I’ll only have this to say for Infinity War. It’s fucking insane. It’s a masterclass in balancing. It’s probably our generation’s version of “The Empire Strikes Back.” The Russo Brothers have done an amazingly fantastic job in culminating 10 years of Marvel’s Cinematic Universe, and condensing it in about 2 and a half hours of screentime, beautifully juggling 60 over main characters spanning 8 franchises, and never one to tone down on the action throughout the whole duration. We’ll get to these bits later in the review.
SPOILERS AHEAD
I’m fairly sure most of us now have some sort of grasp of what Infinity War is about. Thanos (Josh Brolin) descends from the realms to gather the Infinity Stones, and proceeds to restore balance in the universe, by obliterating life forms altogether. The Avengers, aided by practically everyone else combine forces to stop Thanos from ultimately completing his destiny.
This then predictably, ensues in multi-planet chaos, each with their own unravelling subplots that eventually intertwine to escalate the plot into a gargantuan shitstorm.
What’s particularly amazing in Infinity War is the fact that every character in the movie has its own moment to shine, to showcase their fully fledged abilities, and in turn, apply them in combat alongside characters. This results in a melting pot of different fighting styles never seen together before on one battlefield, which makes for a unique spectacle in itself.
This is all nice and good, but the real star of the show is no other than the villain, or more accurately, the antagonist. You see, in the heroes’ eyes, Thanos is perceived as evil, selfish even, because of his intention to wipe half the universe to restore balance. However, it’s quite a different case altogether when viewed from Thanos’ POV, because in his mind, he is the good guy, and only he has the willpower to do what’s right for what he thinks is the greater good. Feige and the Russo Brothers have pulled off possibly Marvel’s most human villain yet, thanks no less to Brolin’s incredible translation of humanistic emotions, juxtaposed with the complexion of a higher being.
It’s scary when your decision making is scrambled, because the issue played out in the movie also eerily mirrors suggestions brought up to curb the population here in the real world. It doesn’t help that Brolin simmers sympathy towards his cause, further blurring the lines between the traditional good or bad.
The sheer amount of content that’s happening makes for an unstoppable movie that keeps you on edge, from the well-timed lighthearted jokes, to the scoring that syncs the mood and feel of what’s going on, effectively pulling you along an emotional rollercoaster, one that you’ve never experienced before in such lengths and scale in a Marvel movie. You can be as ready as you want to be, but you will never be fully ready for what’s coming.
