Avengers: Infinity War - Review
Release date (US): April 27th, 2018
Directed By: Joe and Anthony Russo
Rating: PG-13
Directed By: Joe and Anthony Russo
Rating: PG-13
Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scalrett Johansson, Paul Bettany, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Benedict Wong, Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen, Chadwick Boseman, Danai Curira, Letitia Wright, Tom Hiddleston, Karen Gillan, Pom Klentieff, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Idris Elba, Don Cheadle
Expectations/Background: The biggest, most ambitious film in history, arguably, with the biggest A-list cast ever assembled (no pun intended) and expectations absolutely through the roof. No pressure.
But you know, for a film that had so much resting on its shoulders the directors, cast, and crew seemed to be taking it in stride. This was a huge event film for the MCU and Kevin Feige, and they weren't taking it lightly, but not too seriously either. Joe and Anthony Russo were doing their best to be coy with the marketing and the direction of the film, and as soon as the first trailer hit, I knew that this film would be good. There was worry that the film would feel overcrowded, but after watching the trailers, there seemed to be a perfect, delicate balance (as Thanos said) between the characters. By the time the movie came, my excitement levels were through the roof.
But you know, for a film that had so much resting on its shoulders the directors, cast, and crew seemed to be taking it in stride. This was a huge event film for the MCU and Kevin Feige, and they weren't taking it lightly, but not too seriously either. Joe and Anthony Russo were doing their best to be coy with the marketing and the direction of the film, and as soon as the first trailer hit, I knew that this film would be good. There was worry that the film would feel overcrowded, but after watching the trailers, there seemed to be a perfect, delicate balance (as Thanos said) between the characters. By the time the movie came, my excitement levels were through the roof.
The Movie: This movie is something else; there are a few things that I have to say about the movie, but what I will say off the top is that this film is truly an event film, and something that is just so enjoyable to take in for the first time.
Positives: Joe and Anthony Russo have a clear direction with all of their previous MCU films, and they didn't let up with this latest installment. Some of the previous MCU films lacked a sense of direction, a sense of continuity, perhaps focus. Infinity War knows where its going from the beginning and pushes through.
And for all the talk that this film was Thanos' movie, I didn't believe them, but after walking out of the theater, this IS Thanos' movie. From start to finish, you begin to peel back the layers of the "Mad Titan" and realize what his true motivations are, where his heart lies, and why he does the things that he does, which truly makes him such a beautifully rich and complex character.
Speaking of characters, this film is chalk-full of them. From "Team Iron Man" (or what's left), to Doctor Strange and company, to Team Cap, to the Guardians and Thor, this film is full of the characters and superheroes that we have come to know and love throughout the last 10 years. I will say that one aspect that this film takes full advantage of right away is familiarity; this film wastes no time in trying to get you invested in Gamora or Tony Stark because they know that you're already invested. This could be a detriment to those who have not been following the MCU thus far, but for those who have, this film hits the ground running.
On top of all of this, the action is superb. The action sequences don't quite top the ones from Civil War, but they are still such a joy to watch as the characters brawl. This film also has the same "problem" that Civil War did, where an action scene near the beginning/middle of the film overshadows the ending climax, although the ending climax is still magnificent.
And as per usual, the Russos definitely deliver on crowd-pleasing moments. There are plenty of gasp-inducing moments throughout the film, as well as two scene sin particular that lit up my face with a smile that refused to go away for a few minutes.
And did I mention the humor? This film has jokes, and nearly all of them land. Having seen this movie a second time, I can say that some of the humorous sequences don't hold up quite as well, but for the most part, the jokes do land.
And to wrap up the positives, the emotion and heart is felt throughout the entire film. This film has what I think films like Spider-Man: Homecoming lack, which is emotional depth. The lengths and the strides the Russos take to make you care for these characters and then wrench your heart as you watch these people that you've grown to love go through ordeals like never before is masterful. As much as the humor lands, the emotion packs a wallop.
Negatives: Having seen the film twice, I will say that I did not like the film as much as I did the first time I saw it. This is because of one major thing, and this is my one major complaint with this film, and that's pacing.
This could not possibly have been avoided and I believe the Russos did the best that they could given the sheer amount of heavy-lifting that they had to do. But nonetheless, especially the second time watching it, I found myself saying quite often, "Oh I forgot that these people were doing something else because I was so busy paying attention to these other people".
Another thing to point out is that, in keeping with tradition (and this was seen in the trailers), the final fight of the third Avengers film is a jumble of CGI. While it does better than Age of Ultron in that there are real stakes involved, at certain points there are times where you go, "This is a bunch of CGI mush fighting a bunch of stunt doubles."
A final note about the movie that I found a little off-putting was the CGI. Not to undercut it, for the most part, the CGI was mind=bogglingly good. There were times where I looked at Thanos (all CGI) and thought that he was a real, gigantic, purple behemoth. But, there are some scenes (one in particular) where you can really see the green screen, and those scenes became even more noticeable on second viewing.
Positives: Joe and Anthony Russo have a clear direction with all of their previous MCU films, and they didn't let up with this latest installment. Some of the previous MCU films lacked a sense of direction, a sense of continuity, perhaps focus. Infinity War knows where its going from the beginning and pushes through.
And for all the talk that this film was Thanos' movie, I didn't believe them, but after walking out of the theater, this IS Thanos' movie. From start to finish, you begin to peel back the layers of the "Mad Titan" and realize what his true motivations are, where his heart lies, and why he does the things that he does, which truly makes him such a beautifully rich and complex character.
Speaking of characters, this film is chalk-full of them. From "Team Iron Man" (or what's left), to Doctor Strange and company, to Team Cap, to the Guardians and Thor, this film is full of the characters and superheroes that we have come to know and love throughout the last 10 years. I will say that one aspect that this film takes full advantage of right away is familiarity; this film wastes no time in trying to get you invested in Gamora or Tony Stark because they know that you're already invested. This could be a detriment to those who have not been following the MCU thus far, but for those who have, this film hits the ground running.
On top of all of this, the action is superb. The action sequences don't quite top the ones from Civil War, but they are still such a joy to watch as the characters brawl. This film also has the same "problem" that Civil War did, where an action scene near the beginning/middle of the film overshadows the ending climax, although the ending climax is still magnificent.
And as per usual, the Russos definitely deliver on crowd-pleasing moments. There are plenty of gasp-inducing moments throughout the film, as well as two scene sin particular that lit up my face with a smile that refused to go away for a few minutes.
And did I mention the humor? This film has jokes, and nearly all of them land. Having seen this movie a second time, I can say that some of the humorous sequences don't hold up quite as well, but for the most part, the jokes do land.
And to wrap up the positives, the emotion and heart is felt throughout the entire film. This film has what I think films like Spider-Man: Homecoming lack, which is emotional depth. The lengths and the strides the Russos take to make you care for these characters and then wrench your heart as you watch these people that you've grown to love go through ordeals like never before is masterful. As much as the humor lands, the emotion packs a wallop.
Negatives: Having seen the film twice, I will say that I did not like the film as much as I did the first time I saw it. This is because of one major thing, and this is my one major complaint with this film, and that's pacing.
This could not possibly have been avoided and I believe the Russos did the best that they could given the sheer amount of heavy-lifting that they had to do. But nonetheless, especially the second time watching it, I found myself saying quite often, "Oh I forgot that these people were doing something else because I was so busy paying attention to these other people".
Another thing to point out is that, in keeping with tradition (and this was seen in the trailers), the final fight of the third Avengers film is a jumble of CGI. While it does better than Age of Ultron in that there are real stakes involved, at certain points there are times where you go, "This is a bunch of CGI mush fighting a bunch of stunt doubles."
A final note about the movie that I found a little off-putting was the CGI. Not to undercut it, for the most part, the CGI was mind=bogglingly good. There were times where I looked at Thanos (all CGI) and thought that he was a real, gigantic, purple behemoth. But, there are some scenes (one in particular) where you can really see the green screen, and those scenes became even more noticeable on second viewing.
The Villain(s): Thanos is out of this world. By FAR and away the best villain the MCU has ever had, and we have seen the rise of villains such as Vulture, Killmonger, and Loki. But Thanos takes the idea of a villain to a whole different plane. He takes this notion of a maniacal, destructive force, and flips it on its head, focusing more on the real depths and motivations a person goes through in order to achieve their goals. In the end, Thanos may not even be a villain; it may be very fair to call him the protagonist. That's how convincing of a performance Josh Brolin gave as well as the outstanding writing and direction of the Russos and McFeely and Markus.
Ranking: (bringing it back just for fun, because there are so many characters)
1. Thanos
2. Thor
3. Gamora
4. Tony Stark/Iron Man
5. Ebony Maw
6. Steve Rogers/Captain America
7. Peter Parker/Spider-Man
8. Vision
9. Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch
10. Loki
11. Rocket Raccoon
12. Teen Groot
13. Peter Quill/Star-Lord
14. Doctor Stephen Strange
15. T'Challa/Black Panther
16. Shuri
17. Mantis
18. Drax the Destroyer
19. James Rhodes/War Machine
20. Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
21. Nebula
22. Bucky Barnes/White Wolf
23. Proxima Midnight
24. Corvus Glaive
25. Sam Wilson/Falcon
26. Cull Obsidian
The Music/Score: I would say that Silvestri (returning form the first Avengers) did a fine job. There is one particular scene where the Avengers theme blares and that made me lose my mind, but other than that, there isn't much going on musically that stands out in particular.
Ranking: (bringing it back just for fun, because there are so many characters)
1. Thanos
2. Thor
3. Gamora
4. Tony Stark/Iron Man
5. Ebony Maw
6. Steve Rogers/Captain America
7. Peter Parker/Spider-Man
8. Vision
9. Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch
10. Loki
11. Rocket Raccoon
12. Teen Groot
13. Peter Quill/Star-Lord
14. Doctor Stephen Strange
15. T'Challa/Black Panther
16. Shuri
17. Mantis
18. Drax the Destroyer
19. James Rhodes/War Machine
20. Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
21. Nebula
22. Bucky Barnes/White Wolf
23. Proxima Midnight
24. Corvus Glaive
25. Sam Wilson/Falcon
26. Cull Obsidian
The Music/Score: I would say that Silvestri (returning form the first Avengers) did a fine job. There is one particular scene where the Avengers theme blares and that made me lose my mind, but other than that, there isn't much going on musically that stands out in particular.
The Verdict: I will say that this isn't the best MCU movie. I don't think it may even be in the top 5. Structurally, there are too many holes and pacing issues for it to be considered the best one. HOWEVER, I will definitively say that this is my FAVORITE MCU film to date. It has heart, humor, emotion, an outstanding villain, true stakes, and an ending that will leave you breathless. Letter Grade: A-. Number Score: 9.1/10
**IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER**: Letter grades and Number grades do not mean the same thing. Just because I give a film an A does not mean it gets a 9.5 or above. They do not line up like a traditional school grading system To see specifics, see below.
A- to A+: Amazing
B- to B+: Enjoyable, but Flawed
C- to C+: Redeemable in some cases, but heavily Flawed
D- to D+: Nothing but Flaws
F: A Failure of a Film
9-10: Nearly Perfect to Perfect
8-9: Very Good
7-8: Good
6-7: Okay
5-6: Average/Mediocre
4-5: Apparently Flawed
3-4: Heavily Flawed
2-3: A complete and utter mess
0-2: A Failure of a Film
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