Skip to main content

Avengers: Infinity War


Starring: Everyone in the Marvel universe basically
Directed by: Anthony Russo and Joe Russo
Screenplay by: Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely

    I remember back in 2012, when the first Avengers movie came out, thinking that there would never again be a movie with that much A-list talent in it, especially another superhero movie like that.  Well, it's 2018 and Marvel has once again raised the bar.  This time however, the stakes have become much higher for all the characters in the story.
    Over the course of the past 10 years of Marvel films, we have been introduced to the concept of the infinity stones, each one of the six stones representing different aspects of the universe.  Whoever possesses all of the infinity stones will become the most powerful being in the universe, capable of bringing destruction and genocide on an unimaginable scale.  We also in past films have been introduced to Thanos (Josh Brolin), a big purple being who looks to be about the size of the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), but isn't so angry and doesn't want to smash everything.  We've really only seen him in post-credit scenes, or been briefly introduced to him in one or two scenes.  In Infinity War, we finally get to see Thanos as the main villain.  He is on a quest to capture all of the infinity stones and reshape the universe in his image, by essentially wiping out half of all life with just "the snap of his fingers."  With the whole of reality, time, and space on the line as well, the Avengers (who have had their problems in the past), must band together against this threat because the stakes have never been higher.
    Marvel did something very different with Infinity War that I don't believe they have done with past films in this franchise.  This movie assumes you have seen some if not all of the other Marvel movies.  This is important as a viewer because there are plenty of things that you can miss if you have not seen the whole franchise.  For example, you might wonder about how Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is missing one eye if you haven't seen Thor Ragnarok.  You might wonder who Mantis is if you haven't seen the recent Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.  And if you haven't seen that one, you might even wonder about Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) being snarky teenager.  But I digress.  There are so many things that have happened in past Marvel movies, it is perhaps best to familiarize yourself with the franchise as much as possible before seeing Infinity War, because there is plenty that can and will confuse you otherwise. 
    Like most other films in the franchise, Infinity War is two and a half hours long.  For me, two and a half hours is a perfect length of a movie, but not for Infinity War.  This film actually needs to be longer because there are so many characters and so many different storylines that intertwine over the course of this film that things get lost.  Some characters are focused on more than others.  For example, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) has far more screen time than Captain America (Chris Evans) or Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).  There are simply too Thanos.  Perhaps this is because he is largely unseen in this franchise until now or it is because the directors went with a slightly different perspective on this film.  Thanos feels more developed as a character in this particular film than most of the other characters.  It is as if the story is told from the perspective of the villain this time, making Infinity War a clear departure from superhero movies, and even its own franchise. 
    I left the theater feeling like Infinity War is simply a placeholder movie, one whose story simply tells the viewer where the rest of the story is headed.  This does not mean that it is not important to see the film and just wait until the next Avengers film is released.  Perhaps of any of the Marvel movies, this one has the most important details of where the story and the franchise are headed.  One can't help but feel excited about what's to come.

I give Avengers: Infinity War an A-. 

Image Source: www.olympicstudios.co.uk

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

First Man

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, and Corey Stoll Directed by: Damien Chazelle Screenplay by: Josh Singer Based on the book by James R. Hansen      Yes, this is the same director who did La La Land from a few years ago.  But this is a true story this time, and not necessarily a feel good one.      Many of us know about Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon during the Apollo 11 mission in 1969.  First Man is not simply the story of the moon landing, but the story about Armstrong and what led him to be the first man in history to walk on the moon.  It's a story about making huge sacrifices for himself, and his family, in order to accomplish such a goal, as well as overcoming a great deal of grief.       The film focuses almost entirely on Neil (Ryan Gosling).  The film opens up on him as one of the premiere pilots in the military, piloting the X-15; a plane that was capable of flying over 100,000 feet altitude.  He is portrayed as
Post a Comment
Read more

Rosewater

Starring:  Gael García Bernal, Kim Bodina, and Dimitri Leonidas Directed by: Jon Stewart Screenplay by: Jon Stewart Based on the book " Then They Came for Me: A Family's Story of Love, Captivity, and Survival" by Maziar Bahari      Remember last summer when Jon Stewart took three months off from hosting The Daily Show  leaving it to John Oliver?  This film is the reason.      Maziar Bahari is a journalist for Newsweek who is on assignment in Tehran, Iran for the 2009 election.  The election is between the incumbent president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and Mir-Hossein Mousavi.  When Bahari first arrives in Iran, the polls show that it is likely Mousavi will win as he is gaining a rather large lead against Ahmadinejad.  Ahmadinejad is backed by the Supreme Leader and there are fears that the election will be rigged in favor of Ahmedinejad.  Well, that's exactly what happens.  There are protests in the streets, and Bahari's story has changed.  He first was coveri
Post a Comment
Read more

The Hunger Games

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth Directed by: Gary Ross Screenplay by: Gary Ross and Suzanne Collins Based on the novel by Suzanne Collins      If reality television hasn't gone too far yet, then this show should definitely make it go too far.      In a futuristic nation called Panem, one boy and one girl are selected from each of the nation's twelve districts to represent them in an annual television event called the Hunger Games.  Of the 24 contestants, only one will survive in this televised fight to the death.      I like the concept of the story.  While this futuristic society seems somewhat simple, it does not seem all that well developed.  It is unknown how this society came into being, even though it is known how the Hunger Games began.      If this film were released last year, I would have hoped it would be nominated for best make-up.  Many of the characters look absolutely ridiculous and are way too flashy, but the make-up is v
2 comments
Read more