Apr 30, 2018
It’s Marvel Monday and we’re finally here! Today’s movie is “Avengers: Infinity War” (2018), the culmination of a decade of box office hits, written for the screen by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely, and directed by Anthony & Joe Russo. The film stars our many heroes, played by everyone you know, bringing their tales together as Thanos (Josh Brolin) has a date with destiny.
Spoilers ahead.
I’m serious. Like, there’s no way to talk about this film without spoiling it. So, stop, and go see it, then come back.
I have been wondering since the first tease how Feige envisioned tackling the Infinity Gauntlet, one of the most massive crossover events in Marvel history, and especially in this particular continuity. And with a title suggesting the Infinity War saga, without a completed gauntlet, certainly made me scratch my head. However, as “Guardians of the Galaxy” brought us closer, and with last year’s suite of films suggesting any which way, I sat down in that theatre and waited for the magic to happen.
And it did happen, even if they had to tell a lot of story to get there. I mean, a LOT of story, way more than two and a half hours worth, perhaps even topping four hours of content. The Russo brothers do a great job pacing it out, going as slow as they can without shorting screen time for anyone, and letting the rising body count still have significance each step of the way. They also have the benefit of leveraging all the previous special effects budgets, creating a truly dazzling film with a very solid cast.
But that ending. Sure, it makes perfect sense that Thanos would reach his goal of eliminating half the universe, but it also makes this film feel less like the culmination of ten years of storytelling and more like an incomplete story, one we’ll have to wait quite a while to hear the rest of it. I’m in it for the long haul, and it is truly a masterfully crafted film, but it ends on a real downer, leaving this fan feeling pretty adrift, with little hope to be gained from the post-credits scene.
“Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) is a high-stakes, universe-altering superhero film that ends up in the most unlikely place for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So much comes together to craft this story and so much remains untold, the film’s one true weakness. It has the power to move hearts, and astound our senses, but it may leave a few folks feeling something between disappointment and anticipation for the wait ahead of us.
Rotten Tomatoes: 84% (CERTIFIED)
Metacritic: 68
One Movie Punch: 8.8/10
“Avengers: Infinity War” (2018) is rated PG-13 and is currently playing in theatres.