Re-Visiting the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Avengers: Infinity War

 "Avengers: Infinity War" (2018)

It's crazy to think that everything for the first ten years of the MCU was leading to this. Thanos and his search for the Infinity Stones and his confrontation with the heroes of the MCU begins its culmination in this film. I'm going to just say this from the start, this is one of my favorite MCU films. I prefer it to Endgame. I will die on this hill.

Principal photography began in January 2017 and wrapped in July 2017. The film stars Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America, Robert Downey, Jr as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Scarlet Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk, Don Cheadle as James "Rhodey" Rhodes/War Machine, Benedict Cumberbatch as Doctor Stephen Strange, Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa/Black Panther, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Paul Bettany as Vision, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/The Falcon, Sebastian Stan as James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes/Winter Soldier, Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star Lord, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Bradley Cooper as Rocket, Vin Diesel as Groot, Gwyneth Paltrow as Virginia "Pepper" Potts, Benicio Del Toro as Taneleer Tivan/The Collector, Peter Dinklage as Eltri. Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Idris Elba as Heimdall and Josh Brolin as Thanos. The film was written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. It was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. "Avengers: Infinity War" was released on April 27, 2018.

Not good.

I remember going to see "Avengers: Infinity War" the day it was released and the swell of emotions that I felt walking into that theater. I love comics and I have since I was a wee one. I love and appreciate the DC characters but it was always Marvel that was number one for me. I was giddy at the thought of this movie doing what comics have been doing since they existed. This is like one of those company wide event comics that publishers do that pull in everyone's van the outer space characters. I was legit giddy watching characters that had never met interact. It really spoke to the fanboy in me. I felt very similarly during the first "Avengers" movie, but it was amplified in this movie. Not only are the main Avengers here, but here are the Guardians of the Galaxy, too! Doctor Strange and Wong opening up portals and doing wizard-y stuff. It was a fangasm each time.

"Avengers: Infinity War" is a long movie. It clocks in at almost two and a half hours. The movie never feels that long though. It doesn't drag. It moves quickly from one spectacular scene to the next, from Earth to outer space, focusing each time on a small band of our heroes. You can't really say that about "Endgame," but we will get to that soon enough.

Dream Team

Like a lot of MCU films, the movie lives and dies due to the performances of its massive cast. McFeely and Markus do a great job of really giving everyone their time to shine and that is not easy in a movie this jam packed with people. If I spent the time talking about each one, this post would be way too long, so I'll just single out a few. 

First off, Chris Hemsworth. Hemsworth gets to be a little more dramatic than he was in "Thor: Ragnarok." "Infinity War" is a tough film for the God of Thunder. It starts off with him helpless as Thanos and his Black Order kill a slew of Asgardian people including Heimdall and Loki. Hemsworth gets to show off his comedic chops that he's honed in previous films specifically with his scenes with the Guardians. But he also gets to be a bit more serious. You feel for Thor in this film. He's working through his grief and the moment where he realizes that he has missed his chance for revenge on Thanos is legitimately heartbreaking.

Tom Holland continues to be the best live action Spider-Man. He embodies teenage Peter and the fact that he more than holds his own against Robert Downey, Jr. is petty fantastic. Holland gets to show off his dramatic chops in the film, too, particularly in the scene where he crumbles to dust in Tony's arms. I will never not cry at that scene. And if you don't, you're probably a monster.

SOBS

Chris Pratt does great work, too. He hits different beats than he has before as Peter. He also becomes one of the most hated men in the MCU when he bungles the plan to wrest the Infinity Gauntlet away from Thanos. Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen show off the monster chemistry that they are using to their full advantage in "WandaVision" in this film. The snippet of their peaceful on the run life really helps make their relationship feel real and lived in. The scenes with Wanda removing the Mind Stone from Vision before Thanos rewinds time and does it himself are heartbreaking. Zoe Saldana and Karen Gillan continue to expand their characters and really give Gamora and Nebula a real feeling sister relationship. Gamora's time with Thanos is good stuff, too, though it does begin a trend of female characters being sacrificed for the Soul Stone I could have done without.

This is the first film where we really get to see Josh Brolin stretch his legs as the Mad Titan and he kills it. Thanos could easily go the wrong way but Brolin humanizes him. He is a brute obsessed with death, but the backstory given helps you feel empathy for him while still condemning the things that he is doing. His interactions with young and grown Gamora really work and make the scene where he decides to sacrifice his daughter for a stone hit that much harder.

I feel like I have to mention Peter Dinklage who plays Eitri, king of the Dwarves. This is not the dwarves we are familiar with. Marvel kept Dinklage's role hush hush and that helped, I think.

The action scenes in "Infinity War" are top notch. The ones that really stick out to me are the opening scene with Strange, Wong, Iron Man, Banner and Spider-Man going after the Black Order, followed closely by the battle in Edinburg featuring more of the Black Order taking on Wanda, Vision, Captain America, Falcon and Black Widow. 

I do have a few issues with the movie, but they are relatively minor. The final battle in Wakanda feels very similar to the final battle of "Black Panther." I had a kind of deja vu feeling watching it. The Hulk being afraid of manifesting sort of felt tacked on. I get that he's experienced his first real brush with death courtesy of Thanos, but it is just really odd. I wish they would have done more with the Black Order. They are a really cool concept and kind of get the short end of the stick in "Infinity War."

It's the ending of "Infinity War" that gets you. This is the first part so you knew there was going to be a pretty major cliffhanger, but nothing prepares you for that Snap. As heroes that we have grown to love, turn to ash and are blown away, it's crazy. You know something will bring them back, but you aren't leaving the theater feeling great.

In the post credits scenes, Thanos watches the sunrise on a peaceful planet while in the last one, Nick Fury is able to send an SOS to Captain Marvel before he and Hill are dusted.

Next up, Hope Van Dyne gets her time to shine with "Ant-Man & the Wasp."

So where are my "Infinity War" fans? Is it controversial to think this movie is better than "Endgame?" Let me know in the comments.