Score: A
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo
Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Josh Brolin, et. al.
Running time: 149 minutes
Rated PG-13
Long Story Short: Avengers: Infinity War is the first blockbuster of summer 2018, and a smashing success. Somehow, it manages to succeed in both pulling a universe of previous characters and stories together as well as entertaining a general audience, too. Of course, you'll get much more out of it if you've followed the previous eighteen (!) movies, but plenty of rousing action and light humor make for a fun time at the theater for any. Highly recommended.
**WARNING: major spoilers contained in this review.**
An evil force that has lurked in the shadows of the universe for years has at last begun to put the final steps of his plan into motion. Thanos (Brolin), a survivor from a distant, devastated world, is determined to seize all six of what are known as the Infinity Stones. While tiny, each contains enormous power over different elements, such as time and space; combined, the powers offer essentially omnipotence. Before relinquishing one of the Stones, an Avenger manages to send a distress call to Earth, and soon the scramble is on to locate and defend the remaining Infinity Stones from Thanos. Facing their gravest threat yet, the Avengers must utilize all of their varied strengths - and bring yet others into the fold - in a desperate, last stand.
Avengers: Infinity War has a humongous cast, including most of the key players introduced over the course of eighteen previous films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Most have been the lead at one time or another, but obviously, many are forced into supporting roles here. Of the original Avengers, Thor, played by Chris Hemsworth, is the main player. Robert Downey, Jr.'s Iron Man also gets a large role, but Chris Evans's Captain America is significantly limited. Other Avengers with prominent roles include Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Vision, and Scarlet Witch; most of the others have limited supporting roles, from Bruce Banner/Hulk (a little more) to Black Widow (a little less). Notably, the Guardians of the Galaxy characters are featured at least as much as the Avengers, and thankfully return to form after 2017's awful sequel. Highlighting them is appropriate considering their relationship to the villain of the film, Thanos. Played by Josh Brolin, Thanos is one of the best bad guys in the Marvel universe so far. Although his performance is shown through motion capture as a gigantic, blue alien, Brolin brings out a compelling character. Given some backstory, and thus the cold (but effective?) logic for his ultimately evil plan, Brolin shows him as utterly, chillingly in command at all times - though still at times affected by "human" emotions from regret to rage.
Avengers: Infinity War is a very well-made and entertaining film, striking a balance between enormous, epic story crossover and standalone, joyous adventure. The primary goal of the film is a simple yet incredibly daunting one: a single story to bring all of Marvel's many heroes together and offer some kind of significant, overall resolution for the previous eighteen films (at least, halfway-the story begun here will continue and finish in a fourth Avengers film next year). The film wastes no time getting things underway. Its first scene is in some ways its most clever: not only does it directly follow on the events of an earlier film (Thor: Ragnarok), it also introduces the main villain and his plan, and sets the tone and consequences in its stark setting and a major character's death. While there are additional grim, or at least weighty, moments to come, the script provides a steady and welcome diet of signature Marvel humor through most of the rest of the film. Much of this (or the funniest parts) come from new meetings of familiar characters, particularly Thor/Star-Lord and Iron Man/Doctor Strange. Even when resorting to generic slapstick, the humor is essential not only in balancing the darker plot, but also sustaining the film's energy over two-and-a-half hours as well as boosting the potentially dry (yet necessary) character meetings and exposition. There is plenty of action, of course, and it is sneakily-well done: not only is there good variety from set to set, but it's broken up enough that "battle fatigue" isn't a problem. While the main, battle-of-armies scene on Earth is slightly underwhelming (somewhat generic), it is offset by a bravura sequence of an eclectic team of heroes throwing everything (and I mean everything) they can at Thanos to try to stop him.
Some characters get more room to play than others, but their development, along with possibilities for the finale, is intriguing. Thor gets arguably the most complete treatment. It starts with utter misery and despair for him, particularly as coming on the heels, as stated earlier, of Thor Ragnarok. But after some witty banter with the Guardians, he forms a neat duo with Rocket to help get his mojo back. His redemption - though still incomplete - is gratifying and helps provide overall hope at film's end. Iron Man gets less time, but his feeling of responsibility for the Avengers overall, as well as his tender rapport with Peter Parker, are set up well for next time. It's hard to tell what's next for Capt. America, who gets surprisingly little here. The Guardians have quite a shake-up, which should make for an interesting Guardians 3 in 2020. Few of our heroes show up only to fight; they each have a little something personal at stake. Many of them will likely have to wait, though: Infinity Wars' cliff hanger not only flipped the universe on its head, it also literally made room for the Old Guard to take the spotlight for a final hurrah (as it likely will be for Downey, Jr., Evans, and Hemsworth) next year.
***
Avengers: Infinity War is a triumph on a number of levels. Marvel chose wisely with Anthony and Joe Russo directing (they did the last two Captain America movies). This film could so easily, via its script, directing, performances or all of the above, have become a chaotic mess with familiar faces turning into generic pugilists and endless action and CGI numbing the mind and senses. Much credit is due to the movies that led to this: they were all made with care, with distinct characters who nonetheless fit a cohesive tone. But still, there were literally dozens of characters vying with the demands for both epic and numerous action sequences to fit within a 2.5 hour long film. By picking and choosing the characters to emphasize now - and which to save for later - with regard to fit with the overall story, and by greasing the many "joints" - vast cast, exposition, action, etc. - with fun humor, the film stands as a success on its own in addition to being an exciting, satisfying "part 1 of 2" conclusion for a sprawling universe of films. Bravo.
By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=53151892
