The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has done something incredible when it comes to modern-day cinema—it crafted something new. It made a universe of distinct yet connected film series that can come together for various crossovers and massive epics. They took the comic book formula and applied it to film, and it succeeded beyond all expectations! With Phase One of the MCU franchise, it is feasible to jump into any MCU series and understand most, if not all its content…until you reach The Avengers. By Phase Two, jumping straight into any MCU series becomes far more difficult—for example, Iron Man 3 may be the sequel to Iron Man 2, but without having seen The Avengers, the viewers will be left confused by various details such as Stark’s panic attacks. The Avengers additionally requires the viewings of Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger to fully comprehend its plot. By Phase Three, the MCU becomes near impossible to jump in. Films such as Spider-Man: Homecoming may technically be a reboot of the Spider-Man franchise, but without previous knowledge of Iron Man, The Avengers, and even Captain America, the film is a mess to follow both in terms of comedy, characterization, and backstory.
Avengers: Infinity War is, so to speak, the seventeenth sequel to 2008’s Iron Man. Trying to jump straight into Infinity War without having seen any of the MCU’s previous films would be storytelling suicide. To understand what’s fully happening here requires general knowledge from, at least, the following films: Iron Man, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War, Doctor Strange, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Spider-Man: Homecoming, Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther. That’s fourteen of the previous seventeen MCU films Infinity War is requiring a viewer to remember to fully grasp the film, and even then, remembering around thirty hours of past content is a difficult task especially if you haven’t recently watched all the films (like me). Infinity War also gives little time for exposition, so if a newcomer is hoping to get caught up here, they will be sorely disappointed.
And yet (and here’s the truly astonishing part) people—both comic book nerds and average joes—still flock to see the MCU’s films, Infinity War included, despite the massive amount of information it asks its viewers to watch and remember. How the MCU succeeds despite the amount it requires viewers to know is surprisingly simple—while the quality varies from film to film, the MCU’s content is ultimately effective entertainment that has succeeded over the past ten years with its key-winning formula of balanced comedy, action and character drama. Despite the astounding amount of pressure and hype, Avengers: Infinity War succeeds at utilizing the formula in crafting an engaging story with great action sequences, hilarious comedy, and lovely character interactions among one of the largest star-studded casts I’ve seen in film.
MAJOR SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ONWARD:
Infinity War opens on a notably grim scene, quite possibly the grimmest MCU intro so far. The Asgardian spaceship from Thor Ragnarok is discovered by Thanos (Josh Brolin) and his minions, who proceed to kill off a large portion of the crew including Heimdall (Idris Elba) and even Loki (Tom Hiddleston, and yes, this time he really does seem to die). If that’s not enough, Thanos proceeds to easily kick the crap out of both Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Hulk/Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) thanks to the Power Stone in his Infinity Gauntlet. Heimdall manages to transport Hulk to Earth before dying, with Thanos obtaining the Space Stone from Loki and leaving Thor to die. Thor survives his injuries, however, and literally bumps into the Guardians of the Galaxy while floating in space. Guardians Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), adopted daughter of Thanos Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Groot (Vin Diesel) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) team up with Thor to help stop Thanos.
Where Infinity War avoids Age of Ultron and Civil War’s character overload is in its balanced separation of the numerous characters into small groups that gradually come together to form two large groups—one on Earth and the other on Thanos’ home planet Titan. The decision is very effective, and likely one of the few ways they could have successfully focused on so many characters in a two-and-a-half-hour run span. Such a format allows both major and minor characters to have their time in the limelight, whether it be through colorful interactions, minor skirmishes and/or major battles. The various group dynamics change the film’s tone depending on the individuals. A group consisting of Captain America, Black Widow, Scarlett Witch, Vision and Bruce Banner is primarily serious—with the characters focused on the gravity of the increasingly foreboding situation. Meanwhile, Thor’s interactions with the Guardians of the Galaxy are largely lighthearted and comedic with dark humor and witty banter even when focused on serious events. The group consisting of Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Doctor Strange finds middle ground between serious strategic planning and witty banter.
My preference for the MCU will always lie more towards the more lighthearted scenes than the serious ones. The Infinity War’s serious, bleak looking trailers had me genuinely worried about the film’s comedic side. Fortunately, Infinity War contains a wonderful array of great comedic performances, hilarious jokes, and witty, new interactions throughout. A beautiful element to the MCU’s style of comedy is its utilization of its characters to satirize the current situation at hand no matter how serious. Having Iron Man refer to Thanos—a genocidal extremist bend on destroying half the universe—as Grimace from McDonald's may just be a minor tongue-in-cheek jab, but it’s these minor comedic moments that help keep the film’s serious situation from becoming too serious, grim and/or edgy. It also serves to make the series’s more ridiculous situations much easier to digest. A giant purple alien with a big chin trying to rule the universe is far from the easiest thing to take seriously, especially for the average movie viewer, but when the in-film characters are, themselves, pointing out such ridiculous features, it both makes suspension of disbelief easier to accept and allows the viewer to better relate with the characters pointing out such aspects.
Infinity War’s comedy is equally great in conventional terms as well. Post-Ragnarok Thor with the Guardians of the Galaxy—Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Doctor Strange all under the same spaceship roof! The writers probably didn’t have to do much, just write the setting and jot down “Actors interact. The comedy comes naturally.” Oh, there’s just such many hilariously refreshing interactions here—so many new combos the film takes full advantage of. Here are a few of my favorites that I’ll let speak for themselves:
One of my favorite jokes within Infinity War is the Stan Lee cameo as a school bus driver. The cameo isn't only funny because it's Stan Lee, but also from how nonchalantly he reacts to a giant spaceship appearing in New York; "What's the matter with you kids? You've never seen a spaceship before?" It's a great jab at how spaceships have become a dime a dozen site in the MCU. Another joke I love is when Spider-Man asks Mantis and Drak what they do and Mantis replies "Kick names, take ass." The execution of this joke is perfect, from Drak nodding in agreement while replying "Yeah, that's right." to the extended dumbfounded look on Iron Man's face that these two are sentient beings before swinging right back into his planning. Mantis, if I can call out one character into the limelight here, is a character that has definitely grown on me since her introduction in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2., where I initially believed her to be a bit character. Infinity War seems to reinforce Mantis' status as a new member of the Guardians, and I'm absolutely fine with such as she is a very endearing character. I especially love how the film utilizes her ability in the plan to defeat Thanos, giving her relevance to the story as more than comedic relief.
MAJOR SPOILERS FROM THIS POINT ONWARD:
Infinity War opens on a notably grim scene, quite possibly the grimmest MCU intro so far. The Asgardian spaceship from Thor Ragnarok is discovered by Thanos (Josh Brolin) and his minions, who proceed to kill off a large portion of the crew including Heimdall (Idris Elba) and even Loki (Tom Hiddleston, and yes, this time he really does seem to die). If that’s not enough, Thanos proceeds to easily kick the crap out of both Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Hulk/Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) thanks to the Power Stone in his Infinity Gauntlet. Heimdall manages to transport Hulk to Earth before dying, with Thanos obtaining the Space Stone from Loki and leaving Thor to die. Thor survives his injuries, however, and literally bumps into the Guardians of the Galaxy while floating in space. Guardians Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), adopted daughter of Thanos Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Groot (Vin Diesel) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) team up with Thor to help stop Thanos.
Meanwhile, Banner crash lands on Earth in the Sanctum Sanctorum of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and informs him of Thanos’ plan. Through a series of attacks by Thanos’ minions, Doctor Strange, Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland) end up traveling to Thanos’ homeland, while Banner teams up with Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Vision (Paul Bettany), eventually T'Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and a whole bunch of other characters all to stop Thanos from receiving the Infinity Gems and carrying out his plans of annihilating half the universe’s population.
Where Infinity War avoids Age of Ultron and Civil War’s character overload is in its balanced separation of the numerous characters into small groups that gradually come together to form two large groups—one on Earth and the other on Thanos’ home planet Titan. The decision is very effective, and likely one of the few ways they could have successfully focused on so many characters in a two-and-a-half-hour run span. Such a format allows both major and minor characters to have their time in the limelight, whether it be through colorful interactions, minor skirmishes and/or major battles. The various group dynamics change the film’s tone depending on the individuals. A group consisting of Captain America, Black Widow, Scarlett Witch, Vision and Bruce Banner is primarily serious—with the characters focused on the gravity of the increasingly foreboding situation. Meanwhile, Thor’s interactions with the Guardians of the Galaxy are largely lighthearted and comedic with dark humor and witty banter even when focused on serious events. The group consisting of Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Doctor Strange finds middle ground between serious strategic planning and witty banter.
My preference for the MCU will always lie more towards the more lighthearted scenes than the serious ones. The Infinity War’s serious, bleak looking trailers had me genuinely worried about the film’s comedic side. Fortunately, Infinity War contains a wonderful array of great comedic performances, hilarious jokes, and witty, new interactions throughout. A beautiful element to the MCU’s style of comedy is its utilization of its characters to satirize the current situation at hand no matter how serious. Having Iron Man refer to Thanos—a genocidal extremist bend on destroying half the universe—as Grimace from McDonald's may just be a minor tongue-in-cheek jab, but it’s these minor comedic moments that help keep the film’s serious situation from becoming too serious, grim and/or edgy. It also serves to make the series’s more ridiculous situations much easier to digest. A giant purple alien with a big chin trying to rule the universe is far from the easiest thing to take seriously, especially for the average movie viewer, but when the in-film characters are, themselves, pointing out such ridiculous features, it both makes suspension of disbelief easier to accept and allows the viewer to better relate with the characters pointing out such aspects.
Infinity War’s comedy is equally great in conventional terms as well. Post-Ragnarok Thor with the Guardians of the Galaxy—Iron Man, Spider-Man, and Doctor Strange all under the same spaceship roof! The writers probably didn’t have to do much, just write the setting and jot down “Actors interact. The comedy comes naturally.” Oh, there’s just such many hilariously refreshing interactions here—so many new combos the film takes full advantage of. Here are a few of my favorites that I’ll let speak for themselves:
Star-Lord: The Avengers?
Thor: The Earth's mightiest heroes.
Mantis: Like Kevin Bacon?
Thor: He may be on the team. I don't know, I haven't been there in a while.
Spider-Man: I'm Peter, by the way.
Doctor Strange: Doctor Strange.
Spider-Man: Oh, we're using our made-up names. Um... I'm Spider-Man, then.
Doctor Strange: Ok, let me ask you this one time: What master do you serve?
Star-Lord: Oh, what master do I serve? What am I supposed to say, Jesus?
Drax: Tell him about the dance-off to save the Universe.
Iron Man: What dance-off?
Star-Lord: It's not a thing.
Spider-Man: Like in Footloose, the movie?
Star-Lord: Exactly like Footloose. Is it still the greatest movie in history?
Spider-Man: It never was.
One of my favorite jokes within Infinity War is the Stan Lee cameo as a school bus driver. The cameo isn't only funny because it's Stan Lee, but also from how nonchalantly he reacts to a giant spaceship appearing in New York; "What's the matter with you kids? You've never seen a spaceship before?" It's a great jab at how spaceships have become a dime a dozen site in the MCU. Another joke I love is when Spider-Man asks Mantis and Drak what they do and Mantis replies "Kick names, take ass." The execution of this joke is perfect, from Drak nodding in agreement while replying "Yeah, that's right." to the extended dumbfounded look on Iron Man's face that these two are sentient beings before swinging right back into his planning. Mantis, if I can call out one character into the limelight here, is a character that has definitely grown on me since her introduction in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2., where I initially believed her to be a bit character. Infinity War seems to reinforce Mantis' status as a new member of the Guardians, and I'm absolutely fine with such as she is a very endearing character. I especially love how the film utilizes her ability in the plan to defeat Thanos, giving her relevance to the story as more than comedic relief.
Infinity War contains great action scenes. They are fluent, engaging, entertaining, epic, a blend between intense and funny (depending on the scene), and best of all, easy to follow. I could tell exactly what was happening in every scene—no issues with blurry motion or nauseous shaky cam. Infinity War’s wide scope allows for an array of different, colorful settings. Cities, spaceships, deserts, grasslands, forests, dark settings, bright settings, epic armies, small-scale skirmishes, etc. If there’s one aspect these actions sequences lack, however, it's with the antagonists. If you were hoping the MCU would amp up their game for Infinity War from their usual brand of bland villainy…you’ll be disappointed. Thanos’ “children” and minions are little more than obstacles with gimmicks—one guy has telekinesis, there’s a bulky muscular guy, the token female villain, etc. I understand why this is the case—trying to flesh out all these new villains in a film already jam-packed with characters would be a pacing nightmare—but it doesn’t make the minions one-dimensionality any less underwhelming.
Now Thanos, on the other hand, is a far more interesting antagonist than his children. What I find most interesting about the purple menace is his seemingly endless curiosity about the creatures around him. The big bad is playfully cruel—toying with his enemies’s emotions and often testing how they tick. There’s an interesting bit where Thanos journeys with Gamora to find the Soul Stone. Here (along with earlier scenes between Thanos and Gamora), the viewers see a softer side to the conqueror, revealing he genuinely cares for Gamora as his adopted daughter. I do wish the franchise had given more backstory/flashbacks towards Thanos’ relationship with Gamora (whether it be here or in previous films), as his tears do come across as somewhat forced development.
There’s no denying, however, that Infinity War got down how to portray Thanos’ power. When a film opens with the antagonist casually beating the Hulk into submission, it’s clear the baddie is nothing to scoff at. One of my favorite scenes is near the end where Thanos easily brushes aside each and every Avenger coming at him with a simple wave of his hand, only to be momentarily stopped by Captain America, one of the more underpowered characters. Here’s a lone soldier giving it his all to try and hold off an omnipotent being with no chance of victory—it is certainly a powerful scene, and I enjoy how Thanos is halted not out of difficulty, but from fascination at such a meager creature’s determined resistance.
Infinity War’s big surprise twist here is that Thanos wins. He obtains all the Infinity Stones and kills off half of the universe’s population. Now, I don’t buy for a second that these characters are dead, and I doubt anyone else has either. You’d have to be committing marketing suicide to permanently kill off Black Panther, most of the Guardians, and Spider-Man—the latter being the MCU’s next poster child when the older actors eventually retire. All three characters have future films planned for development anyway, so unless those announced sequels are red herrings, these characters are coming back to life. Doctor Strange clearly had a plan when giving Thanos the Time Stone, why else would he tell Iron Man “it was the only way”. They’re all returning—heck I even suspect Gamora, Vision, and Loki could possibly be revived as well. That said, Spider-Man’s “death” is truly one of the most heartbreaking moments in the MCU. A young boy scared of dying, falling into the arms of a man who’s grown to love him like a son. The man telling the boy he’s alright as the boy begs him to help while turning to dust, using his last breath to apologize, believing he’s failed the man. It’s a really well-made, tragic scene with some great acting from Tom Holland.
Unlike Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War is not a repeat of its previous series title. The film is different. It is a collaboration of nearly every major and minor character in the universe so far. It ends with the main antagonist winning. Infinity War may not reach the revolutionary game-changing levels The Avengers did back in 2012, but it certainly aimed to match it. Yet ambition and innovation mean little if the film’s entertainment flops. Yet Infinity War does not fail to entertain, being an engaging piece of blockbuster epic. Great action, hilarious dialogue, refreshing interactions, and a stunning variety of cast members playing colorful, likable, endearing characters.
Now Thanos, on the other hand, is a far more interesting antagonist than his children. What I find most interesting about the purple menace is his seemingly endless curiosity about the creatures around him. The big bad is playfully cruel—toying with his enemies’s emotions and often testing how they tick. There’s an interesting bit where Thanos journeys with Gamora to find the Soul Stone. Here (along with earlier scenes between Thanos and Gamora), the viewers see a softer side to the conqueror, revealing he genuinely cares for Gamora as his adopted daughter. I do wish the franchise had given more backstory/flashbacks towards Thanos’ relationship with Gamora (whether it be here or in previous films), as his tears do come across as somewhat forced development.
There’s no denying, however, that Infinity War got down how to portray Thanos’ power. When a film opens with the antagonist casually beating the Hulk into submission, it’s clear the baddie is nothing to scoff at. One of my favorite scenes is near the end where Thanos easily brushes aside each and every Avenger coming at him with a simple wave of his hand, only to be momentarily stopped by Captain America, one of the more underpowered characters. Here’s a lone soldier giving it his all to try and hold off an omnipotent being with no chance of victory—it is certainly a powerful scene, and I enjoy how Thanos is halted not out of difficulty, but from fascination at such a meager creature’s determined resistance.
Infinity War’s big surprise twist here is that Thanos wins. He obtains all the Infinity Stones and kills off half of the universe’s population. Now, I don’t buy for a second that these characters are dead, and I doubt anyone else has either. You’d have to be committing marketing suicide to permanently kill off Black Panther, most of the Guardians, and Spider-Man—the latter being the MCU’s next poster child when the older actors eventually retire. All three characters have future films planned for development anyway, so unless those announced sequels are red herrings, these characters are coming back to life. Doctor Strange clearly had a plan when giving Thanos the Time Stone, why else would he tell Iron Man “it was the only way”. They’re all returning—heck I even suspect Gamora, Vision, and Loki could possibly be revived as well. That said, Spider-Man’s “death” is truly one of the most heartbreaking moments in the MCU. A young boy scared of dying, falling into the arms of a man who’s grown to love him like a son. The man telling the boy he’s alright as the boy begs him to help while turning to dust, using his last breath to apologize, believing he’s failed the man. It’s a really well-made, tragic scene with some great acting from Tom Holland.
Unlike Age of Ultron, Avengers: Infinity War is not a repeat of its previous series title. The film is different. It is a collaboration of nearly every major and minor character in the universe so far. It ends with the main antagonist winning. Infinity War may not reach the revolutionary game-changing levels The Avengers did back in 2012, but it certainly aimed to match it. Yet ambition and innovation mean little if the film’s entertainment flops. Yet Infinity War does not fail to entertain, being an engaging piece of blockbuster epic. Great action, hilarious dialogue, refreshing interactions, and a stunning variety of cast members playing colorful, likable, endearing characters.
