Ten years and 18 movies has led to today's film 'Avengers: Infinity War'. So, how well does this film juggle it's many characters, plotlines, and overall structure? Very well actually, better than expected but still not without some sacrifices along the way. For those unaware, the story is about the Mad Titan known as Thanos who is on a quest to acquire the six Infinity Stones and eliminate half the population on every planet to bring what he feels is 'balance' and it's up to the Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and the heroes of Wakanda to stop him. Unlike the previous Marvel films, this one kicks you right into the action, with a devastating and brutal opening sequence that let's the audience know that this film isn't kidding around. For those who read my ranking of the various films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I stated that 'Captain America: Civil War' should have pushed the envelope a little more and give the audience a bigger impact. With 'Infinity War', they gave me what I wanted many times over because this film doesn't care who you are rooting for, or who you love because it's entirely possible that they're not coming back by film's end. It was nice to see them finally go there with so many characters and give us what many are calling the 'Empire' of Marvel films.
So the story is good, but what about the characters? For the most part I am quite happy here as well with some obviously getting less screen time than others despite the nearly 3-hour running time. Black Panther, Captain America, and Spider-Man strangely seem to get the least amount of time which is disappointing, but with Panther I can understand as we did just have a feature film about him so I guess I'll go back to that if I want to see more of him eh? As for Spider-Man, I really love Tom Holland's portrayal and wish he turned up a little more in here but I will say that he gives the saddest line of dialogue and performance in the film by far at the end. You really feel his emotion and fear more than the others and I give him kudos for it. The rest of the cast are as awesome as ever of course, with Chris Pratt, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Robert Downy Jr. coming out on top on the hero side, while Josh Brolin's Thanos is both spot on to the character and really well done here. Despite being a computer generated character, Brolin's emotions and strong acting chops come through perfectly. The character is not merely evil for the hell of it, but rather he feels he's trying to help the universe by preventing overpopulation, starvation, and poverty. It doesn't excuse his actions, but at least the character is deeper and has a relatable motivation and at one point, he even sheds tears due to a decision he must make in order to acquire on of the stones. He is the best villain in the MCU films by far.
So what didn't I like about 'Infinity War'? Well, some of it drags as can be expected with a 3-hour movie that juggles so many characters around. The biggest offenders are Thor, Rocket, and Groot who are searching for a weapon that can stop Thanos before he can finish his plan. While an important aspect of the narrative, it ultimately becomes a negative due to it slowing the pacing to a crawl. The most important storyline ultimately is between Doctor Strange and Iron Man and they do get some of the biggest moments in the film, but it seems like you don't see them quite often enough when the movie is making them such an integral part of the overall story. Sadly, this overcrowding in a film such as this will almost always lead to people being left by the wayside and 'Infinity War' is no different. It suffers from characters or subplots getting too little or too much screen time and the pacing and character development suffers for it.
'Avengers: Infinity War' isn't perfect and it isn't the best Marvel film out there, but fans will for sure be entertained, shocked, and wanting more which is what the Russo brothers intended. 2019 should be another big year for the Marvel/Disney studios when they finally bring this story to what we can hope is a big close.
8.5/10
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