AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

1/2 PG-13, 149 minutes. Through tonight only at Mystic Luxury Cinemas. Still playing at Niantic, Waterford, Stonington, Westbrook, Lisbon. “Infinity War,” written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, isn’t all comfort food. In fact, it’s a very dark film about loss and grief, following our group of superheroes through the traumas and violence they’ve endured. It also attempts to pull the rug out from under fans that have followed these characters from film to film for a decade. Don’t worry though, there’s still a healthy amount of easy humor threaded throughout (one of the hallmarks of the Marvel superhero films, where the heroes crack wise as much as they crack heads). The film almost plays like a comedy in a crowded theater, especially with some of the more inspired pairings. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) finds himself teaming up with Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), and the two cocky geniuses trade dry barbs. When Thor (Chris Hemsworth) crashes into the windshield of the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Starlord (Chris Pratt) is instantly emasculated by the impressive God of Thunder. The pairings and deft humor are the best part of the film, and the plot, helpfully, leaves a lot of room for that to breathe. With so many characters and backstories to weave together, the story isn’t all that complicated. Giant purple space titan Thanos (Josh Brolin) has some strong beliefs about overpopulation and resource management. The problem is he thinks random genocide is the only way to solve this. — Katie Walsh, Tribune Content Agency