Nearly all the superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far are crammed in “Avengers: Infinity War.” It still proves to be a daunting effort to fit them and digest the supermassive excitement in an almost three-hour spectacle. Though Marvel’s mightiest event is infinitely entertaining.
“Infinity War” finally bestows viewers a generous serving of the mad titan Thanos (Josh Brolin) – the bulk of the movie’s screen time is dedicated to him and Brolin’s effective motion-capture performance. The menacing villain is oddly sympathetic as his tragic backstory reveals his motivations for wiping out half of life in the universe like with his planet Titan. Thanos is on a quest for the Infinity Stones which will equip him the power to accomplish his goal.
Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Spider-Man (Tom Holland), and the Guardians of the Galaxy team with Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to protect the Time Stone. Meanwhile, Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), and Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) house Vision (Paul Bettany) in Wakanda to keep the Mind Stone safe from the grasp of Thanos and his Children. As chaos ensues across Earth and the galaxy, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), and Groot (Vin Diesel), embark on a mini-mission to forge the Stormbreaker, a weapon ably formidable to fight Thanos.
The weighty action sequences speedily escalate and fly onto planet after planet, then out into space, and back to Earth again. It is nauseating to pace every scene and divulge the characters written in one shot or so. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo separate "Infinity War" from the rest of the MCU entries by orchestrating it as a palpable comic book movie.
Joining the director duo are screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and they devise "Infinity War" into lifting comic book milestones then mobilizing the heroes to battle. The movie entices the human gravitas of the Avengers, and even their foes, from sketched panels to drawn out emotionality.
Marvel Studios’ epic may have been better off just printed on comic book panels where moments are frozen and easily consumed. And the scenes are mutually cut then breathed onto succeeding settings within trimmed frames; like turning a page from the comics. The joy in this grand spectacle, though, is ultimately witnessing Marvel legends team up and clash with Thanos in a vicious yet genius storytelling 10 years in the making.
Unstable as it was, the MCU’s most ambitious project is an organized monster. “Infinity War” devours its fans' hearts, leaving a bloody trail of promise for them to follow the next episode of the saga. Prepare the screeches and heartbreak: this "Avengers" flick is gruesome. After 18 films, “Infinity War” rewards the fans’ patience with mind-bending drama. The dazzlingly painful affair hits loyal eyes with bricks during the frightening finale.
Even a decade into the MCU, Marvel Studios reverses time and cleans its own clock. The “Avengers” franchise still affords the nerve to etch in a disturbing cliffhanger amidst the decade-long wait for its culmination. As beautiful as it is baffling, “Infinity War” is Marvel’s carefully laced gift to cinema, but there is no telling what to feel when it has been unwrapped.
Director: Anthony and Joe Russo
Trailer © Marvel Entertainment; YouTube.com
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