by Calder Stenn
For what is quite possibly the greatest amount of hype a blockbuster will receive this year, “Avengers: Infinity Wars” certainly meets these standards. Unlike some of the earlier Avenger movies, Marvel’s latest box office buster, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, possessed a much more pampersome plot — despite the fact that the movie contains roughly 30 superheroes.
With Marvel movies of this stature, there invariably arises an intricate network of hundreds of different theories across the Internet leading up to the film’s release. There is a tendency to hone in on certain characters or to speculate obsessively about their potential development. But this isn’t the case in “Infinity Wars.”
The film, as can be inferred from its title, is a war film. There is minimal character development, and the sci-fi action and special effects are noticeably elevated. Additionally, there are no new surprise characters or crazy plot twists — unless you watch the final act of the film without the knowledge that Marvel is making a second part.
For those who haven’t yet seen “Infinity Wars,” there is no doubt that you will need to watch a couple Marvel movies beforehand. However, it isn’t necessary to watch all of them. Obviously, knowing the main Avengers’ backstories (e.g. Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Guardians of the Galaxy) is essential context, but watching a majority of the various sequels isn’t essential.
A basic understanding of the Infinity Stones is arguably the most significant piece of context, as they are the movie’s sole focus. In short, there is an evil god named Thanos (voiced by Josh Brolin) who wants to destroy nearly all life, and to do this he needs six incredibly powerful gems called Infinity Stones. To acquire the Infinity Stones, Thanos must travel to various planets across the galaxy — including Earth — and win them over from their holders.
In past Avengers movies, Thanos has been behind the scenes, essentially functioning as the mastermind in the fatal attacks which took place in “The Avengers” and “Avengers: Age of Ultron.” He has also played a prominent role in shaping the chaos the Guardians of the Galaxy superheroes face in volumes one and two of their individual Marvel franchise. Now Thanos is out to confront the Avengers himself, as some of them either possess or have classified information regarding the Infinity Stones.
This is essentially the basis of the film’s overarching structure, and it really is the only plotline moviegoers who aren’t deeply obsessed with these films need to grasp. Much to my surprise, “Infinity Wars” is actually a more satisfying experience because of this relatively simplistic plotline.
With “The Avengers” and “Captain America: Civil War” — as well some of the individual franchises — the storylines tend to become too convoluted with the number of heroes the writers attempt to develop into dynamic characters. The films almost always fall short in filling the plot holes these characters create, and for those who haven’t watched and re-watched every individual Marvel franchise, this can induce further confusion.
“Infinity Wars,” the third Avengers installment, was not like this. Maybe it was the fact that I had come into the theatre with such low expectations, or maybe it was the Russo brothers’ ability to recognize that trying to make over 30 superheroes more than just pawns in a battle was unrealistic. Regardless of the answer, “Infinity Wars” was as enjoyable as the dazzling array of special effects and incredible intergalactic animation that accompanied it (as a footnote, I highly recommend sitting in the front rows for this movie to experience the full effect).
One aspect that I didn’t expect myself to not loathe was the mediocre acting and corny one-liners. The interchange between the main Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy characters, — each of whom have their own trademark brands of corny humor — and a combination of the two made for a greater balance in the personalities on screen, as well as a sort of surreal stitchwork of films, which actually enhanced the humor.
I would be lying if I said the humor was clearly a step above that of the previous films, but the delivery of some jokes — as well as the timing of certain cameos — definitely legitimized the comedic style Marvel has been trying to integrate into its movies over the past decade.
In contrast, the Russo brothers were also able to provide “Infinity Wars” with more serious undertones. While a fair amount of comedic moments permeated the two hours and 30 minutes of action, there were a couple of helpless moments where Tony Stark wasn’t going to swoop down and launch missiles from his hands for an easy Avengers victory. As indicated by the anticipation of a sequel, Thanos provided the Avengers, and the franchise, with a surprising challenge, and effectively established “Infinity Wars” as a must-see movie of 2018.
4.5 out of 5 stars