Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Though I couldn't wait to see all those characters from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to meet in one film directed by the Russo brothers (and to see Chris Evans and his glorious beard on the big screen), I had some reservations about the Avengers: Infinity War. Instead of getting part 1 and part 2 as we were promised years ago, we got only one movie. Actually, we got two movies squeezed together and the result isn't that good.

Intergalactic despot Thanos (Josh Brolin) is determined to collect all of the Infinity Stones in order to bend reality to his will and the now-torn-apart Avengers must team up with the Guardians of the Galaxy to stop Thanos before he puts an end to half the universe.

Without diving into plot details, that's what the Russo brothers want, I'll only say that Avengers: Inifity War's plot is simple, definitely too thin and so very thought through. It isn't always engaging nor interesting (my mind was wondering multiple times and it wasn't only when Chris Evans was on screen) and because of the way the multiple storylines are handled and the fast cuts, instead of feeling like a single story, it feels like a collection of stories, fragmented stories.

With all those main characters reunited in one movie, it was obvious that some would be left behind. Unfortunately, it feels like they all were left behind. Some characters arcs are developed --Wanda finally gets the attention she deserves-- but overall, there's not much development and no one gets enough screen time. However, the superheroes are one of the reasons I still enjoyed Avengers: Infinity War. While the merging of storylines is handled poorly, the interaction between characters from different movies --the Avengers, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, and Wakanda-- works very well. These alone are probably worth the money as it's these moments that bring a lot of effective humour into the film. And of course, the fact that the cast has a wonderful chemistry helps a lot.

As for Thanos, I'm not sure how I feel about him. On the one hand, I appreciate that they gave him some backstory and that they showed an emotional, tender side of him; on the other hand, I don't like that he's given ridiculous motives and that we are even supposed to empathise with him. They tried to do what they did with Killmonger but I'm not sure it really worked this time. His sidekicks are terrible though. They are not even one-dimensional, they are zero-dimensional.

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Other than that, I think it's safe for me to say that Avengers: Infinity War is a pretty solid film. It delivers plenty of humour, full of banters, Thor: Ragnarok-style, and you will definitely be laughing a lot during this. If you didn't like that about Thor: Ragnarok, you'll still be able to enjoy Avengers: Infinity War as the Russo brothers manage to deliver plenty of tension and suspense, and their combination of humour and drama is spot on. Yes, this is the kind of movie that you make you cry. A lot. Because, without spoiling anything, major characters you care about die in this one.

As for the action, there's a lot of it. Though its execution makes you think you're watching a Michael Bay film at some points, it's pretty good, entertaining and exciting. There's this scene with Thor that is beyond glorious. The epic battle scene from the trailer is missing though. The film is also visually beautiful and has a pretty good soundtrack --not as good as Guardians of the Galaxy's though.

And as I'm writing this, I realise Avengers: Infinity War isn't as bad as I first thought. Sure, it feels incomplete, more of a set up for the next Avengers movie than a movie, but it's still pretty fun and entertaining.

19 comments :

  1. It does sound like a fun romp not to be taken too seriously. I think when so many stars are in one fil:, someone is bound to get lost in the shuffle,

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    1. I knew it was going to happen but it still was such a bummer.

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  2. Devo ammettere che la durata mi spaventa (due ore e 37 minuti), più che altro per il mal di testa da blockbusterone hollywoodiano. Però ne stanno parlando bene un po' tutti... è che proprio non mi ispira (ma i supereroi non mi piacevano nemmeno da giovane :) )

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    1. Anche a me spaventava un po', ma il tempo è volato. Se i supereroi non fanno per te, meglio che lo eviti. Anche perché dovresti recuperare 10 anni di film Marvel prima di vedere questo.

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    2. proprio così! e non ho mica tanta voglia... :)

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  3. I'm planning on see this Sunday though I'm really upset that YouTube's stupid recommendation algorithm spoiled a death for me.

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    1. Damn, I'm sorry to hear that! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the movie.

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  4. I am a student at a university in Korea. I enjoyed your post. I'm interested in this movie, but I did not take all the previous films, so I am wondering if it is possible to understand.

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    1. If you haven't seen the previous movies, watching this is a complete waste of time.

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  5. Great review! I think everyone who is interested in the reasons behind Thanos wanting to kill half of every population should read a little about the Rose Christians. It's very interesting. You've also given me some thing to think about when it comes to my own blog. I enjoyed reading your stuff. Thanks!

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    1. Thank you! I'll try to read something about that.

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  6. I think everyone has their favourites, for me it's just hard to love Avengers as much as I would like to. Captain America's trilogy is by far my favourite, and I think that will always be the case.

    Nice review! How you managed to keep it so short, even without the spoilers, is an awesome achievement! :D

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    1. Thanks! I'm still not sure how I managed to do that. Actually I do, I forgot to mention many things. I'll fix that on my MCU post that is coming hopefully before the next Avengers movie lol

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  7. I loved this. I had lower expectations because of the magnitude of it so even as much as I was hyping it, it manged to be above those expectations. I thought the Russos handed Waititi's Thor well. That was one thing I was concerned about, if they'd lose his sense of humor and make him more serious, but they had a perfect blend of it.

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    1. I'm glad you love it! That was one of my concerns as well and I still can't believe how well the brothers handled Taika's Thor. I'm very impressed.

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  8. Crap, did my comment not go through? Anyways hey didn't cancel any of the parts, it's still two parts, they just removed 'part 1' from the title of this one. Probably not to spoil the ending

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    1. I never got the first comment 😐

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    2. I probably messed something up #stupid :P

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    3. I'm blaming Blogger tbh. It's always been in Italian then yesterday all of a sudden decided to be in English. And today it's in Italian again.

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