‘Avengers: Infinity War’ dares, achieves greatly
FOR THE past 10 years, Marvel Studios has delivered a great number of firsts, Going all the way back to Iron Man in 2008 at the birth of a cinematic universe. In 2012, the first true test of that idea was overwhelmingly successful with The Avengers. Just this past year, Black Panther was a force to be reckoned with and remains so to this day. Yet, all that seems trivial compared to what the series now faces in Avengers: Infinity War.
After an alien invasion, killer robots, and a civil war, the Avengers have faced it all. Thus far, nothing can amount to the combined might of earth’s mightiest heroes. Each brush with danger only resulting in minor casualties and a few scrapes. Still, nothing lasts forever, and from the far reaches of space, the mad Titan himself emerges. Thanos wants to collect six superpowered stones that, if assembled, will bring about the destruction of half the universe.
Everything in the Marvel Cinematic Universe has led to this moment and just as the heroes face their greatest threat, so, too, do the film-makers. Assembling the Avengers was one thing, but bringing about a film that combines the forces of every Marvel superhero is hitherto undreamt of. Therein lies the success of this film. It performs its task so successfully, you frequently forget what a challenge it was. Avengers: Infinity War makes an impossible venture look like a walk in the park. It’s incredibly well balanced and smoothly paced as well. That said, the film is long and has so many moving parts, it can be hard to keep up. Anyone not at least partially versed in the Marvel Universe might find themselves more than a little confused when the talking tree and raccoon show up.
Within the first five minutes, Avengers: Infinity War shows you why the film is such a phenomenon. It makes moments out of minor characters like only a series with this immense continuity can. The time invested in the stories and heroes of the Marvel Universe can make Infinity War an intense watch, as Josh Brolin’s Thanos infects the film with a sense of dread, as only a great villain does. It’s a movie made for devoted fans, but at the core of it is a solid story about the belief in humanity and the struggle against cynicism Rating: Big Screen Watch