Anthony's Film Review - Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Even with a very large cast of characters, this superhero action movie is plenty of fun...

Avengers: Infinity War is the third Avengers movie, where superheroes and villains from various films of the Marvel Cinematic Universe form an ensemble cast to present an epic battle between good and evil. What makes this one noteworthy is that there are so many characters in this one, certainly more than the first two Avengers movies. I mean, just look at the poster for this movie. If Marvel Studios keeps this up, the poster for a future Avengers movie might use up every square inch to show the faces of every character, not to mention the names of each major cast member. So naturally, you might wonder how you could possibly enjoy a movie like this one because of the huge cast. That is why I am presenting this review of Avengers: Infinity War in a format that departs from the usual: as a list of potentially frequently asked questions about this movie and how I would answer each one.

QUESTION: Is it difficult to keep track of each character in Avengers: Infinity War?

ANSWER: Thankfully, no. This is not a movie where each character has one distinct plotline so that there are more than 10 to follow. (Then again, can any average person follow more than 10 simultaneous plotlines?) This is a movie where various superheroes come together and end up working in different teams. This makes things much easier. Now you have one plot thread per group of characters instead of one plot thread per character. For example, one group includes Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man, while Thor, Rocket, and Groot form another, and Star-Lord, Gamora, and Drax split off in different directions. Sometimes a group loses one member and gains another. The point is that you should be able to keep track of the character groups and their plot threads.

This leads me to the following observation. Even though multiple Marvel heroes appear here, a considerable amount of screen time is dedicated to the Guardians of the Galaxy. That's because the villain in this movie is Thanos, and I am even going as far as to say that you might want to watch this movie partly for the continuation of the Guardians of the Galaxy saga. Of course, if Marvel does make a third Guardians movie, I'm willing to bet that you can watch that one without knowing the events of Avengers: Infinity War. I say all of this just so you have an idea of how much representation certain characters get. But don't worry. The other characters have plenty of screen time, too.

QUESTION: Do you need to see any previous Marvel Cinematic Universe movie before this one?

ANSWER: Not really. It is true that Marvel fans who have seen every single Marvel Cinematic Universe movie once (or multiple times if they are die-hard fans) will appreciate seeing connections between those movies and Avengers: Infinity War. But seeing those other movies only serves to enhance enjoyment of this one. It's not a requirement to enjoy this movie or to understand certain plot elements within.

Put it this way. Whenever you see something on screen that no doubt has a backstory in another Marvel movie, all you need to do is focus on what happens going forward. You will find that no backstory is needed for any of the characters. Yes, even if you have never seen any Marvel movie prior to this one, you can still enjoy Avengers: Infinity War. Don't feel left out if you lack knowledge of things like why Thor has a missing eye or the circumstances of Steve Rogers not being Captain America anymore. The writers, I'm sure, took you into account.

QUESTION: When you have one massive crossover of characters, does anything clash and feel unnatural as a result?

ANSWER: It's natural to be wary of fictional crossovers because you don't know if the elements of each fictional work will meld well with each other or feel unnatural with each other. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe, however, there is no need to worry about that at all. When you have a single fictional setting for multiple story series, the writers will undoubtedly take everything in that setting into account when developing a story for specific characters. With this kind of fiction, crossovers aren't just easy to do. They're intended and planned well in advance.

One of the cool things about the Avengers movies, not just this one, is how each featured superhero has unique abilities to fight and defend. This allows action scenes to have different kinds of weapons being wielded and different superhuman powers to use. For example, early in Infinity War, you have Iron Man's nanotech metal suit, flight ability, and explosive weaponry used alongside Spider-Man's agility and versatile web-producing ability and Doctor Strange's power of creating portals. Now and then, you can see the superhero powers helping one another out.

Besides the action, there is no crossover clash when it comes to thrills and subtle humor. The individual Marvel movies have those already, so making a combined Marvel movie is a piece of cake.

QUESTION: How complex is the plot of this movie?

ANSWER: It's really not. All it involves is Thanos seeking all six Infinity Stones in order to have the power to control the universe, and the many Marvel heroes we've come to know and love now have to work together and stop Thanos. I'm willing to believe that it's a challenge for the writers to develop a complex intricate plot when there are so many characters to keep track of. Not that it's possible. It can be done, but extra work is required because you need to connect many characters to the story.

QUESTION: So is this movie really just another standard superhero action movie?

ANSWER: Yes and no. Much of Avengers: Infinity War is standard superhero fare because of the action and sci-fi/fantasy elements. But one thing prevents it from being 100% run-of-the-mill: the villain. At first, you might think that Thanos is a mad power-hungry brute who just hates everything. But if you wait, you will get to moments where you learn the motive underlying Thanos's desire for the Infinity Stones. That part of the movie is a reminder that the other side of an argument may still have something sensible and rationale, even if you ultimately cannot join the other side. More importantly, it shows that Thanos is perhaps more of a character who has good intentions but also misguided ideas, rather than a ruthless character with no heart.

Then there is the finale. All I am going to suggest is to throw all good-guy-versus-bad-guy conventions out the window. This movie deserves credit for willingness to deliver the unexpected and shake things up.

QUESTION: What would you say is the core appeal of this movie? Is it characters you care about? A story that is well written?

ANSWER: It's really just the fun action and special effects. To a certain degree, it's fun to follow the story and see what happens to each character, because it's not like plot and characters are nonexistent. They just aren't the major elements of Avengers: Infinity War.

QUESTION: Is this the end of the Avengers series?

ANSWER: Definitely not. Another one is coming out a year after this one. That should be a real welcome after you see how Infinity War ends.

QUESTION: Is Avengers: Infinity War worth seeing?

ANSWER: Based on what I've described, yes. The action is simply a lot of fun. The basic level of plot and character development prevents me from giving it my highest rating, but at least it provides a context for the action. As for where on my 1-to-10 scale this movie falls, it had been close a 9 at certain points, but it was, in retrospect, closer to an 8 most of the way, so that's where I put it. I would also like to take a moment to congratulate Marvel Studios for its 10th anniversary of cranking out movies of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Avengers: Infinity War is certainly a good way to mark that milestone.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Avengers: Infinity War, visit the Internet Movie Database.

In addition, check out my review of The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, and Avengers: Endgame.