did make a good impression on the overall film.
Veteran Avengers
First off, it's too bad that Hawkeye never appeared in "Avengers: Infinity War." Looking at my handiwork, I would have liked him to have showed up to interact with old and new characters. Too bad he was busy playing tag.
Two years. That's how long I waited to see more Captain America. Since many MCU films have come out between "Captain America: Civil War" and "Avengers: Infinity War," the two-year wait was made even longer in my opinion. "Spider-Man: Homecoming" didn't really count for me as it didn't continue the point that we left him at in "Civil War." Waiting as long as I did, I was satisfied with how much Chris Evans was in the film. Some may think he's not in the film a lot, and while that might be true to some degree, that didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. Evans continues to show why he's perfect as the character and Steve's personality stayed the same and I mean that in the best way possible. His new look was fresh and his Wakandan shields might be just as good as his original shield. Their design was eye-catching because of how interesting they worked. While I was satisfied with how much he was in the film, I can't wait to see more of Chris Evans in the sequel.
Just when I thought that I might be getting tired of Robert Downey Jr.'s shtick that he does as Tony Stark/Iron Man, here comes "Avengers: Infinity War" and we see how incredible the actor is, even after doing this role for a decade. Though he wasn't bad at all in "Spider-Man: Homecoming," I was starting to think that the role of Tony Stark/Iron Man was becoming a role for Robert Downey Jr. to make a ton of money off of. That was not the case. The character remains as charismatic and as deep as he was in the original "Iron Man." Within the first few minutes of Downey's time in this film, the thought passed as quickly as it came. Throughout the film, the actor shares great banter with Chris Pratt's Peter Quill and Benedict Cumberbatch's Doctor Strange and also has some tear-jerking moments. After ten years and nine appearances, Downey's still got it ya'll. Downey's still got it.
Chris Hemsworth has one of the biggest parts in "Avengers: Infinity War" as Thor. As his first collaboration with the Russo Brothers, you hardly tell that this Thor, is different from the one you saw in "Thor: Ragnarok." I'll admit, Thor's not spouting laugh-out-loud joke after laugh-out-loud joke like in "Thor: Ragnarok," but when he does have jokes, they deliver big laughs. Hemsworth hits an all-time high as Thor. He's with Rocket and Groot for a majority of the film and gets along great with them. As an added bonus, we get to see Thor be the most powerful guy in the room. That is, until Thanos starts getting further onto the battlefield. After a rocky start, it seems Hemsworth has finally become as great as Chris Evans's Steve Rogers and Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark. Everything about the character is pretty much perfect now.
If it weren't for Wong, Scarlett Johansson and Mark Ruffalo, as Natasha Romanoff and Bruce Banner respectively, would have the least amount of focus in "Avengers: Infinity War." There's fun moments for the two characters, but they don't have a lot of action scenes which may be disappointing, especially since Bruce is the Hulk. The Russo's may have come up with a great way for why it works, but I was a bit let down on how little the Hulk was in it. Still, the route the film went with Bruce gave way for great jokes and put a huge feather in Thanos's cap. Hulk partakes in the very first fight of the film and that's the only time you see him. He's not in it as much as the trailers would lead you to believe which, by the way, is one of the reasons I avoided the marketing. Ruffalo may not be in top-form, but I was glad to see him playing a happier Bruce than in the two previous "Avengers" films. Natasha has very few lines and didn't bring a lot to the table action-wise, but Johansson brings a strangely enjoyable presence to the film every time she's in the frame. There a was a lot to desired from the two, though.
Chris Hemsworth has one of the biggest parts in "Avengers: Infinity War" as Thor. As his first collaboration with the Russo Brothers, you hardly tell that this Thor, is different from the one you saw in "Thor: Ragnarok." I'll admit, Thor's not spouting laugh-out-loud joke after laugh-out-loud joke like in "Thor: Ragnarok," but when he does have jokes, they deliver big laughs. Hemsworth hits an all-time high as Thor. He's with Rocket and Groot for a majority of the film and gets along great with them. As an added bonus, we get to see Thor be the most powerful guy in the room. That is, until Thanos starts getting further onto the battlefield. After a rocky start, it seems Hemsworth has finally become as great as Chris Evans's Steve Rogers and Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark. Everything about the character is pretty much perfect now.
If it weren't for Wong, Scarlett Johansson and Mark Ruffalo, as Natasha Romanoff and Bruce Banner respectively, would have the least amount of focus in "Avengers: Infinity War." There's fun moments for the two characters, but they don't have a lot of action scenes which may be disappointing, especially since Bruce is the Hulk. The Russo's may have come up with a great way for why it works, but I was a bit let down on how little the Hulk was in it. Still, the route the film went with Bruce gave way for great jokes and put a huge feather in Thanos's cap. Hulk partakes in the very first fight of the film and that's the only time you see him. He's not in it as much as the trailers would lead you to believe which, by the way, is one of the reasons I avoided the marketing. Ruffalo may not be in top-form, but I was glad to see him playing a happier Bruce than in the two previous "Avengers" films. Natasha has very few lines and didn't bring a lot to the table action-wise, but Johansson brings a strangely enjoyable presence to the film every time she's in the frame. There a was a lot to desired from the two, though.
New Avengers
As for the more recent additions to the Avengers lineup, half of them were utilized well and the other half simply showed up, kick butt, and maybe had ten lines of dialogue at most.
The three that followed the latter were Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson/Falcon, Don Cheadle's James Rhodes/War Machine, and Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier/White Wolf. My previous statement is how I would sum them up in a nutshell. They were effective fighters in the battle against Thanos and his army, but ultimately, they weren't given anything too noteworthy or important to do.
James has always been a secondary character in these films, so it wasn't surprising that he didn't have anything meaningful to do. I guess you can say the same thing about Sam, but to me, he felt better utilized in his previous appearances, compared to his role here in "Infinity War." Other than having a cool vibranium arm, Bucky was, like a few other heroes, a tad underutilized. With the large cast assembled, it made sense that he was shortchanged. All three of them were shortchanged one way or another, but I was happy with the characters they chose to highlight in their place. Now, onto the other three new additions to the Avengers that were utilized well.
Tom Holland continues to be a strong Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Though more well known actors were in this film, he was one of the best parts of the film. To me, Holland is able to blend being the quippy Spider-Man that's in the comic books with his ability to make powerful lines even more powerful through his delivery. Of course, I have to talk about his new suit. Even without watching the trailers, I knew that that would be what Peter would use since the film would be set in space for a majority of the film. This new suit is like a mix of the Iron Spider suit from the comics, and the suit Peter built when he formed Parker Industries. It's one of the best marriages for a superhero costume as the suit is a treat for the eyes as it was in the comics. Just watching Peter walk around in it was interesting. When the suit was in action, not only was it fun, but it made me wonder if the MCU will go in that direction for the character in future "Spider-Man" movies.
Paul Bettany may not be a big player in terms of action sequences, but what he lacks in shock in awe, he makes up for in powerful acting and enduring delivery. In fact, you can say the same thing about Elizabeth Olsen. Both of their characters indulge in some eye-catching action sequences, but where a majority of the screen time lies, it's left further establishing the romantic relationship between their two characters. It was hinted at in "Age of Ultron," further built on in "Civil War," and seemingly reaches a crisis in "Infinity War" where their relationship is threatened by Thanos. You know, because the Mind Stone is right in the middle of Vision's head. Previously, I found Vision and Wanda's connection sweet and somewhat sappy, but here, I found myself really caring if they made it through the conflict. Bettany and Olsen's performances elicit some tears and I can't wait to see what happens to their characters in the next film.
Coming off a phenomenal first film, (I mean did you see how much "Black Panther" made/is making?), I expected T'Challa to be one of the primary focuses of the film. This was one of the few times where the film let me down. The underutilization of other characters worked, but only because I thought that would enable more screen time for major characters like T'Challa/Black Panther. Granted, this was likely my fault.
"Black Panther" and "Avengers: Infinity War" were filmed and released really close together, and that may have hindered Chadwick Boseman's ability to play a significant part in both films, but this film features very little T'Challa for my taste.
Forget T'Challa, "Infinity War" has even less Okoye and Shuri in it. These were favorites of mine in the stand-alone film and I'm surprised the two were given character posters of their own because they were in it even less than T'Challa was. When you give someone a character poster, you tell the people that look at it that the character will have a large part to play in the film. That was not the case with Okoye and Shuri, especially Shuri whose poster looks like someone took a still of her in "Black Panther" and photoshopped it in front of the updated Avengers logo. She never dons that outfit in the film and maybe has five lines tops. M'Baku's in it more and he didn't get his own poster. Acknowledging that the schedule between "Black Panther" and "Avengers: Infinity War" was really close, I understand, and my disappoint is lessened knowing that. The three still have roles in the action and even have funny lines, but I would've liked more from them and more care from the marketing.
Considering that he holds one of the six Infinity Stones, of course Doctor Strange has a huge role in the film. As you'll see from my inevitable Marvel Cinematic Universe ranking, "Doctor Strange" was a fine entry in MCU. It did what it needed to do and not much else. Benedict Cumberbatch did well, but I was going to wait for another appearance from him in another MCU film. Since "Thor: Ragnarok" didn't give me much of a second opinion, I decided to wait until his role here to tell if he's improved. I think that he is way better in "Infinity War." In fact, Strange feels like a completely new character. He's all magic-oriented and leaves no sign of having had a life before that. It was a bit confusing, but then it led to great banter between him and Tony Stark which is a highlight of his role beyond the magic he conjures up. Cumberbatch does have his sentimental moments, but he didn't quite make me cry like some of the other heroes did. As for Wong, he has the least amount of time in the film. He's present for one action scene and then is absent for the remainder of the film, but he did make an impression with such short time. To sum, both men did great in the time that they had in this stuffed film.
The three that followed the latter were Anthony Mackie's Sam Wilson/Falcon, Don Cheadle's James Rhodes/War Machine, and Sebastian Stan's Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier/White Wolf. My previous statement is how I would sum them up in a nutshell. They were effective fighters in the battle against Thanos and his army, but ultimately, they weren't given anything too noteworthy or important to do.
James has always been a secondary character in these films, so it wasn't surprising that he didn't have anything meaningful to do. I guess you can say the same thing about Sam, but to me, he felt better utilized in his previous appearances, compared to his role here in "Infinity War." Other than having a cool vibranium arm, Bucky was, like a few other heroes, a tad underutilized. With the large cast assembled, it made sense that he was shortchanged. All three of them were shortchanged one way or another, but I was happy with the characters they chose to highlight in their place. Now, onto the other three new additions to the Avengers that were utilized well.
Tom Holland continues to be a strong Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Though more well known actors were in this film, he was one of the best parts of the film. To me, Holland is able to blend being the quippy Spider-Man that's in the comic books with his ability to make powerful lines even more powerful through his delivery. Of course, I have to talk about his new suit. Even without watching the trailers, I knew that that would be what Peter would use since the film would be set in space for a majority of the film. This new suit is like a mix of the Iron Spider suit from the comics, and the suit Peter built when he formed Parker Industries. It's one of the best marriages for a superhero costume as the suit is a treat for the eyes as it was in the comics. Just watching Peter walk around in it was interesting. When the suit was in action, not only was it fun, but it made me wonder if the MCU will go in that direction for the character in future "Spider-Man" movies.
Paul Bettany may not be a big player in terms of action sequences, but what he lacks in shock in awe, he makes up for in powerful acting and enduring delivery. In fact, you can say the same thing about Elizabeth Olsen. Both of their characters indulge in some eye-catching action sequences, but where a majority of the screen time lies, it's left further establishing the romantic relationship between their two characters. It was hinted at in "Age of Ultron," further built on in "Civil War," and seemingly reaches a crisis in "Infinity War" where their relationship is threatened by Thanos. You know, because the Mind Stone is right in the middle of Vision's head. Previously, I found Vision and Wanda's connection sweet and somewhat sappy, but here, I found myself really caring if they made it through the conflict. Bettany and Olsen's performances elicit some tears and I can't wait to see what happens to their characters in the next film.
Coming off a phenomenal first film, (I mean did you see how much "Black Panther" made/is making?), I expected T'Challa to be one of the primary focuses of the film. This was one of the few times where the film let me down. The underutilization of other characters worked, but only because I thought that would enable more screen time for major characters like T'Challa/Black Panther. Granted, this was likely my fault."Black Panther" and "Avengers: Infinity War" were filmed and released really close together, and that may have hindered Chadwick Boseman's ability to play a significant part in both films, but this film features very little T'Challa for my taste.
Forget T'Challa, "Infinity War" has even less Okoye and Shuri in it. These were favorites of mine in the stand-alone film and I'm surprised the two were given character posters of their own because they were in it even less than T'Challa was. When you give someone a character poster, you tell the people that look at it that the character will have a large part to play in the film. That was not the case with Okoye and Shuri, especially Shuri whose poster looks like someone took a still of her in "Black Panther" and photoshopped it in front of the updated Avengers logo. She never dons that outfit in the film and maybe has five lines tops. M'Baku's in it more and he didn't get his own poster. Acknowledging that the schedule between "Black Panther" and "Avengers: Infinity War" was really close, I understand, and my disappoint is lessened knowing that. The three still have roles in the action and even have funny lines, but I would've liked more from them and more care from the marketing.
Considering that he holds one of the six Infinity Stones, of course Doctor Strange has a huge role in the film. As you'll see from my inevitable Marvel Cinematic Universe ranking, "Doctor Strange" was a fine entry in MCU. It did what it needed to do and not much else. Benedict Cumberbatch did well, but I was going to wait for another appearance from him in another MCU film. Since "Thor: Ragnarok" didn't give me much of a second opinion, I decided to wait until his role here to tell if he's improved. I think that he is way better in "Infinity War." In fact, Strange feels like a completely new character. He's all magic-oriented and leaves no sign of having had a life before that. It was a bit confusing, but then it led to great banter between him and Tony Stark which is a highlight of his role beyond the magic he conjures up. Cumberbatch does have his sentimental moments, but he didn't quite make me cry like some of the other heroes did. As for Wong, he has the least amount of time in the film. He's present for one action scene and then is absent for the remainder of the film, but he did make an impression with such short time. To sum, both men did great in the time that they had in this stuffed film.
The Guardians of the Galaxy
After two impressive feature films, the Guardians of the Galaxy finally meet up with the Avengers in "Infinity War." It's probably the biggest selling point of this film, other than Thanos collecting all of the Infinity Stones. I believe that the Russo Brothers improved the characters that needed development and kept up the quality of the characters that didn't.
Chris Pratt pretty much had the two "Guardians" movies to develop his character. Here, he's less about character development, and more about getting the camaraderie between him and the other characters just right which he does quite successfully. His attempts at jokes sometimes fall flat, but they land for the most part. The banter was just right with his interactions with the Guardians and a division of the Avengers. Not my favorite character of the group, but he was engaging and poignant nonetheless.
Gamora, on the other hand, was one of my favorite characters in the film. To even say that about her is surprising to me. She hasn't had a lot of character set-up and development throughout the two previous "Guardians" films and when she did, it was done through murky exposition. In "Infinity War," the exposition is thrown away for a show, don't tell approach of her complex relationship with Thanos. Both Zoe Saldana and Josh Brolin, though one is brought to life via motion-capture, did a great job establishing the strenuous relationship between them. I was a bit sad that we didn't see more of Karen Gillan's Nebula, Gamora's sister. After a scene in "Guardians Vol. 2" that introduced the tragic relationship the sisters had as girls, I would've liked to have seen their relationship with Thanos play out in action. While it would've complicated the events of "Infinity War," I couldn't help but wonder if that will be explored in Avengers 4, or in a spin-off movie of its own.
As previously shared, Rocket and Groot are with Thor for a majority of this film. They hang around Thor more than they do things on their own. In particular, Groot, now a teenager, is left playing a video game and spewing out crude dialogue, I think. He doesn't get into action until the third act which is where he does a particularly interesting action that either will be one of the coolest things ever done in the MCU, or be a plothole left unexplained. Since the first "Guardians" film, Groot's voice is provided by Vin Diesel and that continues in "Avengers: Infinity War." Now, more than ever, I'm curious as to how Diesel does Groot's voice. Do they put a recording of his voice through a filter because Groot, in this movie, sounds nothing like Vin Diesel. I wonder if that'll be an extra when the movie comes out to all the home media platforms. Rocket continues to good at being funny, good at piloting a ship, and being the snappiest guy in the room. Bradley Cooper voices him fine and that's all there is to say about him.
When Mantis was introduced in "Guardians Vol. 2," I didn't understand how a naive pacifist such as herself, could have a purpose in a film where Thor, Iron Man, and Doctor Strange were bringing a lot of power to the fight against Thanos. In "Vol. 2," Pom Klementieff had both touching and humorous moments, but one of the thoughts that went through my head was, "Did she really have a purpose in the fight against Thanos?" Turns out, the empath had interesting ways to use her abilities, but mostly, she's there spouting humorous dialogue which I was more than fine with. Drax is the same Drax as seen in "Vol. 2." Though he was built up to be such a powerful character with a sorrowful past, it's now confirmed that Drax is now a walking joke. Not the best thing they could've done with Dave Bautista's background, but as long as he's still funny, I'm cool with it.
Chris Pratt pretty much had the two "Guardians" movies to develop his character. Here, he's less about character development, and more about getting the camaraderie between him and the other characters just right which he does quite successfully. His attempts at jokes sometimes fall flat, but they land for the most part. The banter was just right with his interactions with the Guardians and a division of the Avengers. Not my favorite character of the group, but he was engaging and poignant nonetheless.
Gamora, on the other hand, was one of my favorite characters in the film. To even say that about her is surprising to me. She hasn't had a lot of character set-up and development throughout the two previous "Guardians" films and when she did, it was done through murky exposition. In "Infinity War," the exposition is thrown away for a show, don't tell approach of her complex relationship with Thanos. Both Zoe Saldana and Josh Brolin, though one is brought to life via motion-capture, did a great job establishing the strenuous relationship between them. I was a bit sad that we didn't see more of Karen Gillan's Nebula, Gamora's sister. After a scene in "Guardians Vol. 2" that introduced the tragic relationship the sisters had as girls, I would've liked to have seen their relationship with Thanos play out in action. While it would've complicated the events of "Infinity War," I couldn't help but wonder if that will be explored in Avengers 4, or in a spin-off movie of its own.
As previously shared, Rocket and Groot are with Thor for a majority of this film. They hang around Thor more than they do things on their own. In particular, Groot, now a teenager, is left playing a video game and spewing out crude dialogue, I think. He doesn't get into action until the third act which is where he does a particularly interesting action that either will be one of the coolest things ever done in the MCU, or be a plothole left unexplained. Since the first "Guardians" film, Groot's voice is provided by Vin Diesel and that continues in "Avengers: Infinity War." Now, more than ever, I'm curious as to how Diesel does Groot's voice. Do they put a recording of his voice through a filter because Groot, in this movie, sounds nothing like Vin Diesel. I wonder if that'll be an extra when the movie comes out to all the home media platforms. Rocket continues to good at being funny, good at piloting a ship, and being the snappiest guy in the room. Bradley Cooper voices him fine and that's all there is to say about him.
When Mantis was introduced in "Guardians Vol. 2," I didn't understand how a naive pacifist such as herself, could have a purpose in a film where Thor, Iron Man, and Doctor Strange were bringing a lot of power to the fight against Thanos. In "Vol. 2," Pom Klementieff had both touching and humorous moments, but one of the thoughts that went through my head was, "Did she really have a purpose in the fight against Thanos?" Turns out, the empath had interesting ways to use her abilities, but mostly, she's there spouting humorous dialogue which I was more than fine with. Drax is the same Drax as seen in "Vol. 2." Though he was built up to be such a powerful character with a sorrowful past, it's now confirmed that Drax is now a walking joke. Not the best thing they could've done with Dave Bautista's background, but as long as he's still funny, I'm cool with it.
Action/CGI
With a budget between three and four hundred million dollars, I had high expectations for the action scenes and CGI in the film and both delivered in spades.
One thing that the Russo Brothers excel at when making their MCU installments, is their action sequences. In my opinion, the Airport Battle in "Captain America: Civil War" is the greatest action sequence in any superhero film ever made. With that in mind, I felt like "Avengers: Infinity War" would top "Civil War" with some jaw-dropping action set pieces. Was that true? Yes and no.
The action in this movie is fantastic and on that note, taps into more fantastical elements of the Marvel Universe. The Russo Brothers' previous entries in the MCU, "Civil War" and "The Winter Soldier" before it, felt more down-to-earth, gritty, and quite realistic with using as little CGI as possible. "Infinity War" is forced to scrap that feel as it has to bring to life things that couldn't be done without using a computer. It's a jarring transition, but the duo made it a smooth one. The feel of urgency and danger is still present in every punch thrown. In fact, it's even amplified because of what's going on in the story.
My only problem with the action is the way they are edited. The action sequences in the start of the film actually begin and end without any interruption. As the film progresses though, a lot more things are going on and the film edits between different points of view of the unfolding narrative. When the elevation of the tension reaches and all-time high and your excitement is immeasurable, it's interrupted by another thing that's going on at the same time. The action still works wonders, but that's why none of it tops the Airport Battle in "Civil War."
Once again, with a budget between three and four hundred million dollars, I expected one of, if not, the best CGI ever put to film. I was correct. Not only does it look flashy and cool, but the work presented in the film is downright impressive.
Once, CGI in films was a rarity. Now, it seems like we get a CGI-fueled film once every other week, so a film will really have to impress with its effects in order to be noteworthy. "Avengers: Infinity War" does this, and every single frame using CGI looks great. Some impress more than others, but the VFX team on this film should be awarded.
The action in this movie is fantastic and on that note, taps into more fantastical elements of the Marvel Universe. The Russo Brothers' previous entries in the MCU, "Civil War" and "The Winter Soldier" before it, felt more down-to-earth, gritty, and quite realistic with using as little CGI as possible. "Infinity War" is forced to scrap that feel as it has to bring to life things that couldn't be done without using a computer. It's a jarring transition, but the duo made it a smooth one. The feel of urgency and danger is still present in every punch thrown. In fact, it's even amplified because of what's going on in the story.
My only problem with the action is the way they are edited. The action sequences in the start of the film actually begin and end without any interruption. As the film progresses though, a lot more things are going on and the film edits between different points of view of the unfolding narrative. When the elevation of the tension reaches and all-time high and your excitement is immeasurable, it's interrupted by another thing that's going on at the same time. The action still works wonders, but that's why none of it tops the Airport Battle in "Civil War."
Once, CGI in films was a rarity. Now, it seems like we get a CGI-fueled film once every other week, so a film will really have to impress with its effects in order to be noteworthy. "Avengers: Infinity War" does this, and every single frame using CGI looks great. Some impress more than others, but the VFX team on this film should be awarded.
Score
My last review was for Steven Spielberg's latest film, "Ready Player One." Though I raved about everything single thing in that film, one of the highest esteems to which I held/hold that film to, is Alan Silvestri's score which could not have been better for that film. It seems I find myself writing about Silvestri's work once again as he returns to the MCU, composing the score for "Avengers: Infinity War."
One complaint that I've heard from a few people over the course of the MCU films, is that they seem to change the theme for each character entry after entry. Personally, I like this as it allows more composers to add their unique flavor to each new installment, keeping them fresh and unique. I do agree, however, that it hinders the viewer's ability to find a single theme to associate each and every Marvel hero with. Silvestri, as you can tell from his score, knew this and kept his original theme from the first "Avengers" film while updating it and adding new themes to the score.
Silvestri's music plays a huge part of how I viewed this film. I've seen the film twice now and both times, I got goosebumps from the sweeping music that Silvestri sprinkled throughout the film. There's a hint of nostalgia inside the old themes and the new themes are just as exciting and, dare I saw, a bit more emotional than that I anticipated. With Alan Silvestri's recent works, all that's gone through my head is how much more credit this man deserves for the impeccable work he puts into each score.
The visuals are dazzling, but likely not worthy of the added 3D expense. Instead, see it in good ol' IMAX. "Infinity War," and its sequel, have the honor of being the first films shot entirely with IMAX cameras. The second time I saw the film, it was in IMAX and it was absolutely worth the added admission price. There's a lot more characters to see and more locations to marvel at.
"Avengers: Infinity War" is a grand and epic film with great characters and an interesting narrative. Though it is a bit open-ended and overstuffed, the Russo Brothers continue to show why they are the best directors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I don't know if I'm ready for them to leave after Avengers 4.
One complaint that I've heard from a few people over the course of the MCU films, is that they seem to change the theme for each character entry after entry. Personally, I like this as it allows more composers to add their unique flavor to each new installment, keeping them fresh and unique. I do agree, however, that it hinders the viewer's ability to find a single theme to associate each and every Marvel hero with. Silvestri, as you can tell from his score, knew this and kept his original theme from the first "Avengers" film while updating it and adding new themes to the score.
Silvestri's music plays a huge part of how I viewed this film. I've seen the film twice now and both times, I got goosebumps from the sweeping music that Silvestri sprinkled throughout the film. There's a hint of nostalgia inside the old themes and the new themes are just as exciting and, dare I saw, a bit more emotional than that I anticipated. With Alan Silvestri's recent works, all that's gone through my head is how much more credit this man deserves for the impeccable work he puts into each score.
Grade: A-
There are problems that I have with this film which kept it from getting that plus part, but the experience of seeing this in theaters was something special because I avoided all the marketing. Granted, it's likely not the best MCU film, but it is one heck of an experience and I cannot believe that there's a year between me and the true conclusion to this story.The visuals are dazzling, but likely not worthy of the added 3D expense. Instead, see it in good ol' IMAX. "Infinity War," and its sequel, have the honor of being the first films shot entirely with IMAX cameras. The second time I saw the film, it was in IMAX and it was absolutely worth the added admission price. There's a lot more characters to see and more locations to marvel at.
"Avengers: Infinity War" is a grand and epic film with great characters and an interesting narrative. Though it is a bit open-ended and overstuffed, the Russo Brothers continue to show why they are the best directors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I don't know if I'm ready for them to leave after Avengers 4.
Conclusion
That concludes my lengthy, semi-spoiler review of "Avengers: Infinity War." Within a week, the film has amassed over eight hundred million worldwide, so I bet you have already seen the movie. If that's the case, do you concur with my assessment of the film? If you haven't seen the film yet, does this review encourage you to see the movie? Feel free to write your thoughts of both the film and my review in the comments below. Also, let me know a film that you would like me to review next. Share this review with your friends and/or family. Thanks for reading, I'm Dallin, the Film Fanatic, bye-bye.
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