Review: Avengers Infinity War
To call Avengers: Infinity War epic would be a severe understatement. Ten years and 18 films in the making, Infinity War is arguably not only the greatest superhero story ever told but one of the best examples of why the Marvel Cinematic Universe remains the gold standard. That the film manages to both too much and yet not enough is a tribute to its creative team - producer Kevin Feige, directors Anthony and Joe Russo, screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and the host of technicians who are integral to both refining and elevating the brand.
The blessing and curse of any superhero film is the intrinsic predictability of its narrative arc. The good guys fight the bad and, whilst there may be a setback or two, good inevitably triumphs. That notion is done away with within the first ten minutes of Infinity War - two longtime characters are irrevocably killed - and the filmmakers continue the assault on audience expectations throughout the film. The message is loud and clear: not everyone, even the most beloved and tenured figures, will come out of this alive. Never have the emotional stakes been so stratospheric.
"It's not overselling it to say that the fate of the universe is at stake," states Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). Indeed, alien warlord Thanos (Josh Brolin) is getting ever closer to obtaining all six of the Infinity Stones which, when fully collected, will allow him the power to slaughter half the beings in existence. What renders Thanos so fearsome as the film progresses is not only his brute strength which, reinforced by the stones he already possesses, allows him to treat the Hulk like a rag doll, but a philosophical clarity that imbues Thanos with an unexpected humanity. He understands that he must pay too high a price for his ambitions and, difficult though it may be, he is willing to achieve his destiny whatever the personal cost.
Lest one forget, two of the remaining Infinity Stones to be collected are on Earth, one in the possession of Doctor Strange, the other firmly embedded in Vision (Paul Bettany). Thus, the Avengers plus the Guardians of the Galaxy must assemble in order to not only thwart Thanos but save one of their own. Their efforts result in reconciliations, begrudging collaborations, and one spectacular battle after another, culminating in a ridiculously thrilling, gasp-inducing, Wakanda-set showdown that somehow manages to top itself at least thrice over before its end.
Despite all of its moving parts, Infinity War never feels bloated and overstuffed. In fact, most of the film functions in shorthand - one doesn't necessarily have to have seen the previous 18 films to understand what's going on - and the Russos maintain a propulsive pace that nevertheless allows for the MCU's trademark levity and banter. That Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Doctor Strange don't exactly embark on a bromance is amusingly expected; less so is the rapport between Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and his new friends Rabbit aka Rocket Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Tree aka Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel), the latter's "I am Groot" language Thor understands because apparently it was an elective in his home planet of Asgard. Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) is not exactly welcoming of this far more handsome and muscled man, especially since both Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Drax (Dave Bautista, perhaps the MCU's most consistent scenestealer) are so admiring of the Asgardian. "It's like a pirate made a baby with an angel," Drax proclaims. Bruce Banner's (Mark Ruffalo) unsuccessful attempts to call forth the Hulk are also a terrific source of humour.
Yet its serious moments are equally affecting - the complex family dynamics between Thanos and adopted daughter Gamora, the renewed realisation that Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is still but a boy, that ferocity in Captain America's (Chris Evans) eyes as he fights Thanos, and the sense of defeat that begins to pervade each and every one of our heroes. Then there's that jaw-dropper of a cliffhanger that is both shocking and bracing in its boldness. Those final five or ten minutes have to be one of the most terrifying, surreal, heartbreaking, did-that-just-happen sequences in recent memory, and which is sure to leave audiences in a state of darkness and uncertainty until next year's conclusion.
Avengers: Infinity War
Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Written by: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely; based on the comics created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Starring: Robert Downey, Jr., Josh Brolin, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Hiddleston, Chadwick Boseman, Chris Pratt, Sebastian Stan, Benedict Cumberbatch, Zoe Saldana, Tom Holland, Anthony Mackie, Benedict Wong, Karen Gillan, Vin Diesel, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Pom Klementieff, Benicio Del Toro, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Don Cheadle, Winston Duke, Gwyneth Paltrow, Peter Dinklage, Idris Elba, Florence Kasumba, Cobie Smulders, Samuel L. Jackson, Carrie Coon, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, William Hurt
