Avengers: Infinity War finds the mighty Avengers facing their toughest test yet, the madman from the planet Titan, Thanos (Josh Brolin). Motivated by a desire to bring balance to a universe he finds to be overpopulated and stretched thin, Thanos seeks to finish his ten-year plan to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts from the beginning of time with the power to manipulate elements of existence: Time, Reality, the Mind, the Soul, Power, and Space. The fate of the universe lies in the ability of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s (MCU) superheroes to stop Thanos before he acquires the power of a god.
Over the past decade, movies from Marvel Studios have largely served their characters over their stories. Key elements to truly great, compelling cinema such as substantial struggles for the protagonists, fully fleshed out and capable villains, and dramatic, emotional beats have traditionally been sacrificed in favor of rapid fire jokes, numerous action sequences, and heroes that always triumph in the face of few challenges. Avengers: Infinity War was supposed to finally fly-in the face of the much debated “Marvel formula” and present insurmountable obstacles for its characters with uncertain fates, necessary sacrifice, and inevitable losses and disappointment. By the time the movie ends, Infinity War does present us with the heavy stakes many of the MCU’s critics have been waiting for. We see many of the heroes in the film that have never faced failure or a problem that they couldn’t quip or punch their way out of at the last second finally have to face a challenge that they were unsure they could overcome. Despite these high stakes, most of the film it felt more like a spectacle than a deep dive into any theme or themes. The motivation of Thanos had potential for depth (more on this below), but other than some light examination of sacrifice and the difference in Thanos’ commitment and dedication to making them versus that of the heroes, we don’t spend a lot of time reflecting on this and instead are offered yet another fight scene over the Infinity Stones pitting a group of heroes versus Thanos’ henchmen The Black Order.
While satisfying the movie’s ending also feels incomplete; like the penultimate episode before the season finale where we’re left to wait another year in order to see this ten year story concluded. Some critics may see this as the problem with cinematic universes; always selling the “next” movie or movies like products instead of singular pieces of art that can stand on their own (especially considering the movie’s one post-credit scene), but I think the filmmakers full vision and intentions must be seen first before casting judgment. Much has been made and will be made of the film’s big ending, with many viewers having already expressed amazement, shock, and awe as soon as they left the theater. The ending wasn’t as shocking or heavy in my eyes as it was for others and I am left to wonder how much of the emotion and suspense that was meant to be conveyed by the conclusion of Infinity War was undercut for me by having the knowledge that it would be coming due to my familiarity with the story from the comic books that these movies are based on, and by my close following of film news. The fates of certain heroes that we see on-screen those that follow the business side of movies know won’t last based on the already announced sequels that are in development, making their way down the conveyor belt. This question is probably one point in favor of the “cinematic universe model as infinite product” crowd. Do these cinematic universe movies lose some of their intended suspense in certain plot points at times due to how planned out in advance they are? Ultimately, I do not think the answer is one that can be generalized. It varies based on execution by the filmmakers and viewers’ investment in the story and characters. For me, the light-hearted way that the struggles of heroes were presented in the early part of the movie made the end result not as impactful as it could have been.
Thanos was allowed to run the emotional gamut as a villain and this made him all the more compelling and interesting. Viewers are able to feel how imposing and intimidating he is but there are also moments of pain and vulnerability from him that we are allowed to see that make us more invested in his story arc. His scenes with Gamora (Zoe Saldana) were the highlight of the film and provided the moments of gravitas, feeling, and drama that allow Infinity War to be more than pure spectacle. Thanos’ motivation as the film’s villain was a potentially compelling one, but that potential was not fully realized. Thanos sought to solve overpopulation of the universe by culling the herd so to speak. As our real world faces these questions over finite resources and our ability to feed the global population and sustain the environment, the opportunity to explore these reality-based questions through these characters was a real. Is overpopulation a real problem or, are there actually enough resources for every citizen of the globe and the true problem that they’re hoarded by the greedy global elite? If overpopulation is a real problem, what’s the solution? Do the population numbers have to be controlled or is there a more humane way to deal with the issue? Unfortunately, this compelling debate didn’t receive much attention or examination in the movie other than a blanket “You’re a madman” response from the heroes toward Thanos. Seeing at least one of the heroes present in Infinity War wrestle with Thanos’ point of view and left questioning their own morality and belief system would have been great to include here and it is this key element of great storytelling that Marvel Studios movies have always lacked, save for this winter’s Black Panther where the violent revolutionary worldview of that film’s villain Erik Killmonger was fully examined and juxtaposed against that of the movie’s namesake hero, T’Challa. That examination of isolationism vs. radical liberation provided that much more weight and thematic depth to the Killmonger vs. Black Panther struggle and is what separates great films from good movies. Had that same, fully realized comparison of hero vs. villain paradigms been utilized here, it would’ve taken both Thanos and Infinity War itself to another level.
Marvel’s distracting, and at times, corny humor was present in this movie and it did interrupt some moments that should have been allowed to breathe and be tense or impactful. Despite this, during the moments where the movie absolutely needed to be emotionally resonant, it was allowed to be. The comedy elements worked best with the Guardians of the Galaxy which is to be expected as that the tone of that particular team and their movies are more comedic in nature. Drax (Dave Bautista) continues to be the comedic highlight of the MCU as the literal, sometimes straight man brute alien. I was also shocked by how much I enjoyed the characterization of Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in this movie. While I disagreed with the change in direction for the character to more of a bumbling funny man in Thor Ragnarok, I was pleasantly surprised to find that his portrayal here struck a perfect balance between being humorous and a powerful God of Thunder, full of heroism. The scale of Thor’s power and abilities were fully realized in this movie and put on display in a way worthy of the character.
The visuals for much of Infinity War were very good, as much of the movie takes place in outer space. Marvel’s space-based cinematography, as seen mostly in Thor and Guardian of the Galaxy movies, has always been superb and that continues here. The various colors and CGI in space were done well and close to flawless. This bodes well for the MCU’s Phase 4 as producer Kevin Feige has already announced that era of Marvel Studios movies will be more cosmic-based. The cinematography of the Earth-based scenes however suffer from the same light grey, TV style shots as we’ve become accustomed to from Marvel movies. These scenes are also where some of the CGI becomes a little more spotty and noticeable.
Avengers: Infinity War has been billed as the comic book movie to end all comic book movies. An event of epic proportions and culmination of ten years of planning. The film succeeds in executing spectacle on a level rarely seen before its release, full of bombast and action on a grand scale. For much of the film, this spectacle overshadows all else and at times, it can feel overstuffed nearly to the point of being overwhelming. The backstory of the villain Thanos and his relationship with his daughter Gamora are the movie’s saving grace that prevent it from being a cup of pure sugar into something with at least a hint of substance. While this added emotional weight benefits the movie, it fails to delve deeply enough into Thanos’ motivations and provide enough of a moral or philosophical challenge to its heroes to elevate past just an entertaining action comedy. While those hardcore fans and followers of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will find the film’s cliffhanger ending enough of a deviation from its usual fluff to make this movie a standout, those who are used to film fare where consequences and challenges to the protagonist are not rare will likely not feel as impacted. Still, Avengers: Infinity War is a step in the right direction away from the usual Marvel Studios fare, however small. While time will tell just how different it is from previous Marvel movies that decline in quality the further they get from release, Avengers: Infinity War is worth the price of admission in the here and now.
Image: Walt Disney Studios
