Avengers: Infinity War
This huge undertaking, behemoth of a movie was a huge success for Marvel. For the next year we will be able to nitpick every little detail, but for the time being we can enjoy the movie. Do you realize how easily this movie could have just flopped and fell on its face, like Bruce Banner in a Hulkbuster? It is a movie that is the culmination of 18 movies over the last 10 years, filled with 20+ characters that could lead their own franchise. Marvel took a huge bet with this franchise, and this particular entry was extremely risky, but it paid off in groves (is that the saying?).
Spoilers Ahead
Thanos owns the movie. One of my complaints would be that it is nearly devoid of any character arcs other than from our main villain himself. Josh Brolin breathes so much life into this character, making the wait for the character’s main role worth the wait. Brolin adds gravitas to his antagonist, and the Russos’ choice to make him such a large focus of the story helps us empathize with him. There are points in the movie when I start to think “huh, maybe mass genocide of the entire universe isn’t so bad.” He is joined by 4 of his children, dubbed the Black Order. Personally, I loved these characters. Each encompassed a different villain archetype, almost like I was watching four different classes from Overwatch or something. Ebony Maw was a standout among these with his cool telekinetic powers, and I have a soft spot for everything Carrie Coon so Proxima Midnight was cool too. Often when a movie relies on CGI to create its villains, it goes poorly. Everyone that worked tirelessly, I’m sure, to breathe life into Thanos deserves huge props. While watching the movie I would look at his skin and see the pores, or see little imperfections on his arms or like a little mole and it was blowing my mind.
The movie was primary spent having different groups on their own journey, meeting up in the late second or early third acts. Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and Iron Man find themselves stuck together rather early on in the film. The three of them play off each other like bread plays with butter. Captain America has his gang from the end of Civil War, minus Hawkeye and Ant-Man. As cool as their introduction to the movie was, I think these characters drew the short end of the stick. I just felt like their action scenes were not particularly memorable, but Cap’s floppy hair and luscious beard are unforgettable. Breaking up the entire cast was a great decision by the creative team to really focus on letting each character have stand out moments with hardly anyone feeling left out in a fight scene. It also saves some great character reunions or meetings for the next meeting, giving us all something else to look forward to.
The movie never feels overcrowded with characters while watching it, but it is clear in reflection that only a handful of them have complete story arcs. Thanos journey is a very personal and emotional one. He doesn’t want to rule over the entire universe, he simply wants to fix it and make it better for those lucky enough to survive. It isn’t until he must sacrifice Gamora that we see the toll this endeavor takes on him. At the end, when he sees Gamora still inside the Soul Stone and he literally says that it cost him “Everything.” The last shot of the movie of him just relaxing on his porch, watching the sunrise, thinking about what he has done is an emotionally charged moment. This is a character that is the hero of his story, and realizes he has to put the greater good of the universe over his own personal needs. In the same way that Tony has to leave behind Pepper, how Doctor Strange sacrifices himself for Tony to live, or how Peter is willing to shoot Gamora to keep her secret. Thanos is just like all of the heroes of the movie, just with a goal that opposes them.
Gamora also has incredible development throughout the movie. Through two Guardians of the Galaxy movies we always cared for her, but I wouldn’t say she was the heart of those movies. Her relationship with Nebula in the second brought out a new side of her that is explored with more depth her. She hates her adopted father, but has she watches him “die”, she cries. The expressions and the delivery of lines by Zoe Saldana added so much to this movie. You feel how torn she is between her surroundings. Connecting it back to earlier, she has never been close with her sister, but risks her own life and the fate of the universe just to end Nebula’s suffering, if even for a brief moment. I wouldn’t say she is weaker than any of the other characters, but she is just so broken after watching half of her entire race murdered that she can’t help but treasure those relationships of those she loves. All of this culminating in her death is one of the most powerful moments in the movie.
Alan Silvestri’s score ties it all together. From the opening moments of the movie, we don’t get the Marvel fanfare we are accustomed to, but rather a new theme that evokes feeling of pure dread. He also uses the complete Avengers theme at all the right places, producing chill inducing moments of pure joy. I also love how he incorporated the other hero’s theme’s into the movie a little bit. I swear I hear hints of the Iron Man 3 theme during his fight with Thanos, Doctor Strange’s instrumental is heard during one of his key scenes, and the stand out being the Black Panther theme that is already iconic. The only disappointment was the lack of Tyler Bates Guardians of the Galaxy theme, as I feel it would have been a great way to mesh the two groups together. Lastly, on the score, the final strings piece that place as we watch Thanos reflect on his journey perfectly ties the entire movie together. No words could convey reflect exactly how a character feels in this situation, while a master class composer can do it with a few notes.
I’m sure there is a lot that I left out in my review, a lot more that needs to be said and will be said in the years to come. I just wanted to end this by saying that I doubt we will ever see a movie with this much build up and scale for a very long time if ever again. The fact that the Russos and Markus and McFeely gave us a satisfying payoff from the last 18 movies is a stunning accomplishment, and to that I thank them.
Final Score: 9.5/10