Avengers: Infinity War – A Near-Perfect Superhero Flick (Early Guest Review)

Finally what I consider the most anticipated film of the year. It isn’t like it’s 10 years in the making and the culmination of 18 previous movies coming together in part one of a climactic conclusion to a ground-breaking franchise model. Definitely not a big deal. This is a big film, obviously, so this review will be spoiler-free.

Synopsis: As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality. Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment , the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain. (Marvel Studios)

Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr and Josh Brolin

Writers: Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely

Directors: Anthony Russo and Joe Russo

Rating: PG (Canada)/PG-13 (United States)

Running Time: 149mins

Trailer:

For showtimes and more, check out Avengers: Infinity War on movietimes.com.

Take note Warner Bros., Paramount and any other production company who dares take a stab at the machine known as cinematic universes as Marvel and Disney have finally shown the last piece to their franchise blueprint and by god they have done it. While some franchises try to cut corners and rush their world-building, looking at you DCEU and Dark Universe, Marvel has carefully constructed theirs by adding characters at organic times to build to the biggest blockbuster film ever created.

Originally, there was some cause for concern. The film was planned as part one of a two-part finale to the Avengers saga, but during production that idea was scraped. On top of that, the cast includes nearly 70 speaking roles and the run time is just shy of the two and a half hour mark. It looked like Infinity War was going to be a jumbled mess of characters thrown together appearing in almost cameos to show every recognizable face from the universe as they pit them against their biggest foe yet. This is definitely not the case.

The story follows The Avengers as they face off against the powerful Thanos who is bent on bringing order to the universe by retrieving the six Infinity Stones that represent the various aspects of the cosmos: Space, Mind, Reality, Power, Soul and Time. Up until this point, the locations of five of these stones are known thanks to the extensive cinematic universe that Marvel has created. The previous films developed these characters and their relationships to help set the stakes for Infinity War putting the focus of this film less on heavy exposition and showing what’s at risk and more on allowing Thanos to make a lasting impact on every character we have grown to love over the past decade.

This allows the film to become somewhat of a heist movie as Thanos travels from place to place retrieving each Infinity Stone, bringing himself one step closer to his ultimate goal and that’s where this film could lose some people. As an Avengers story, it feels like it is missing something and seems like it should be part one of a two-part finale. However, that’s because the protagonist of this film isn’t any of the Avengers, although many of them have terrific arcs, but Thanos himself. Infinity War is told from the perspective of Thanos, a character whose reputation has been building since it was revealed that it was him who sent Loki to attack New York in Avengers (2012). When looking at this story through the perspective of Thanos it is easier to understand his character and his motivations throughout the entire cinematic universe. Kudos to Josh Brolin on creating a menacing and yet flawed villain making him by far the best villain in the MCU.

What was surprising was the story’s ability to blend the tones of various characters and their respective franchises without seeming forced. The lighthearted and humor-filled atmosphere of Guardians of the Galaxy, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Thor: Ragnarok was not lost when paired with the seriousness of Captain America and Age of Ultron. If anything it felt most comparable to Black Panther in tone with a good blend of action, humor and deep themes. While it looked like this film may be overstuffed, it becomes clear how all of these characters are able to fit into one film without feeling like they are neglected. Each of these characters have their own issues with Thanos which makes their mix and match team ups believable and easier to organically fit into the film. In turn, the story ends up being filled with themes of morality, ethics and sacrifice stuffed with phenomenal action sequences, tons of humor and jaw-dropping twists accented by its recognizable goosebump inducing score. Without giving anything away, there is one post-credit scene and this is one of, if not the best, Marvel film to date as it takes the Marvel Cinematic Universe as we knew it and changes it forever.

Overall, Avengers: Infinity War is a superhero film unlike any other filled with action and emotional moments from start to finish. While it may feel like part one of a story from the heroes’ perspective, the film focuses on its true protagonist, the villain, and delivers a satisfying and unpredictable story that works so well thanks to the decade-long exploration of this universe. This film had action, heart, humor, thought-provoking debates and pulse-pounding stakes all wrapped into one like never before seen in an MCU film.

Score: 9.5/10

Here’s our video review:

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Dylan Phillips