The long-awaited new installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe Avengers: Infinity War hit theaters on Friday, April 27th. This is the third Avengers movie in the MCU, with The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron being part of Phase One and Phase Two of the MCU, respectively. Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, the film received rave reviews, amassing an impressive score of 84% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film has a luxurious cast, ranging from Marvel veterans Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans as Iron Man and Captain America, to newcomers to the franchise Chadwick Boseman and Tom Holland as Black Panther and Spider-Man. The rest of the original Avengers also appear in the film, along with Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), the Guardians of the Galaxy (Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Pom Klementieff), Vision (Paul Bettany) Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan).
The film also features Josh Brolin as Thanos, the main antagonist of the film. His performance as the villain was acclaimed by both critics and audiences alike, along with the CGI that went into making Thanos come to life. The plot revolved around Thanos and his promise to murder half of the universe by obtaining the infinity stones, which are powerful stones created after the Big Bang, and gives immense power to those who hold all six stones. Thanos believes that in order to save the universe from descending into destruction and madness, he has to eliminate half of the universe to get a fresh start.
Avengers: Infinity War logo. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia.
Ever since I found out back when Marvel released their lineup of future movies that there was going to be an Avengers movie with nearly every Marvel character, I felt ecstatic. That feeling started to fade when Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice released in theaters. I understand that it was a part of the DC Extended Universe and not Marvel, but that particular film tried to be bold with adding several characters and plots into one movie. This audacious yet gratuitous effort ended up making the movie worse than it could have been. I was concerned that Marvel, pulling a daring move as well, would fall into a trap and do the same.
Alas, my worries subsided when the movie was released. The movie was clear, and did not have the excess plots that DCEU tends to have in their movies. The film started off with a bang, continuing after the cliffhanger from Thor: Ragnarok. The film has an abundance of thrilling action sequences, which Marvel never seems to be lacking of, especially the battle scene in Wakanda. The film also has plenty of comedic dialogue, which thankfully does not seem forced at all, and some actually ensue a few minutes of laughter.
The film also showcases the talents of the actors. My favorite performance was Brolin's portrayal of Thanos. Marvel is not really known for having great villains in their stories, however, Thanos shines as a villain, and I would dare to say that he is the greatest Marvel villain so far in the MCU. The roles of some of the characters have been minimized for the movie, due to the large number of characters, such as Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Falcon, but the actors still excelled at their roles. I also thoroughly enjoyed Saldana's portrayal of her character Gamora, who has a close tie with the central villain. One performance that absolutely drove me to tears was Holland's as Spider-Man, specifically in a highly emotional scene with Tony Stark at the end.
One move that I wholly appreciated was the tone of the movie, specifically the ending. The aspect that I tend to prefer the DC movies with is the tone of movies. With Marvel, the overall tone is mostly light-hearted, mostly due to the humor. With the DC films, not just limited to the Extended Universe but also Christopher Nolan's Batman movies, is generally darker than Marvel films. Although I do not hate lighter films, I wished that Marvel would make a movie that is a little darker. With Infinity War, although the tone is definitely light in the beginning, Thanos's presence and the ending completely changes the tone all around. The move to end the film on such a dark note was satisfying because it enhances the quality of the film and the character of the villain for me. Plus, it would be odd for a movie with a genocidal villain to have a "happily ever after" type ending.
Overall, The Avengers: Infinity War is a magnificent film that does not disappoint. With a rich cast and featuring one of the best villains in a superhero film, Infinity War is definitely worth a watch for Marvel die-hard fans and newcomers to the Universe alike. Be prepared for moments of laughter and moments of sadness. Also, if you know someone who's a big fan of Marvel, make sure to send them to the movies with a box of tissues, because they will need it.