Released: April 2018
Directors: Anthony and Joe Russo
Run Time: 150 Minutes
Rated PG-13
Distributor: Disney/Marvel Studios
Genre: Action/Adventure
Cast:
Robert Downey, Jr.: Tony Stark/Iron Man
Chris Hemsworth: Thor
Chris Evans: Steve Rogers/Captain America
Paul Bettany: Vision
Tom Holland: Peter Parker/Spider-Man
Chris Pratt: Peter Quill/Star-Lord
Josh Brolin: Thanos
Chadwick Boseman: T’Challa/Black Panther
Mark Ruffalo: Bruce Banner/The Hulk
Scarlett Johanssen: Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
Benedict Cumberbatch: Doctor Strange
Don Cheadle: James Rhodes/War Machine
Zoe Saldana: Gamorra
Karen Gillan: Nebula
Tom Hiddleston: Loki
Elizabeth Olsen: Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch
Anthony Mackie: Sam Wilson/Falcon
10 years. It’s been 10 years since Marvel kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe with Iron Man. For 10 years, we’ve been on a journey with some of the biggest superheroes in comic book history. Marvel had been on a role with movies for 18 films straight. While some of those films varied in terms of quality, people still went out to see these movies, because people wanted to see what was coming next and how each movie related to each other. After 18 movies, we come to what many consider to be the biggest movie in the MCU: Avengers: Infinity War. This film has been one of the most anticipated comic book films since 2012. Was it always the plan to finally do the Infinity War story-line? I honestly believe it was, but Marvel played it smartly and didn’t jump the gun too early. This was a film that was a decade in the making. Does it live up to the hype?
Normally, in this section I tend to describe the story in some fashion, but outside of Thanos finally making his move, I don’t feel comfortable talking about the story…at least, not yet. There’s a lot that’s going on in this film. To try and talk about a mere fraction of it would be detrimental to you, my readers. I want you guys to see this film first. I may do a follow-up to this review as far as the story goes in a future post because….holy shit. What I will say, is that if you felt that previous films in the MCU didn’t take enough risks with their characters and stories, Infinity War takes the biggest risks of any Marvel film I’ve seen in a decade. Ultimately, I think those risks really paid off in the long run. The story and film do run at a very brisk pace and there is plenty of humor to be found here. It’s never boring.
This movie is packed. This is the biggest cross-over comic book film ever made. Not only do you have The Avengers: Captain America, Iron Man, Black Widow, Thor, War Machine, and the Hulk, you also have new folks like Black Panther, Spider-Man, Falcon, Scarlet Witch, Vision, and Doctor Strange. The movie also throws in the folks from Guardians of the Galaxy: Star-Lord, Gamorra, Nebula, Drax, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot. The funny thing is, even with all these characters and story elements, the film never feels completely over-stuffed. Everything that you see on the screen is integral to the main story-line. Honestly, I would love to see what they cut out, because I can imagine there’s quite a bit of material that was left on the cutting room floor. While the film has a lot of visual spectacle, and I will get to that later on, the performances are what really drive the film here. There is not a weak link in the film. At all. Robert Downey, Jr., Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Evans and everyone else puts in 150 percent. While there is definitely plenty of humor in the film, there’s also drama and real character moments that bring the feels.
Speaking of performances, one of the best performances in the film is Josh Brolin as the film’s big bad, Thanos. Thanos is finally unleashed in the MCU and it is epic. Thing is, for a guy that’s willing to destroy half of the universe to maintain some kind of twisted “balance,” you find yourself not completely disagreeing with him. Yeah, he’s prepared to murder trillions of people, but this is a character that has thought things through and feels that there is no other way to preserve life in the universe, so he goes after the Infinity Stones. The way the character is written, combined Brolin’s performance, we have one of the best villains in the MCU. Often, the best villains believe that what they are doing is the right thing to do, but this is applied to Thanos on an intergalactic level. There are some really quiet moments with Thanos, in which we see a side of the character that we really don’t expect. Outside of Loki and Killmonger, Thanos is the best villain the MCU has to offer.
This wouldn’t be an Avengers film if it didn’t deliver on the action. Oh, Infinity War delivers and then some. When I said that Infinity War is the biggest film in the MCU right now, I wasn’t kidding. The action and the visual effects are several steps above amazing. This is easily the most epic comic-book film to date, and I still can’t believe they pulled it off. You’ve got some really solid hand-to-hand combat as well as some really huge battle sequences. The coolest part is that the film only slows down enough for us to have a brief moment to catch our breath and then it’s on to the next battle sequence. That is how it is throughout the entire film. When it comes to straight-up spectacle, I don’t think there’s a movie coming down the pipe this year that is going to match what Infinity War has just delivered. The bar has been raised.
Are there any negatives in this film? Honestly, I think it ended too soon. The Russo Brothers, who also directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Civil War, have delivered the biggest and most ambitious entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. As much as I like the DC movies like Justice League and Wonder Woman, Infinity War basically shut the door in DC’s face saying, “You had your shot, but you screwed up. We are here to stay.” Honestly, I can’t see DC and Warner Bros overcoming this any time soon.
The next Avengers film is slated for May of 2019, so we have about a year to really adjust and process what happened in Infinity War. I’m genuinely excited for the next movie. I have my theories about where Avengers 4 will go, but I’m going those theories to myself until more and more people have seen the film. I don’t want to give anything away. This has been one of the hardest reviews that I’ve ever written. There is so much to talk about, but I don’t want to say anything, and that limits the amount of information that I can provide about the film, aside from telling you to go see it. This is one of the best action films of the decade and easily one of the best films in the MCU. If you loved the previous films, this one is absolutely bonkers, but it also provides a great deal of depth to a lot of the characters, even the main villain. So…does the film live up to the hype? Hell yeah, it does. Go see it, it’s highly recommended.
My Final Recommendation: Spoiler-Free. 10/10