Avengers: Infinity War (2018) Review

Normally, this is where I put a favorite quote from the movie.  Instead, this is a warning that this review will contain spoilers.  I implore you, do no real past this point if you haven't seen the movie.  A lot of stuff happens in this movie.  If you haven't seen Avengers: Infinity War, drop what you're doing and go watch it.  And stay off the Internet until you do.  You DO NOT want this one spoiled for you.  Trust me, I'm not a doctor.  You've been warned.

Avengers: Infinity War follows Thanos (Josh Brolin), a genocidal Titan who is hunting down the six Infinity Stones (stones of basically infinite power), which are scattered across the galaxy, and he will slaughter anyone who gets in his way.  The Avengers team up with the Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), and the entire nation of Wakanda to stop Thanos from getting all of the stones.  But he is the strongest enemy any of them have faced.

What Works:

I was really nervous going into Infinity War.  There are a lot of characters in this movie, and I was worried that it might be bloated or unbalanced trying to cram everybody in.  But I gotta give the filmmakers credit, it didn't feel that way.  Everybody got to do something, even if it was just a bit part of them fighting, but I liked it that way.  Everybody got used and it didn't feel forced.  A few characters were given a substantial amount, but this movie was more focused on Thanos and his plans, and a large group of people trying to stop him on various fronts.  I really appreciated that and was relived it didn't go too far.

Next, I need to talk about Thanos.  This guy is probably the best villain since Loki (Tom Hiddleston). I was nervous he might end up being a generic, destroy-the-universe, bad guy, but he wasn't.  He had clear motivation, a decent back-story and his quest for the stones took an emotional toll on him.  We get to see his emotional side when he is FORCED TO MURDER the only person he loves, his adopted daughter, Gamora (Zoe Saldana).  It's a shocking scene, and I didn't expect it at all.  To continue with how great Thanos is, I want to address his introduction in the opening scene of the movie, where he proceeds to beat the crap out of the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and kills both Loki and Heimdall (Idris Elba).  That's how you introduce a villain.

There is some really excellent acting in this film as well.  I mentioned Thanos already, but also worth mentioning is the performances from Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Chris Pratt at Star-Lord.  Both characters experience heavy losses in this movie and the way they respond emotionally is fantastic.  But the high-point is the relationship between Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Peter Parker (Tom Holland).  Thanos succeeds in his plan to wipe-out half the population of the galaxy and as people are disintegrating around them, Peter starts to disintegrate as well.  Tony has to hold him, as Peter screams he doesn't want to go.  Heart-breaking.  It's a powerful moment, and for me, the highlight of the movie.

Finally, I just want to admire the balls of the Marvel team.  If you had told me the list of key players they were going to kill off in this movie, I would not have believed you for a second.  I know most of them will probably be back by the end of the 4th Avengers film, but still.  You don't kill of Loki, Star-Lord, Drax (Dave Batista), Groot (Vin Diesel), Spider-Man, Gamora, Doctor Stange, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), and Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) lightly.  That was a bold and shocking move on Marvel's part, and I give them props for it.

What Sucks:

I've got nothing for you.

Verdict:

I don't know if I can say this is the best Marvel movie.  It's certainly up in the top-tier, and I'll have to think long and hard before I can make that decision.  But I can say, it is the most emotional of all the Marvel movies and has one of the best villains.  I can say, it is the best movie I have seen so far this year and it blew away any expectations I had.  Without a doubt, Avengers: Infinity War has got it going on.

 10/10: Amazing