Superhero mash-up is amazingly funny, and human
The marathon that started in 2008, when Marvel Studios dusted off an outdated character and made Iron Man a thoroughly modern superhero struggling with addiction and family demons, is officially in its sprint to the finish. Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) says it: “We’re in the end game now.”
There’s a lot to unpack in Avengers: Infinity War. It could be argued that the film is more than the penultimate chapter of an epic 22part fantasy. It emblematizes how the series has been able to remake the Hollywood landscape, alter the process of global movie distribution, and reshape culture. Marvel chief Kevin Feige’s world-conquering baby ($15 billion and counting) is the model now frequently imitated (DC, Universal’s The Dark Universe, and Fox’s X-Men family), but so far never duplicated. A single film flooding theaters worldwide was a rarity not too long ago, and Black Panther (the second best MCU movie after Captain America: The Winter Soldier) is the tip of a culture-shifting spear. First and foremost, however, Infinity War is a glossy, action-packed, comic book adventure that mostly delivers.
Infinity War picks up immediately following Thor: Ragnarok, with the Big Bad we’ve been waiting for since 2012, Thanos (Josh Brolin), seeking the six infinity stones and the complete omnipotence they bestow. Bruce Banner/ Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) are on the Asgardian refugee ship, but only Banner makes it back to Earth to warn The Avengers of Thanos’ imminent arrival. Problem is, there is no Avengers. The tension between Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) and Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and their allies that began in Captain America: Civil War, stemming from differing ideologies about government superhero oversight, lingers on. Scattered to the four corners of the globe, they eventually come together to fight their shared enemy, bringing Wakandan king T’Challa/ Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and the Guardians of the Galaxy into the mix.
Returning directors Anthony and Joe Russo (Winter Soldier, Civil War) and veteran Marvel writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, have their work cut out for them in crafting a product that meets Marvel’s corporate criteria, pleases Disney’s board of directors, and flatters three dozen big-time movie stars, all the while forging a coherent story. Though fat swathes of Infinity War play like it knows superhero fatigue could be setting in, the Russos, Markus and McFeely, do balance fan service (tons of it) with an engaging story that almost, almost, feels as though something is at stake this time around. Feige and Disney won’t jeopardize a billiondollar property, but Infinity War is most notable for a consistently threatening tone that suggests evil might conquer good for a change. Conflict is rooted not just in Thanos’ conquest but also in the personality clashes and philosophical tensions that have bubbled since The Avengers.
Which is not to say it’s all doom and gloom. The film’s most pleasant surprises are how genuinely funny the aforementioned fan service can be, which works with or without investment in the previous 13 films: Drax (Dave Bautista) marveling at Thor’s “god-man” beauty at the expense of Starlord (Chris Pratt); the magical Strange and scientific Stark’s verbal sparring; and Cap and T’Challa’s easy friendship are all pitch perfect. Markus and McFeely even solve Marvel’s ongoing third act problems this time around. The biggest surprise may be that Infinity War’s emotional core rests with Thanos and his adopted daughter, Guardian Gamora (Zoe Saldana). Brolin is barely recognizable under the CGI but his vocal performance imbues Thanos with humanity, however twisted, and it pays off in scenes with the child who hates him.
The film has no fatal flaws but it does have its share of headscratchers. Why, in over two hours, the original Avenger Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) has nothing to do is baffling, and rolling back the cool, positive imaging of Black Panther is disappointing. And the trope wherein the love interest gets distracted by thoughts of a boy/girlfriend in danger — and blows the mission — needs to be retired. Now.
Will those flaws stop anyone from seeing Avengers: Infinity War? Not a chance. Does it lessen the anticipation it builds for Avengers 4? May 2019 can’t come fast enough.