REVIEW: Avengers: Infinity War
Well, we've finally come to the moment ten years in the making. Is it big? Is it fantastical? Those were going to be givens, so it doesn't matter. What does matter is the movie feels like a meaningful entry in the long run of MCU films. And it does well...partially. Fair warning, I am going to be discussing spoilers for which there are a lot.
I almost hesitate to describe the plot not because of any spoilers but because in the long run…there isn’t really one. The entire movie hinges on Thanos basically wanting to collect the Infinity Stones and all the heroes trying to stop him for two and a half hours. Plenty of things happen with that basic premise, but I wouldn’t try examining the story any deeper than that. This isn’t a Chris Nolan film nor do I think it has to be just to be fun or even good.
If there are any flaws in the movie, and there are, I think they ultimately stem from the fact that no matter how you dress it, this film is a Part 1. That means the movie is incomplete, some characters are shafted, and my word we will talk about that ending. In a way, it’s a terrible shortcoming of the movie that it will probably never get over, and some fans will likely not enjoy. And that is perfectly valid. However, I don’t see it as an unforgivable crime seeing as a massive universe like this deserves more than one movie to round up everything, and there’s still time to make sense of a lot of the developments.
Besides, where it stands now, there is a surprisingly large number of great character beats in this movie alone. Most of the characters who show up get a notable moment whether it’s Thor getting Stormbreaker, Tony almost dying, or just Bucky showing up with a new vibranium arm, we remember the characters who are there. It’s almost a miracle in itself to fit all these people in one movie and keep them in character and with style. They keep talking it up as a universal concept, and it does feel like one.
Then it goes without saying that the fight scenes and special effects are remarkable. We travel distant worlds and use superpowers and magic to take on our enemies. That requires a lot of things that aren’t really there. Still, it remains fairly consistent if not a little ridiculous when we approach color beams harming people. We have long since accepted some of the more ridiculous aspects of superheroes. If you aren’t on board by now, nothing in this movie was ever going to appeal to you.
I also want to give credit to the character of Thanos. While not quite the most memorable character with the role of antagonist, he blows pretty much every villain before him over the past five years out of the water (with possibly the exception of Killmonger). All the guy had to do was show up and feel threatening enough to take on all the heroes, and the dude delivers down to literally destroying half the universe. Giving him a backstory and a somewhat believable motivation is a bonus, but all that really matter was that he was worth the scale. By the end, I think he is.
So that’s when we come to the ending where Thanos ultimately succeeds and half our heroes are dead. It is without a doubt the most depressing ending out of any MCU, and I don’t blame anyone for ticking down the movie for that. It comes as an ironic twist since one of the more popular complaints against these movies are the cookie-cutter, manufactured style of the stories, and then we end with a gut punch. As I mentioned before, the Part 1 aspect of the story stops it from completely being a hopeless case, but the emotions are still there. The most we receive, however, is a sort of a mixed bag. It will probably change depending on who you ask.
The important thing is that the story is clearly not over, even if I can’t understand where it’s going. The callout to Captain Marvel in the post-credit scene is proof enough for that. In a weird way, I’m almost worried about that sequel since that risks throwing out all the consequences and threats of fighting against Thanos in the first place, making this movie nothing more than set-up. That wouldn’t be a surprise, but it also wouldn’t necessarily be a disappointment either.
Avengers: Infinity War isn’t a movie so much as it’s an event. It’s a series of things, some awesome and some less so, that culminate all the movie characters we have come to know over the past ten years. You can expect more than that, but to pretend it’s something other than that at its core is just setting yourself for disappointment. I’d suggest you don’t because you can walk out of a surprisingly impactful movie. Let’s just hope it stays that way.
