If you weren't aware of this film hitting theatres you must be living under one huge rock. Infinity War marks the accumulation of several years of huge films, and has officially taken the title of the highest opening weekend gross of all time. I haven't had the time to review it until now due to work but I'm here to now, and while I'd love to talk about everything that happened I'm going to keep it spoiler free for those who haven't seen the film.
In this film we see the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe face their greatest foe yet, a Titan named Thanos who must acquire six infinity stones, mystic stones with near-limitless power that he plans on using to wipe a lot of life from the universe. The Avengers and other heroes must find a way to stop Thanos from getting these stones and destroying their world.
I want to first discuss some technical elements. For starters, this film is very well written. While some beloved characters don't get the screen time you might want and there are times we don't see characters for a while, the film does a solid job of balancing all of its many characters. It also raises the stakes higher than any Marvel film. We see some of the deepest emotional depths in the MCU from characters that are typically used in more lighthearted roles, and the threat of Thanos is felt from start to finish. Speaking of Thanos, he is an incredible villain. Before seeing the film I expected him to be just a big bad guy trying to destroy everything just for the hell of it, but his character is very layered and complex, and his ideals and views while crazy are understandable. He has a clear viewpoint that he thinks is right and at times makes the audience wonder if maybe what he's doing is right and it makes him a very compelling antagonist. The visual effects in the film are astounding. Everything is so well done it makes other films like Justice League look like complete garbage. As I said before the film balances all of its characters quite well, and part of that can be credited to the Russo brothers direction. They also do a really great job in terms of the film's action sequences, as whether hand to hand combat or large scale battles it is all filmed cleanly and without much of any sloppy work. The cinematography in the film is nothing special, but has it's good moments.
It will take me a week to talk about all of the performances in the film so as a whole I'll say it is quite strong. Josh Brolin is incredible as Thanos of course, and some characters I've had issues with in the past such as Thor and Doctor Strange are brought to life very effectively. Chris Hemsworth is doing a great job of taking to the new direction of Thor brought in through Thor: Ragnarok, and has gone from a meh character to a constant stand out. I found Benedict Cumberbatch to be very hit or miss in Doctor Strange but in this film has gotten a much stronger hold on his accent and character. I was also very happy to see some strong emotional work from Chris Pratt which was a surprise. Unfortunately not everyone was on point. I love Mark Ruffalo but his performance didn't work for me at all. It was very awkward and trying to be goofy and it constantly took me out of the action. Luckily most of the others are up to their usual strong performances.
I do have some negatives of the film. There is a lot of comedy in the film, and when that comedy is the snarkiness of the first Avengers film or what we get from Thor and Spider-Man it works really well. However there are times where the comedy gets to be too ridiculous. The Russo brothers made a name for themselves directing episodes of Community, which is a fantastic show, however you can feel moments with its style of comedy and it doesn't fit this film. The Guardians of the Galaxy weren't as funny in this film as usual to me, and the new comedic relief route being taken with Drax makes for only one funny moment in the film. While the balancing act of all the characters is done well, there are certainly times where the film strays from one storyline for too long.
In conclusion, this is a really great film, one that will keep you on the edge of your seat and constantly surprise you. The daunting task of managing all these characters leads to issues from time to time and the comedy at times detracts, but Thanos makes for a great villain and the stakes have never been higher. This is definitely a film you need to go see in theatres. And if you have seen the film and want to discuss any plot points that could spoil the film for others feel free to message me on Instagram or twitter, I'm always down to discuss.
Rating: 4.1/5
Written by Matt McKenzie
In this film we see the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe face their greatest foe yet, a Titan named Thanos who must acquire six infinity stones, mystic stones with near-limitless power that he plans on using to wipe a lot of life from the universe. The Avengers and other heroes must find a way to stop Thanos from getting these stones and destroying their world.
I want to first discuss some technical elements. For starters, this film is very well written. While some beloved characters don't get the screen time you might want and there are times we don't see characters for a while, the film does a solid job of balancing all of its many characters. It also raises the stakes higher than any Marvel film. We see some of the deepest emotional depths in the MCU from characters that are typically used in more lighthearted roles, and the threat of Thanos is felt from start to finish. Speaking of Thanos, he is an incredible villain. Before seeing the film I expected him to be just a big bad guy trying to destroy everything just for the hell of it, but his character is very layered and complex, and his ideals and views while crazy are understandable. He has a clear viewpoint that he thinks is right and at times makes the audience wonder if maybe what he's doing is right and it makes him a very compelling antagonist. The visual effects in the film are astounding. Everything is so well done it makes other films like Justice League look like complete garbage. As I said before the film balances all of its characters quite well, and part of that can be credited to the Russo brothers direction. They also do a really great job in terms of the film's action sequences, as whether hand to hand combat or large scale battles it is all filmed cleanly and without much of any sloppy work. The cinematography in the film is nothing special, but has it's good moments.
It will take me a week to talk about all of the performances in the film so as a whole I'll say it is quite strong. Josh Brolin is incredible as Thanos of course, and some characters I've had issues with in the past such as Thor and Doctor Strange are brought to life very effectively. Chris Hemsworth is doing a great job of taking to the new direction of Thor brought in through Thor: Ragnarok, and has gone from a meh character to a constant stand out. I found Benedict Cumberbatch to be very hit or miss in Doctor Strange but in this film has gotten a much stronger hold on his accent and character. I was also very happy to see some strong emotional work from Chris Pratt which was a surprise. Unfortunately not everyone was on point. I love Mark Ruffalo but his performance didn't work for me at all. It was very awkward and trying to be goofy and it constantly took me out of the action. Luckily most of the others are up to their usual strong performances.
I do have some negatives of the film. There is a lot of comedy in the film, and when that comedy is the snarkiness of the first Avengers film or what we get from Thor and Spider-Man it works really well. However there are times where the comedy gets to be too ridiculous. The Russo brothers made a name for themselves directing episodes of Community, which is a fantastic show, however you can feel moments with its style of comedy and it doesn't fit this film. The Guardians of the Galaxy weren't as funny in this film as usual to me, and the new comedic relief route being taken with Drax makes for only one funny moment in the film. While the balancing act of all the characters is done well, there are certainly times where the film strays from one storyline for too long.
In conclusion, this is a really great film, one that will keep you on the edge of your seat and constantly surprise you. The daunting task of managing all these characters leads to issues from time to time and the comedy at times detracts, but Thanos makes for a great villain and the stakes have never been higher. This is definitely a film you need to go see in theatres. And if you have seen the film and want to discuss any plot points that could spoil the film for others feel free to message me on Instagram or twitter, I'm always down to discuss.
Rating: 4.1/5
Written by Matt McKenzie
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