Avengers: Infinity War (Spoiler-Free) Review

By: Caleb A

Based on the trailers that were sent out before the movie was released, it was clear that Marvel
were not messing around with this one. We were shown some intense scenes of combat between the Avengers and Thanos and given glimpses into the villainous nature of the Mad Titan. The trailers set the bar very high for what we could expect in terms of the finished product. After seeing the movie I can honestly say that the trailers do not do the film justice. 

The movie goes at a breakneck pace that never seems to slow down and let you catch your breath, but not in an overwhelming way. Think of it like a great roller coaster ride that you never want to get off of. One of the amazing aspects of the film is the plot development. The story is set up in a way that all of the moving pieces fit organically together to create a masterpiece. It’s interesting to see how Marvel acknowledges past movies such as Captain America: Civil War, Thor: Ragnarok, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 while bringing all of these stories into one cohesive film. Infinity War is truly the culmination of 10 years of Marvel Cinematic Universe films and it feels like a nice thank you note to the fans. 

Another strength of the film comes in the form of character arcs and development. Much like The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron, each character has a chance to shine and is given an opportunity for growth. Newer characters, such as Black Panther (Chadwick Bosman), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) specifically, are given parts that feel like natural progressions from their recent solo movies. The film weaves these new and old characters into the story and giving them some memorable interactions, making the chemistry between them more genuine. Speaking of returning characters, each of the earlier members of the Avengers lineup (with the odd exception of Hawkeye) come into the story that adequately fills in the gaps between the last movies that we saw them in. All of the original Avengers have strong character arcs to the point that they feel fresh again. The interactions between certain Avengers help to make you feel more for what these characters have gone through. I really enjoyed seeing more of the mentor-student relationship between Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Peter Parker that started in Captain America: Civil War, as well as how Thor (Chris Hemsworth) interacts with the Guardians of the Galaxy, which honestly provided some of the best one-liners and banter of the entire movie.

While talking about characters in the film, convincing you to go see this movie would be
impossible if I didn’t mention the Mad Titan, the Purple Man in the Chair, Thanos.
Throughout the 10 years of the MCU, we have seen Thanos working in the background before finally making his debut in Infinity War. This strategy gave Marvel one of the most satisfying payoffs in movie history. Thanos (Josh Brolin) makes his presence known from the opening moments of the film, which finally gives us an answer to who’s ship we saw at the end of Thor: Ragnarok. Thanos continues to make it clear that he means business and he will not be stopped. Marvel does a fantastic job of finally delivering on a Darth Vader-esque villain that the franchise so desperately needed. While the movie does a wonderful job of establishing Thanos as this all-powerful being, it is interesting how the filmmakers chose to justify Thanos’ rise to power through a backstory much different from the comics. Despite an odd choice of a backstory, Thanos is a force to be reckoned with and is arguably the best part of the movie. Josh Brolin does an amazing job of portraying this legendary villain in one of the best performances of the MCU and it’s clear that he was the best choice for the role.

To wrap up this review before I end up spoiling the movie, I strongly recommend seeing Avengers: Infinity War. If you’ve been keeping up with the Marvel Cinematic Universe up to this point this is the movie that you have been waiting for and you need to check it out. This film has very few weaknesses, with the only real weaknesses here being the lack of explanation for certain characters being absent for the film such as Hawkeye or Valkyrie. There were a few missed opportunities to throw in songs from previous MCU movies that would have drastically improved certain scenes. The strengths of this movie outweigh the minor complaints, however, as each scene flows nicely into a smooth roller coaster ride of a story that doesn’t let up until the final minutes. With a movie as good and as emotionally charged as this one, it will be hard for Marvel, or any other movie that comes out this summer to top Infinity War. The bar has been raised again by Marvel, and I for one hope that they continue to outdo themselves.