NOTE: This review will have as few spoilers as possible, limited to only what has been seen in the major trailers. But let it be known that the marketing has actually hidden a lot of what makes up the final product.
This is the big one. After a ten-year build-up, 18 movies and a large array of heroes, villains and side characters, the journey that Marvel Studios and their cinematic universe have been building up to is finally reaching its climax with Avengers: Infinity War, the first of a two-part finale of the current iteration of the franchise. These movies have been setting up so many individual bits and pieces that make up this climatic battle, from five of the six Infinity Stones (each of which being a key part of various individual entries) to the big bad Thanos himself, whilst taking these characters, evolving them over so much time, and making us attached to them on an emotional level – it's something of the perfect way of creating a multi-film franchise, and a key reason why Marvel Studios' film branch is the only one to have perfected the gimmick. But with so many characters on hand and so much anticipation building up over all this time, can Captain America directors Joe and Anthony Russo successfully take this mega-franchise and reach as high a quality as the fans want it to be?
After years of hiding in the shadows and hiring various other beings to do his bidding, the mad Titan Thanos (played by Josh Brolin via motion capture) is finally undergoing the arduous task of collecting the six Infinity Stones: the Power Stone, last seen in Guardians of the Galaxy within the vaults of the planet Xandar; the Mind Stone which has been the power source behind Avengers team member Vision; the Reality Stone, which is housed on Knowhere with the Collector; the Space Stone, which was last seen in Odin's vault in Thor: Ragnarok; the Time Stone, that's housed around Doctor Strange's (Benedict Cumberbatch) neck; and the Soul Stone, with its whereabouts unknown to all bar one. Alongside his adopted children – members of a group nicknamed 'The Black Order' – the despot seeks to complete his Infinity Gauntlet (the only object that can house all six Stones), regardless of what stands in his path. With this, various factions of heroes – whether they be Avengers members old and new, the Guardians of the Galaxy, or heroes not yet introduced to the mainline franchise – must lay down their lives for possibly the last time in order to stop the Titan from fulfilling his self-made destiny and wiping out half the universe. With so much at stake and so many lives already lost, can this mission actually succeed?
It's important to note that this film truly feels like a gift to those who have been following this long journey for a good amount of time, as it could be argued that it feels like a very fan-service based film. There are countless callbacks to previous films and catching over characters up with what they've missed (most notably during a verbal sparring match between Chrises Hemsworth and Pratt), alongside with all the discussions about the Stones and the true power of Thanos. This could be seen as a major disadvantage for new viewers and is definitely not one you'd introduce the franchise to someone who somehow hasn't seen any of the other films, but considering all the set up that has been going on you can't fault the studio for wanting to go all-in on something that they've worked so hard to set up. And for what it's worth, it makes for such a good time for those fans. Going to a midnight screening for this and just hearing all the laughs, gasps and shocked murmuring (especially during its third act) just shows how much we as an audience have come to care for this universe, and this shake-up of the status quo is exactly what it needed.
Naturally, when it comes to something with as big a massive cast as this (we're talking at least 20 major superheroes, let alone the villains and sidekicks) you’re going to have a bit of problem with balancing out everything – in the same sense as Thanos balancing out the universe – and in the final product there is obvious imbalance at hand. While the entire group are split into various factions which spread out across the universe to places old and new, certain characters, within those factions some characters are given a bit less to do than others. There's also the problem of mixing them all together in the edit; with so many different action beats and important sequences on hand, the edit can at times seem a little jarring as it transitions from one team to the next for large portions of time. However, doing so by cutting between everything at a more erratic rate would just confuse, so the right move was used here.
The Russo Brothers really know what they're doing in the directors' chairs, as they perfectly bring the skills they administered to the adored Captain America sequels to the forefront. With visual cues and imagery that resembles some characters' individual movies (I.e. the Guardians feel like they're in a Guardians of the Galaxy movie, Doctor Strange in his movie, etc.) they have a strong handle of what to do with a large cast and present – alongside director of photography Trent Opaloch - a great-looking movie. There's little shaky-cam action beats like before, you feel every punch and beatdown, and on an IMAX screen, it all looked even more superb, even if the 3D element wasn't administered all that much. As for the visual effects, while not always perfect (one shot near the end of the film almost being ruined by how bad a visual effect was), it is for the large part consistently great, putting that high budget to good use.
I mentioned in my review for Black Panther that there had been something of "a curse within this universe of movies" when it comes to villains. Whether it be the business executives that plagued Iron Man and Ant-Man in their movies or the one-note beings from Thor: The Dark World and Guardians of the Galaxy, there has rarely been a bad guy that reaches the same heights as Loki and, as of this past February, Killmonger. But with Thanos, the studio is triumphant in bringing their A-game. Thanos is a multi-layered villain with a motive that, while still mad, makes sense in the eyes of the character, and Josh Brolin well and truly blends into the role. This is very much his movie, and through all his might and dedication to his task, he makes quite the formidable opponent, proving himself from the start even without the power of the gauntlet. As for his Black Order, each member is distinguishable and unique in their own way, and just like their adoptive father prove themselves mighty foes, moreso than their faceless hordes of Outriders, which take over the Chitauri from the first Avengers.
Within the space cast of characters, Robert Downey Jr is thriving in what may or may not be his final go as the Mickey Mouse of the franchise, Iron Man. The team-up between himself, Doctor Strange and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) makes for a great dynamic that grows over the entire film, and you tell how much of his heart is in this movie. Likewise, Benedict Cumberbatch is continuing to grow in his superhero role, with his American accent a little less grating than in his first appearance and considering his key role in Thanos' plot he's suitably given all the screen time he deserves. As for Holland, he's still just so charming as Peter Parker, and seeing him in a new environment is so refreshing (especially after the small-scaled Spider-Man: Homecoming). Meanwhile, the Guardians still haven't lost their touch, with Zoe Saldana's Gamora having a larger role due to her relationship with Thanos. Chris Pratt is always great, but especially when up against "real man" Hemsworth; Pom Klementieff is given a surprisingly good amount to do and is an improvement from the punch-bag approach taken in Vol. 2; Dave Bautista is just the perfect Drax with so many quotable lines that I dare not spoil here; Karen Gillan continues to grow as Nebula; Bradley Cooper's Rocket is a massive improvement on the jerk we saw last time and shares a surprisingly strong rapport with Hemsworth, but poor Teenage Groot is a little lacking; not adding anything until the final third when he, Rocket and Thor go off on their own adventure. Speaking of Thor, Chris Hemsworth is probably the best of all the heroes involved here. As the one with the strongest arc, Hemsworth's performance is just phenomenal, whilst still being somewhat consistent with his comedic foray in Ragnarok. Tom Hiddleston and Idris Elba also bring great performances to their moments, but for once overshadowed by their king of Asgard.
Back on Earth, Chris Evans has surprisingly less to do than one would otherwise expect. He still leaves a large impact on the film, but in terms of an arc he's the only one of the core trio that doesn't really have one. Likewise, Scarlett Johansson seems to have been cut down a little in the editing room (especially much focus on the relationship with Banner that was set up in Age of Utron) and the double act flight team of Don Cheadle and Anthony Mackie bring plenty in their own right. The relationship of Paul Bettany's Vision and Elizabeth Olsen's Wanda Maximoff is perhaps pushed a little too much, especially when considering that we've only really had one film setting it up beforehand, but it's nonetheless a heart-wrenching aspect of the film and both bring great performances. Within the Wakandan ranks, the Black Panther crew are a little underused considering how much of a hit it's been (although it would have been too late to reshoot and increase their role), but returning stars Chadwick Boseman, Letitia Wright, Danai Gurira and Winston Duke are still great, and post-credits tease star Sebastian Stan is a little underused but still impactful. Finally, Mark Ruffalo is great as Banner/Hulk with an interesting arc to boot, and Benedict Wong's minor role is a fun one. All these characters, and that's not even bearing in mind the ones hidden away, who all do well at either fulfilling their set purpose or creating superbly shocking moments.
Avengers: Infinity War isn't a perfect film. But no other movie, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe or otherwise, has made quite the impact as this. No other movie has caused audible gasps, heartbreak, and cheers of laughter and joy quite like this one, if at all. With its strong-amazing cast of beloved characters and performances, amazing direction and a well-balanced screenplay that's big on laughs and surprises, this is less of a movie and more of an event – an event that has been well worth the 10-year wait. 10/10.
