Avengers: Infinity War Review

Marvel Studios’ Marvel Cinematic Universe (or, more commonly, the MCU) has been gaining steam over the last 10 years since it all began with the first Iron Man movie.  10 years of frequent films starring a variety of characters can be tiresome, but the Marvel Studios crew has done a wonderful job at keeping things interesting, and having very minor missteps while doing so.  The last few years, specifically, have been especially kind to us as we have received hit after hit in films like Spider Man: Homecoming, Black Panther, and now Avengers: Infinity War.

Avengers: Infinity War takes place after the events of all preceding MCU films.  Josh Brolin’s Mad Titan character, Thanos, is at the forefront of the story a number of after-credits cameos dating all the way back to Avengers 1.  Thanos has a straightforward goal, obtain all 6 of the Infinity Stones and balance the universe by eliminating half of all life. The MCU, until recently, was known for its villains being one of the weakest elements of these otherwise incredible movies.  However, recent films like Black Panther and Spider Man: Homecoming have raised the bar exceptionally high, and Thanos had some big shoes, or gauntlet in this case, to fill. That being said, Thanos serves as one of the greatest on-screen villains within superhero movies as a whole.  Thanos is a villain with motives that are arguably justified, who is a threat against the whole team of Avengers, both unified and divided. He has incredible strength and agility without the need of any enhancements, but proves to be an unparalleled force with the assistance of any-all of the Infinity Stones.  Tagging along with him are The Black Order, which is his band of servants who individually serve as challenges against smaller groups of the Avengers. The stakes in Infinity War are exceptionally high. The Avengers are facing both a global and galactic threat in Thanos and his Black Order. On top of that, the group is separated following the events that occurred in Captain America: Civil War.  It takes a team to battle a Thanos, and a team is what they have.  The divided Avengers have to cooperate together, with the additional assistance of the Guardians of the Galaxy to stand even a slight chance at defeating the Mad Titan.  That’s about as far as I’m willing to dive into the plot in this review.  I highly recommend going into this movie with a spoiler-free mentality.  Surprisingly, for a film with such a huge cast of characters, and an antagonist requiring a lot of backstory and development, Avengers: Infinity War was one of the best-executed films I’ve seen in quite some time. The tone of the film is much different and darker than pretty much all of the MCU films, and for that it stands out and above the others from a narrative perspective. This film still has the signature humor that we’ve grown to expect in these films, but as it builds momentum towards the many climactic scenes, the humor dissipates and the narrative truly begins to shine.

Compliments toward the cast on this film, honestly, could go without saying.  Everyone from Chadwick Boseman, to Scarlett Johansson to the future legend Tom Holland (guaranteed, that kid is going places) reprise their roles as their respective heroes.  Almost all of these characters feel as if they were born to play these heroes. Additionally, the characters that are introduced such as Tom Vaughan-Lawlor as Ebony Maw just further expand this incredible casting.  The Marvel Cinematic Universe has been growing and expanding over the last 10 years, opting for only the best of the best in regards to the casting. The MCU’s veterans such as Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo sport just as good of an on-screen chemistry as the likes of the more recent additions, Tom Holland and Benedict Cumberpatch.

Regarding the sound and visual effects, this movie is untouchable.  This movie settings and action are absolutely massive, so there was heavy usage of CGI, and thunderous sound effects. The crew on this film did a great job executing these without a hitch.  The CGI for Thanos, The Black Order, the various planets and settings, and more are all designed and executed with a sense of realism that is incredibly convincing. Naturally, someone as destructive as Thanos brings the destruction tenfold.  That being said, there is great necessity for top-tier sound effects in Infinity War. I can confidently say that there were not any points in the film where I felt the sound quality under-delivered in the slightest. The score and sound effects are very obviously done by some of the industry’s most talented.  This film was masterfully designed from the ground up.

Avengers: Infinity War is one of the greatest films I have ever seen.  There is little to no room for disputing any negatives about this film because it stands incredibly tall in every single aspect of film-making.  Marvel Studios took a cast and plot that has been steadily building over the course of 10 years and seamlessly delivered a film that fires, explosively, on all cylinders.  The stakes are higher than they’ve ever been, and the team is more divided than they’ve ever been. The film’s narrative manages to phenomenally handle an incredibly large cast and sub-plots without any noteworthy faults.  Infinity War made me laugh as much as it made me cry, and I spent the better part of 2 hours on the edge of my seat. After multiple viewings, I just want to watch it again. The Russo’s, the cast and crew delivered a film that has set the bar astonishingly high for what’s next to come, and I think reaching and exceeding that bar is something that only they could do.  Avengers: Infinity War is an absolute must-see film. It is worth noting, however, that this is much darker than the previous MCU films, so I would recommend using discretion when taking younger viewers.