So - Avengers: Infinity War, where to begin?
I think it's a fantastic movie and it's especially amazing that the filmmakers pulled it off. They were tasked with delivering the first part of a climax that did two things -
1 - Delivered the goods with Thanos, the villain that the MCU has been hyping for nearly a decade.
2 - Included almost every superhero character that we've met during that decade.
It's amazing that AIW succeeds wildly in delivering these two goals and also manages to have a tight and compelling story with lots of emotional moments with the characters that we've all come to love.
Could someone go in to this film and know nothing about Marvel superheroes and still enjoy it? Probably not. Seeing this movie is a conditional experience. It's important that you've seen and enjoyed at least 10 out of 18 of the Marvel movies if you want to have a good time.
It's pretty unusual for a movie to basically require that you've seen previous movies in order to enjoy it. This is not uncommon in television at all. No one in their right mind would sit down to season 7 of Game of Thrones without watching the prior 6 seasons, right? I think it's okay that we have to do our due diligence with other MCU movies first before taking in the massive payoff that is AIW.
The 10 movies that I would say are 100% required viewing to appreciate AIW fully -
Iron Man
Captain America: The First Avenger
Marvel's Avengers
Guardians of the Galaxy
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Captain America: Civil War
Doctor Strange
Spiderman Homecoming
Thor Ragnarok
Black Panther
And this is the bare minimum. That is a lot of movies!
If you want to have the absolute BEST experience with AIW you should of course watch all 18 MCU movies, maybe pass on The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man 2, I don't know.
So having made it clear that you're not going to get any critical analysis here - let me get into HEAVY SPOILERS and rank and break down all the stuff that I loved.
Top 5 Favorite Characters (& partnerships) -
5. Doctor Strange - the good doctor is front and center in this epic as he should be, a very critical piece to the puzzle; perhaps THE most critical piece in ultimately beating the bad guy. I loved how Dr. Strange interacted with Stark and also loved when he went full on mystical bad ass with the Shiva goddess multiple arm thing.
4. Spider-Man (or non made up name, Peter Parker) - so many great moments with Marvel's most popular superhero. Really dig that we basically carve out a slice from Homecoming on the school bus and then Spidey descends right into the Infinity War stuff. Great humor up in space, utter heartbreak at the end.
3. Rocket and Thor - A most unexpectedly delightful duo that delivers the biggest cheer of the film and also helps greatly in the humor department.
2. Scarlett Witch and Vision - These were my two favorite comic book Avengers, and I have to say that the big screen versions are even better. Olsen finally dispenses with her uneven accent and I don't miss it. Bettany is note perfect in his performance as the android that breaks our hearts in the end.
1. Thanos - best Marvel villain ever period. It's so great that we can not only understand where he is coming from, but we might even catch ourselves agreeing with him for brief moments before we understand the lengths he is willing to go to. After all, who doesn't want peace and prosperity? Thanos is such a VAST improvement over the comic book character, who just wants to bone death, it's not even funny.
Top 5 Favorite Action Set Pieces - (tough to choose, there are so many!)
5. Hulk gets his ass kicked. - Perfect introduction to Thanos. Hulk gets knocked the fuck out and it's amazing.
4. Wanda saves Vis - outstanding and visceral sequence in Edinburgh Scotland. Really enjoyed the location work (though who knows how much of it is real) and the concept of two very powerful Avengers caught off guard and then the female trying to save her man and get away after he is damaged. Satisfying when Cap and his sidekicks show up, though it is a little strange that the three most human and least powerful Avengers have to rescue two of the most powerful.
3. Tony handheld down the street and around the corner - The long unbroken shot when Stark leaves the Sanctorum and walks down Bleeker and comes across a massive donut in the sky, is about as technically impressive as it gets these days. He's almost clobbered by a crashing car along the way, and when we see the big baddies, it's has a very 9/11 feel to it. Spine tingling and powerful. (The fight with Ebony Maw afterwards is great, but a bit shaky and tight for my tastes. Now that I've seen it a few times, I can follow it much better.)
2. Titan team up - Thanos is almost defeated on Titan by Stark and the gang and the action is superb. Especially dig all the various Dr. Strange portals opening up and closing on cue. Boom! Speaking of Quill, of course he has to blow it but oh well.
1. Wakanda. Well duh. Reminded me a bit of the epic War and Peace battle in the Star Wars prequel Phantom Menace, but so so much better in so many ways. Really dug, in no particular order, War Machine's pyrotechnics, Widow and the other ladies going after Proxima Midnight, Cap and T'Challa sprinting so fast they leave the others in the dust, and of course Thor and Rocket/Groot's epic arrival.
Top 5 Jokes -
5. I am sure I am invisible.
4. Are you making your voice deeper? No.
3. I'll do you one better, WHY Gamora.
2. Kick names and take ass.
1. I am Groot. I am Steve Rogers.
Top 5 Favorite Emotional moments -
5. Quill pulls the trigger - So awesome the moment when Gamora confesses her love for Peter. Lump thoroughly lodged in the throat, eyes watering up.
4. Rocket loses Groot - devastating! Tears a' rolling.
3. Thanos kills Gamora - Incredibly powerful, especially the way Thanos grabs Gamora's arm, in the same manner that all parents grab their toddlers in a supermarket when the toddler has a fit. We all lose our tempers as parents, and there's that moment when you grab them and you're mad - you don't stop loving them for an instant, but you do what you have to do. That was the vibe I got from the very deliberate choice of Thanos grabbing his daughter's arm and Gamora fighting back in the manner of a child.
2. Peter fades away - utterly heartbreaking when Peter says he isn't ready to go.
1. Vision convinces Wanda to end it. - This is the one part in the movie that really, really, got me. I cried probably half a dozen times throughout (I cry easily at movies) but Vision mouthing "It's alright..." TWICE and then of course mouthing "I love you..." right before he buys the farm is JUST SO SO GOOD. LOVE the choice to make the words barely audible.
Top 5 Stand Up and Cheer Moments -
5. Paging Captain Marvel - the moment when the logo pops up, WOW!
4. Boom! Quill's middle finger drop.
3. Wakanda forever!
2. The Hilarious and Deadly Bucky/Rocket Spin!
1. Thor arrives with Rocket & Groot in Wakanda. Perfect camera move + perfect music = #1 Stand Up and Cheer moment!
And so yes, I LOVED this movie. As to where to rank it in my list in the below post, we will get to that, but first, some unfortunate but necessary business of pointing out five teeny tiny NERD nitpicks - the handful of things that I can't help but mention didn't quite add up 100%. Because I am a NERD and it is in my NERD DNA.
5. Cap, Black Widow and Falcon rescue Vision and the Scarlett Witch? Really? Yes, I know Vision was injured and Wanda was frantic because of it, but still - she all by herself could easily take out Cap, Tasha and Sam with very little effort.
4. Ebony Maw can bend time and space, but just kick him out the window and HE DEAD. I know this was a big fun moment for the audience, but it seems highly improbable. Silly I know, nitpicking over the plausibility of the death of an entirely fictional character in an entirely fictional universe.
3. Quill kills trillions by going apeshit. Yes, it is very much in his character - and we are all only human, but this seems to be a bit much even for the hotshot known as Star Lord.
2. Cut off a monsters arm with a portal - but don't try that with Thanos, because... er... why not try it?
1. When Itchy plays Scratchy's rib cage like a xylophone he CLEARLY strikes two different ribs and yet the ribs play the same tone. What, are we supposed to believe Scratchy's ribs are a ''magic" xylophone? I really hope someone gets fired over this gaffe.
And so to ranking - I've gone 'deep into the tank' on this one (that's a poker expression, meaning taking a long time to make a decision) and in the end Avengers Infinity War comes out at number 3, right ahead of Winter Soldier and just behind the original Avengers movie.
I really think this is perhaps the most spectacular superhero movie ever made, mainly because it has the best villain ever AND it manages to give every single superhero their due and there are almost 30 superheroes! Crazy! All the action is top notch, the humor is frequent and great, and we genuinely care about these characters very much. They are endeared to us, so when they hurt we hurt. When they die, we feel it, even knowing deep down that most will be back.
The only reason it's not number one is that the first Avengers is self contained - it's not just a part 1, and Guardians is a remarkable movie, period, not just a superhero movie. It's one that I can recommend to anyone, not just fan boys and girls.
So there it is - I've seen the movie 3 times, I can't wait to see it again and again!
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| Warning: May not have actually happened. |
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