Avengers Infinity War (2018) Movie Review

Official Avengers Infinity War Poster

Ever since a certain genius billionaire playboy philanthropist built a suit of armor with nothing but a box of scraps, nothing’s been the same. In 2008, ‘Iron Man’ premiered and with it, the Marvel Cinematic Universe had just exploded into existence. A few films later and we already have an established team of super heroes, in the form of the colossal hit that was 2012’s ‘The Avengers’. Soon, the cosmic branch of this juggernaut of a shared universe started to expand, making a talking raccoon and a walking tree some of the world’s most popular characters via 2014’s ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’.

Still of Wong, Cumberbatch, Ruffalo and Downey Jr. looking rather suspicious

Flash forward to 2018. 10 years in the making, ‘Avengers Infinity War’ blasts its way into theatres and fans around the world are drooling over this unprecedented cinematic event. Let’s try to dissect and evaluate this otherworldly endeavor. Infinity War is a gargantuan film, and it is one that the casual moviegoer could easily describe as a series of over the top action set pieces strung together by an onslaught of star power. However, it is much more than that. The action scenes are some of the best the MCU has ever offered, of course, but what makes this film truly special is the sheer amount of precision and mastery required to successfully intertwine multiple layers of storytelling.

The Guardians of the Galaxy are joining forces with the Avengers!

This is the culmination of a narrative that kicked off a decade ago and every single thread or plot point that was ever brought up in past films is addressed here, with significant payoff. So, if you happen to be a rookie when it comes to MCU lore, you may consider it helpful to go back and binge watch the previous films in order to appreciate Marvel’s latest flick at its fullest. This is a film that does not miss a beat, flowing rapidly and furiously, hardly giving its audience time to breathe. The pacing was extremely fast, and the editing was a bit abusive, albeit it was only felt in a handful of scenes.

The Wakandan army is getting ready for battle; with Gurira, Boseman, Evans, Johansson, Stan

Given the massive number of characters in this film, it was crucial to separate them into sub teams. This way, it was possible to get the most out of the character interactions. Some of the pairings were true gold, making you wonder why they had not done this earlier; Thor and the Guardians or Tony Stark and Doctor Strange easily stick out as prime examples of what has just been said. Despite the humongous plethora of heroes starring in the film, the Russo brothers, the directors who had previously tackled the last two Captain America movies, manage to competently juggle their protagonists, in a frenetic locale-shifting way.

Eye-patch Thor flexing his muscles inside a contraption

The most satisfying thing is that each and every single one of the heroes manages to squeeze in their own moment, putting their personal stamp on the steamroller force that Infinity War came to be. Furthermore, they achieve such high-end prodigiousness while also never losing focus on what truly matters: Thanos and his quest for the Infinity Stones. The whole film is constructed around the purple titan gaining access to the colorful McGuffins and if his character were to fail, in terms of execution, the movie would crumble under the weight of his own protagonist.

Thanos and little Gamora

That’s right, Thanos is the villain and also the main character of Infinity War, amongst the gigantic roster of characters. Fortunately, he is a complex and layered individual, having a certain sense of nobility to his actions, to an extent. Thanos is incredibly well written and wonderfully played by Josh Brolin, who delivers an impeccable and charismatic performance; the audience understood his motivations and you could almost empathize with him. The keyword here being almost, because he is bringing the hell upon our favorite heroes.

Thanos is giving you a nasty look. You better keep Reading our Review!

Thanos is, without a doubt, the best villain Marvel has ever produced in that 10 year span and arguably the finest antagonist in comic book movies. That, ladies and gentlemen, is no easy feat to accomplish, but our purple and bulky baddie does just that. Ever since the opening scene that you feel Thanos’s menacing presence and you identify him as a force to be reckoned with. He has a goal and he will stop at nothing to achieve what he is set out to do, even if it requires sacrifice.

Spider-Man with his brand new suit

Without entering spoiler territory, I must say that the ending left everyone in a pure state of awe and I am completely clueless as to what route the filmmakers are going to take next. And that is a good thing, as the last thing you would want from this filmic apogee would be for it to feel formulaic or predictable. Avengers Infinity War is a deeply thought out motion picture, filled with audacious humor, whose sole purpose is to lighten the overall gritty and darker mood of the film. There were some tonal discrepancies throughout but that is completely understandable, given the massive roster of characters displayed on the silver screen; it was a matter of staying true to the different characters appearing.

Thanos putting the gauntlet to good use: unleashing chaos

The sound design and the special effects were outstandingly good and were key aspects in forging the machiavellian figure of Thanos. Infinity War feels like the end of a chapter (at least for some of the characters, as the stakes are real) but it also feels as the opening of a completely different book, yet to be explored. Here’s hoping the yet to be titled ‘Avengers 4’ surpasses or at least matches the fans’ wildest expectations, when it hits theatres exactly one year from now.

With that being said, I rate Avengers Infinity War with an A+. What about you, have you seen it? What did you think? What are your theories for the future of the MCU? Share your thoughts in the comments’ section down below, but please keep in mind others may not have seen it as of now, so please put a spoilers tag, just in case.