Avengers: Infinity War
Infinity War has been one of the most hyped films of the past decade, and I was no different. Ever since the after credits scene in The Incredible Hulk, Marvel had been taking its time to build into this movie. So yeah, I was excited.
I was relieved to see the Russo brothers helming this spectacle, because they are the minds behind two of my top three MCU films. However, I recognized this movies size and prestige was still new to them.
They did a remarkable job. With all the talk and publicity behind this war, the film delivers on everything it needs to. I was soooooo engaged from start to finish.
The biggest strength of the movie is Thanos. This is really his movie; the Avengers are just in it. He is by far one of the greatest villains in the MCU. I expected him to look cool and have great CGI, but I didn't expect him to be so fleshed out.
The movie doesn't force you to like Thanos, but it does make you understand him. As evil as his goal is, his reasoning makes sense and he has history that backs up his view. So it makes him a more complete character that steals every scene.
These action scenes are brilliant as well. The Children of Thanos make for menacing adversaries with distinct abilities, so each fight feels unique. And Thanos's fights are beautiful to watch on the big screen.
This cast is huge, so it is obvious that certain characters would get shoved to the background. And there are a few. But for the most part, this movie gives every hero a chance to shine, and I think it was pretty well balanced.
What the movie did different than most of the MCU is it established stakes. In smaller scale movies such as Ant-Man, there is no real threat of death for the heroes. You know they will make it out alive somehow. But with this film, I actually became nervous that my favorite heroes would get killed, because the entire movie had the guts to do so.
And without spoilers, I can say that this ending actually shocked me. I have theories of where they go from here, but I can not say for certain I have the answers.
As close to perfection as Infinity War is, there are nitpicks. I think in one particular scene, Thor is WAY stronger and more pain resistant than ever before, and it seems wildly unrealistic. Also, Vision is pretty much a liability the whole film, and if you rewatch Age of Ultron, you realize they made him much weaker for the sake of the story.
Other than these minor imbalances, the Russo brothers craft an epic blockbuster that will stand the test of time. I have seen it on three occasions now, and each time I find the same level of enjoyment. I can not wait for Avengers: Endgame.
Score: 98%