Avengers: Infinity War Review

No spoilers not already seen in the trailers

As the culmination of ten years and 18 films, Avengers: Infinity War lives up to the hype while also beautifully setting up the untitled Avengers 4 film next year. It manages to balance its massive roster and maintain emotional resonance, making it the best and most surprising aspect of the film.

Balance is the key to this film. With every hero in the MCU appearing in this film, give or take an Ant-Man, this equates to over 30 characters to juggle. The Russo Brothers manage to give every character a moment, while also focusing on the ones most important to the story. Additionally, Infinity War is without a doubt, the darkest Marvel film so far, but manages to counter this with its signature Marvel humor, which the studio has almost perfected by this point, even if the humor is there when it is not needed sometimes.

Although the film is titled Avengers: Infinity War, the focus of the film is undoubtedly on the villain, Thanos (Josh Brolin), who must be ranked among the best Marvel villains along with Killmonger. The Avengers are no doubt present, but Thanos is the most prominent character in Infinity War. From the amazing opening scene, its clear the stakes are high and Thanos is a villain to be taken seriously.

Thanos cements himself among the MCU’s best villains

The plot revolves around Thanos trying to collect the six infinity stones, which grant the user different powers. If all six stones are collected, it would allow him to accomplish his goal of wiping out half the universe. Although you’d be hard pressed to root for Thanos in his mission, his reasons and motivations for doing so make him one of the most interesting and complex villains of the superhero genre, which helps drive the film. This is in no small part to the amazing CGI and acting work by Josh Brolin, who helps sell Thanos’ emotions and make him feel like a threatening presence.  His interaction with many of The Avengers help flesh out the character, and for the most part, does a great job of filling out his character with show, don’t tell storytelling.

The way Infinity War juggles its other 30 characters is solid but will leave fans of certain characters disappointed. However, with the massive roster and limited time, this was inevitable. While Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in particular get great arcs in the film, other characters seem underused. The most egregious example of this is The Black Order, Thanos’ underlings, who are more like plot devices to move the story along whenever Thanos isn’t available to fight the heroes rather than actual villains. Although making these villains worthwhile may have been too much to ask from a film already packed to the brim, it’s still a noticeable negative.

Captain America (Chris Evans) leads The Avengers into battle

The collaboration and excitement of watching your favorite heroes assemble and pair together is ever present in Infinity War, with many fun new pairings such as Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy, or Iron Man and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). The entire two-and-a-half-hour runtime could be spent watching these characters interact with each other, and it would probably still make for a great film, as these moments make for some of Infinity Wars’ best scenes. Nothing matches the thrill of seeing new characters meet each other for the first time, however, it relies on old combinations more than expected. Many familiar pairings from the comics or interesting combos that could’ve happened in the film don’t occur, although this is less to the films detriment, and more of wistful thinking in retrospect to a film that was already stuffed with character interactions.

The world accompanied in the MCU feels appropriately large, switching between many locations and planets, matching the scope and feel of the movie. Every planet and location feels different and real, with a generally darker color palette to match the tone of the film. The action throughout all of Infinity War feels like the airport scene from Captain America Civil War in the best ways. The action is beautifully choreographed and feels huge, even when the heroes are fighting generic CGI monsters. The climax of the film is notable not just for its amazing action, but the way the film ends, which will no doubt be the talking point of the film in the year leading up to the untitled Avengers 4.

The gargantuan ambition of Infinity War comes to fruition in its climax, with an ending that is shocking, emotional and even beautiful in ways few saw coming, even if it sets up stakes Avengers 4 may not be able to follow up on. As the film currently stands on its own and as the culmination of 10 years of buildup, Infinity War is a fearless effort that delivers on its promises and will linger in your head long after you’ve left the theater.

Final Rating: 8.8/10