It All Converges Here – Avengers: Infinity War (Movie Review)
You would have to be living under a rock if you’re not familiar with the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) of films by now. Avengers: Infinity War is basically the culmination that we have been waiting for all these years in regards to everything that has come before (referring to the Phase 1-3 of MCU films). I guess one could call this film a proverbial melting pot so to speak. It’s intended to be the sequel to pretty much everything that has happened thus far in the MCU. Coincidentally that would also make this the nineteenth film in the MCU too. Needless to say we’ve certainly come a long way since the very first Iron Man, which I remember like it was only yesterday, driving to Best Buy to buy it on Blu-ray and more. That’s what happens when you get old folks. Time becomes a big blur, but I digress. Let me grab my Infinity Stones gauntlet cookie jar (yes I have one) and get this ensemble party started down below.
Avengers: Infinity War is once again directed by MCU regulars, the Russo Brothers (Joe and Anthony). They do so under the guidance of a script crafted by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. The following names should come as no surprise. The returning ensemble cast includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chadwick Boseman, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Josh Brolin, Tom Hiddleston, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel and many more. I guess what’s truly unique about this newest Avengers entry is the fact that for the first time my beloved Guardians of the Galaxy crew meets up with and joins forces with Earth’s mightiest heroes, our Avengers here, to stop Thanos (Brolin) from collecting all the Infinity Stones he needs to complete his collection within his gauntlet. I can understand the collecting fascination of Thanos as I suffer from much the same myself, but I was scared going into this hoping to dear God they won’t screw my Guardians up here.
Having now theatrically taken in Avengers: Infinity War I would very much classify this one as a chase or heist film. Some people may argue with me, but it’s very much in line with the globetrotting action I loved in Star Wars: Rogue One. It’s set two years after the yawn inducing, boring events that went down in Captain America: Civil War. After being teased in several MCU films now our main CG baddie Thanos finally springs into action by going on a larger than life shopping spree so to speak. Thanos desires to collect all the Infinity Stones (as mostly seen in previous MCU flicks), which he is outfitting his golden gauntlet with. He’s a collector like me. I can relate to that. The collection once complete will allow him to basically bend the universe to his will. Basically that equates to he can purge whatever he wants, getaway with it and destroy everything he wishes. So needless too say it’s in their best interest of both the Guardians and the astray Avengers (think back to what went down in Civil War) to work together to prevent this doomsday from ultimately happening.
The first thing I want to chat about here besides the epic nature of everything that goes down is how many surprises this one packs. Thankfully the theatrical trailers don’t even scratch the surface as to everything you’ll find within Infinity War. That’s not only a welcome relief, but it also makes for a very pleasurable viewing experience as you see things onscreen that you never saw coming not to mention how the trailers and released stills misdirect you. In fact, one of the images in this very review is a misdirection and not true. I’m not going to spoil it for you, but I challenge after having seen the film to tell me what you find wrong in one of the images here. I’m all about these fantastic surprises, cameos, etc. and I ate each and every one of them up like a giddy kid waiting for Santa Claus to come on Christmas Eve. And this is coming from a big DCEU film fan too! So you know I mean what I say. Ha ha. Trust me. If you have watched and paid attention to each and every MCU film that has come before, I can’t see how you could go home from this without a smile on your face despite the ending that will either satisfy or piss you off. I saw it coming so no big deal!
Now let’s talk about the action. Holy hell is this one epic. Like usual in the MCU the humor is plentiful and much welcome (I mean come on you have the hilarious Guardians in here), but the action sequences take it to the next level. And despite how bad the CG of Thanos looks at times I’m glad they did what they could to A) make his plight somewhat relatable with backstory galore and B) show him as a force not to be reckoned with. Not even a Hulk can contain this bad guy. That’s when you know you have T-R-O-U-B-L-E on your hands. Speaking of hands Thanos’ gauntlet was a star in its own here and even that has a backstory too, which I have a feeling you’re also going to love. I thought the whole Infinity Stone thing was going to be gimmicky, but I really appreciate what they did here as we kind of got to play with the powers of each and every one of them. However, what’s really the best thing I can say about this newest entry is the brave, bold new way they took the storytelling here. Yes, one could argue the wheels were previously set in motion by the depressing storyline within Civil War, but make no mistakes here. While the laughs are hearty the mood is somber with hope being a tough commodity to find.
Last but not least I do want to assure you of one thing. My fears of how they would intermix my beloved Guardians with all the other series regulars were all for nothing. They nailed it! Introductions and assemblies were flawless here. In fact the introductions of characters from the previous eighteen MCU films, who have never met each other before, are the very tasty buns and yummy cinnamon butter of this production. Speaking of “production” the production value, cinematography and score trumped even my high expectations to make this a thing you definitely want more of. That’s saying a lot too when your main villain is one that’s CG. Even this DCEU fanboy has to admit Thanos is much more formidable than Justice League‘s Steppenwolf. Sigh. You happy now? Ha ha!
So there you have it folks. Avengers: Infinity War has balls where it counts. It’s not afraid to shake things up, shock and awe and even surprise you delightfully. However, with all that being said I can also see this one being decisive for some too. The ending won’t exactly leave you feeling good about your upcoming summer, but fret not. You only have a year to see how it all resolves when the fourth yet untitled Avengers film hits the theaters. One thing is for sure the next two Marvel films, Ant-Man and Captain Marvel’s entires, will take place before the events in this Avengers film. Perhaps they tie into our storyline here. Who knows? I have a feeling though, but I digress. All I truly know is the MCU is a brave, new and very dark world, albeit quite an enjoyable one now post Infinity War shakeup. Eat up and enjoy!
Brian White
Owner/Writer/Reviewer/Editor, Dreamer, Producer, Agent of Love, Film Lover, Writer of Screenplays and a Devoted Apostle to all things Ford Mustangs (the real ones with V8's!). Some of my favorite films include FIGHT CLUB, MOULIN ROUGE, THE DARK KNIGHT, STAR WARS alongside television shows such as SEINFELD, 24, SANFORD & SON and even the often loathed in the geek community BIG BANG THEORY. Outside of my three lives I live I also enjoy spending time with my girlfriend and our three girls (of the furry kind).
