I will begin with the positives. The film is very well made and the task of bringing together all the characters and elements from 10 years of films into one 2 ½ hour film could not have been an easy one and to Marvel’s credit they succeed for the most part. The Russo Brothers direct this gargantuan film with a huge cast of characters and tons of special effects very effectively and pull it off with a great level of skill and care. They were responsible for the two previous Captain America films (my favorite being Winter Soldier by the way) so they clearly know what they are doing. Although there were several characters that were underutilized and felt like they were only there to tick off boxes for people to appear in the film (such as Black Widow, Bucky, and a few others) everyone did feel like they had a purpose to fulfil in the narrative and didn’t feel wasted.
I also felt the performances were pretty believable and even if some of the characters felt underutilized, the actors did a good job regardless of how much screen time they got. The film looks as fantastic as any of the other Marvel films even if it does sort of look the same cinematography wise as all the others (I alluded to how Marvel likes to keep a relatively same visual look for the films in my Spider-man Homecoming review and mentioned that although I understand why they do that I just wasn’t a fan). It’s nice to have Alan Silvestri back to do the music in the series as the score for Infinity War actually sounded memorable and strong as opposed to what has come out since he scored Captain America: The First Avenger and the first Avengers film. And the story progressed in a reasonably decent pace with a few bumps along the way.
I know. My praises sound rather hollow don’t they? Well, that’s because even though I recognize that Marvel makes impressive looking films that are entertaining and are repeated critical and audience hits, I find it harder with each passing year to comment on them. I actually stopped being invested in this series after Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) since I began to feel that the MCU films more or less feel the same to me. And despite some surprising moments and an ending that actually has me somewhat curious as to what will happen next in part 2, Avengers: Infinity War falls into that of sameness for me. Sameness in visual style, types of stories being told, humor being cranked out seemingly all the time that undercuts most of the danger villains and situations present are all there for the most part.
Speaking of the humor, I know I have argued about this with my sister but she has told me that people in dangerous and desperate situations will occasionally joke around to kind of lighten the mood. I don’t doubt that but Infinity War has too much of it in too many places. For example, there is a scene between Peter Quill and Gamora where she asks him to do something if a certain moment comes up. He agrees to do it and they have a tender moment but that is ruined by a gag from Drax. I said “seriously?” under my breath when that occurred. That sort of thing happens too often and can really kill effective dramatic moments.
I have to be honest, every time there wasn’t a scene with Thanos, I was just watching the movie rather passively as he really was the best character in the film and the only good MCU villain. I’m happy he wasn’t just another psychopath and there actually was a reason for what he did. He wants to wipe out half the universe so that there will be peace where people won’t starve and resources won’t be in short supply. Basically, he wants to keep balance in the universe. I suppose that is a good motivator since he believes he is right but I just feel that the whole “wipe out half the population so the rest can live” thing is a bit over used in drama. If what I have read is correct, in the comics Thanos was trying to woo Madame Death because he was in love with her and that was why he was going on his genocidal path. I don't know how they would have added that to the film but it would have been an interesting addition as I feel it would have added another degree of character to him in ways that I can't go into because it would spoil major parts of the film. Apart from that overused bit I mentioned, he is a really interesting character and although this may sound bad, I was kind of rooting for him to succeed because I liked seeing him on screen. He was actually a pretty three dimensional character and I actually felt for him in some respects. It’s not that the rest of the film was totally dull as there were some cool moments but when he wasn’t around, I actually did begin to get a bit restless and wonder how much of the film was left.
There were other things that bothered me about the film. You have a kind of romance subplot between Scarlet Witch and The Vision that just comes out of left field. In Captain America Civil War, their relationship seemed to be a friendly one and that seemed to be where that was headed. Their relationship in Infinity War comes about and ends in roughly the same way; unceremoniously. Although I did say that the film looked impressive overall, the action was a bit too frenetic for me at some spots especially the big battle in Wakanda. When the cuts become far too quick or the camera becomes too shaky I usually end up looking away from the screen. And lastly, this a nitpick but the banter between the characters got on my nerves sometimes as I feel they bring the story to a halt just so characters can crack jokes or make fun of each other.
With the exception of a few of the films that I will re-watch especially Doctor Strange (2016), I don't really feel like I would watch this one again. But this movie has entertained my whole family and I have no doubt that this will entertain many others so if you love the MCU you will very likely love this movie. I will stick it out as far as Infinity War Part 2 (if that is what it is going to be called) and then I am done.
I can say this in the MCU’s favor though. It is, comparatively speaking, far better than another Disney owned franchise, namely Star Wars. Even though Infinity War wasn’t quite for me, I am curious about how it will all be wrapped up in the next installment. After Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, I have virtually no desire to see Episode IX or really anything else Disney Star Wars has coming up apart from reviewing it for site. What does that tell you?
