Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Infinity War is the Empire Strikes Back of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

This is a comparison made quite often – not just for this film, but for nearly every franchise. At some point, every gritty sequel will be likened to the practical perfection of Empire and its usurping of its predecessor’s formula. Whether this is deserved or not is a contentious subject with the fans of whatever franchise falls prey to the discussion.

With the Marvel Cinematic Universe, though, Infinity War fits the mold perfectly. For the first time in these nineteen films, the stakes are real and not contrived by an incompetent villain. For the first time, the villain is a true psychopathic terror that gets true sympathy that can even approach empathy. For the first time (at least in an Avengers film), this group of god-like beings feels truly threatened by the antagonist, incapable of stopping them. There’s other parallels to be made for sure – like how both Infinity War and Empire split up all their characters for most of the film – but make no mistake: this film is a marked improvement upon the typical MCU installment.

All of this is because of Thanos and Josh Brolin’s portrayal of the character. He comes out swinging in the first moments of the film in a way that very few villains do; in this first scene, Thanos shows his power, killing scores of people with his bare hands and just one of the Infinity Stones. It becomes incredibly clear as the movie progresses that these stones make Thanos a practically unstoppable being – and the way the film portrays him makes this ominous figure feel all the more brooding and ominous. This is Thanos’s movie in a similar way to how Empire could be said to be Vader’s or The Dark Knight as the Joker’s; his shadow is cast over every nook and cranny of the narrative. Part of his depth can also be attributed to just how insane yet simultaneously reasonable his goal is; despite how obvious his nature as a psychopath is, his aim for the universe makes just enough sense that I could buy it. Thanos also shows genuine human emotion when he has to make sacrifices for the sake of achieving his goal, helping to round out his portrayal in a way I don’t think Marvel has done before.

When I look at a film like Infinity War, though, I cannot help but marvel (ha) at how anyone could hope to balance the scores of characters in this universe into a single film – yet this is the second time Joe and Anthony Russo have been able to do so without showing any sign of strain. That doesn’t mean that every character gets an equal amount of time, but when watching it no one felt missing or left out. There also are not nearly as many moments of setup as Age of Ultron or even the original Avengers, so the narrative is not allowed to bog itself down in world-building. The Russo Brothers helm this film expertly, giving it a grander feel than their turns behind the camera for the previous two Captain America films, part of which is no doubt due to the use of IMAX cameras for every frame of film. There is so much color as well, particularly in the sequences set outside of Earth.

I feel like I am bound to not say much more lest I spoil this fantastic journey through the universe that Marvel has built over the last ten years. Infinity War sets the stage for the end of one era of these films so well and provides a satisfying, rich experience for all who see it. It does not feel incomplete, and despite its length it rarely overstays its welcome or slows its pace. It kept me captivated, left me breathless, and ends in a highly emotionally satisfying way, compelling me to ask what could happen next – as I honestly do not know to where the franchise can progress from here.

My recommendation: Everybody invested in the MCU needs to see it.

My grade: 89/100