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Now that most of the world has had time to watch and digest the events that took place duringAvengers: Infinity War, the 19th-entry into theMarvel Cinematic Universe, and the beginning of the end for the franchise’s current narrative, many discussions and theories as to what the future holds in the superhero saga have begun to take place. With only a few hints and giveaways for what is to come, something fans of theMCUhave become unfamiliar with, there is much left to be interpreted as installments such asAnt-Man And The Wasp,Captain Marvel, and theUntitled Avengers: Infinity War Sequelapproach, and release, over the next year.
Keeping with the trend of spoiler discussions for the latest superhero-epic, two ofFandomwire’swriters,Chris Nugent, andMaxwell Mantik, decided to give their own reviews of the film, as well as an in-depth analysis as a continuation of Fandomwire’s podcasts above.
THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS SPOILERS!
Chris Nugent’s Review
The Marvel Cinematic Universe has become my favorite film franchise… ever. A spot that once typically belonged to childhood favourites such as theToho Godzilla,Jurassic Park, or theJames Bond 007franchise, the MCU quickly became a personal prize of sorts, one that had captured my heart and the love I had for the silver-age comic books I had been given to me by my Father, the early comic book movies of the 2000’s such asSpider-Man 2andHulk(yea… you readthatright), and the 90’s cartoons such as theSpider-Man Animated Series. Despite the lack of knowledge I had for characters such asIron ManandThor, talents such asJon Favreau,Robert Downey Jr.,Chris Hemsworth, and the guidance ofKevin Feigemade this universe extremely diverse, yet, one that could be easily accessible and relatable. And though I do have regrets about seeingIndiana Jones And The Kingdom of The Crystal Skulla second-time instead ofIron Manin 2008 after I had just turned 13-years-old, the fact that a franchise such as this is able to consistently be able to impress over quite a long-period of time for a single overall narrative is a feat of its own.
That being said, I still reserved many concerns as the weeks closed on the release of Infinity War; Would they have the balls to kill multiple characters? Would the humor distract from any of the dramatic elements? How effective would Thanos be? These, among many others, are questions I consistently pondered time, and time again, and while Avengers: Infinity War may not be a perfect film, it far exceeded the possible expectations I had laid-out for it.
Now, let’s slow down for a second and think about what made my expectations in the first place: of course I would have loved to have seen all 67-characters take on Thanos against his throne in space as seen in the comics, and, yes, the inclusion ofAdam WarlockorSilver Surfer(despite character rights) would have been nice to see. But, as someone who had been keeping-up with news surrounding every nuance of the film, it was clear that these were most likely impossibilities, whether by technicalities or narrative. When the trailer from the2018 San Diego Comic Con Hall HMarvel exhibit, and the digitally-released trailer in December, my expectations had become grounded, as in, it became clear to me what the film would, at the very least, look aesthetically and I couldnowbegin analyzing the potential plot.
This leads to my next point, in that being the trailers. Now, I won’t spend much time on this, but if anybody had spent time reviewing the trailers (specifically theTeaserandOfficial) and had seen the film, you would notice that the trailers had digitally removed, or had not added, certain elements thus to avoid spoilers for the further plot points of the film. This is something that theRusso Brothershad hinted at doing during a press tour forCaptain America: Civil War, but was also something concerning because, up until now, most comic book movie trailers that had either show too much or too little from their promotional material usually ended by damaging the final product (look toIron Man 3and theDC Extended Universes Suicide Squad), but in this case, it was done both tastefully, and effectively.
That, simply, is the best way I can describe the entirety of Avengers: Infinity War itself, it carefully considers develops the relationships and stories that audiences, worldwide, had become so attached to, and does so in a way that further develops, or “concludes” the current state of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The moment that Thanos snappedLoki’sneck, the former villainous-pride of the MCU, in front of Thor, on his Asgardian refugee ship, and drops the line “No resurrections this time”, you know that you are in for something new and challenging.
Prior to the obliteration of Thor’s Asgardian ship,Heimdallutilizes his remaining “dark magic” (which had been hinted at before in The Avengers) to send the Hulk to Earth. After crashing through the Sanctum Sanctorum, narrowly avoiding Wong and Doctor Strange, the Hulk reverts back into Bruce Banner, screaming of the impending doom that awaitsEarth’s Mightiest Heroesand the titles that had been used in the previous two Avengers films. From there we are treated to a two and a half hour roller coaster ride of superhero action and critical emotion that outdid the best of what the MCU had done before it.
After recruitingIron Manto assist with the news of the fallen Banner and to locateVision, who holds theMind Stone. Their interactions are cut-short, however, whenBlack Order(or ‘Children of Thanos‘) membersEbony Maw, andKull Obsidianarrive in New York to retrieve theTime Stonefrom Strange. After a short, but entertaining action sequence, Iron Man, along withSpider-Man, and Strange’sCloak of Levitationpursue Maw’s ship after taking Strange. We are then met with theGuardians of The Galaxy, where they are in the midst of responding to a rescue beacon set-off by the Asgardian ship. Upon arriving at the wreckage, the Guardians discover Thor’s unconscious body and retrieve him into their ship. Once Thor is awoken byMantisandGamorafills him in with the details regarding her father Thanos, Thor sets a quest withRocket RaccoonandGrootto findNevidelirwhere a powerful weapon that can defeat theMad Titanwill be forged. The final introducing scene gives audiences a taste of what the remaining members of the Avengers have been doing the past while;Scarlet WitchandVisionhave further explored their relationship, whereas veteran members such asCaptain America,Black Widow, andFalconkeep watch over. After an attack from the other members of the Black Order,Proxima Midnight, andCorvus Glaveon Vision in attempt to retrieve the Mind Stone, the refugee Avengers retreat back toAvengers HQin New York, where they meet withWar Machineand where Banner led himself to.
Much like some of the other great action/adventure movies in history, Infinity War carefully takes it’s time setting perfect structure for each plot-line for the film, allowing a natural and fluent progression. There is little left to set-up for the movie at this point, and it becomes a race-against-time to beat Thanos to each of the remaining stones.
We see Thanos get away with both theReality Stoneand Gamora after confrontingThe Collectorand the Guardians onKnowhere. Spider-Man and Iron Man devise a plan to defeat Maw by ejecting him into the vacuum of space to rescue theSorcerer Supremebefore deciding to stay on course for Thanos’ homeworld,Titan. Captain America organizes for the Avengers to send Vision toWakandain request ofBlack Panther’sassistance, as well as some weaponry in theWinter Soldier, or theWhite Wolfas he is referred to now.
Thanos reveals a captured and torturedNebulato Gamora in demand for the location of theSoul Stone. At this time, the Avengers first cross paths with the Guardians after Nebula sends a message to Mantis telling them to meet on Titan, andShuri, along with her assortment of Wakandan technology, beginning work on removing the stone from Vision. Thanos goes to the planetVormirwhere the Soul Stone lay, there, both him and Gamora are approached by an entity revealed to be theRed Skull, a character not seen sinceCaptain America: The First Avenger, where the Nazi-science leader is teleported into the far reaches of space by theTesseractor theSpace Stone. The most emotional, and ultimately disturbing scene in Infinity War takes place when Thanos must sacrifice Gamora, as a character of love, in order to be given the stone… the scene still sends chills down my spine and is one that needs to be experienced, rather than described.
The film manages to give fair and equal attention to each plot of the film. Once Thor retrieves his new weapon, Stormbreaker, the Battle of Wakanda commences, and Thanos approached the remaining heroes on Titan, the movie takes off in a direction we had yet to see in any other Marvel movie to this point. Thanos manages to resist the thwarts set by characters such as Iron Man and Doctor Strange, despite a controversial character moment for Star-Lord, and Thor evens the playing field against the Black Order’s assault on the Wakandan-land.
After Thanos kicks the ever-loving hell out of the heroes on Titan and retrieves theTime Stonefrom Strange, he transports to Earth to find his last prize. This is when we get the most important moments in arguably the entire MCU’s history: Scarlet Witch is tasked with having to kill Vision to prevent Thanos from getting the stone, only to see him be brought back to life by the power of the Time Stone so that Thanos may complete his collection. The Avengers make a grand retaliation against Thanos, but prove to be futile. One last strike against the Mad Titan from Thor’s Stormbreaker axe would cause significant damage to his target, but in an attempt to get in one last word, Thor gives the Infinity Stone-wielding villain enough time to snap his fingers and accomplish his goal. Thanos retreats to his new homeworld, possibly Gamoras former-homeworld, to sit and watch the sunset smiling, while the rest of the universe is seen falling apart as half of all life disintegrates instantaneously, taking the lives of characters such as Black Panther, Winter Soldier, Scarlet Witch, Star-Lord, Drax, Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man. An unexpected ending, but one that feels deserved as thisisThanos’ movie.
There are quite a few comparisons that can also be made in parallel toJim Starlin’soriginalInfinity Gauntlet-run, as well as the stories that followed. Banner takes the place of Silver Surfer crashing through the Sanctum Sanctorum to warn of Thanos’ arrival. Gamora’s consistent relations to the Soul Stone and theSoul World. Nebula being held in a state of pre-death. Thanos encouraging the Avengers to attack him. Thanos walking and taking-out Avengers one-by-one without hesitation. While it was clear in a production video of Infinity War fromJanuary 2017that the Russos would be taking notes from the Gauntlet storyline, it is still very inspiring to see so many elements from that narrative into a film that is already filled to the brim.
Infinity War also manages to encapsulate or further develop multiple character arcs throughout the film, Stark’s vision appears true, Hulk and Banner’s relationship becomes more complex, Nebula’s tension with Thanos climaxes, the list goes on, and on. Who knows? There is even the possibility of seeing a colorless Vision appear functional as seen throughout much of the character’s comic history.
Avengers: Infinity War is everything you could want, and more. While there were some slower moments, and the Black Order lacked screentime, it is difficult enough to match the millions of expectations set by fans, but they managed to do so with what felt like ease. It will be interesting to see the direction in whichAvengers 4will take, but we do know that Strange’s plan will come to fruition and we will see the timely arrival of Captain Marvel herself.
Avengers: Infinity War – 9.5/10
Maxwell Mantik’s Review
Avengers Infinity Warhas been out for a couple weeks now giving a good chunk of people a chance to see it. That being said I’m going to give aSPOILERreview of my thoughts regarding the movie. It’s been a little while since I watched it so I should be over the initial nostalgia overload and will give it an honest review.
General synopsis is that this is probably my new favorite movie in theMCU. This is the firstMCUmovie where there have been any real stakes involved. I mean right off the bat they kill bothHeimdallandLokiwithin the first five minutes of the movie starting.Thanosalso beats the crap out of theHulk, so badly, in fact, it scares him from re-appearing to fight in the movie’s future encounters. My hope for the film was thatThanoswould get all theInfinity Stonesin the end, and boy did they deliver. He gets bothSpaceandPower Stonesin the first five minutes of the movie, the two shown in the trailers. I was definitely happy to see they deceived us in the trailers with his gauntlets count in important scenes. For instance, onTitan, he has four instead of the two shown. During the course of the film, he gathers the other four stones one by one as he travels from planet to planet using theSpace Stoneto portal around the galaxy. He also uses all of them to great effect such as creating a virtual universe with theReality Stonewhich completely fools theGuardians of the Galaxy.
It’s a little down this part of the film where we follow four different paths leading up to the final act. I was definitely happy to see that they didn’t drag out the moments of individual paths as they start diverging quite quickly. For instance, theGuardiansmeeting up withStark, Strange, andParkershortly afterThanoscapturesGamoraand portals away. The short conflict that ensued between theGuardiansand theAvengerswas also a nice surprise as it would be a natural reaction to anyone in one ofThanos’ ships. Granted the more I thought about it, the more I realizedStar-Lordis really a budgetIron Man. Once they figure out they’re on the same side then more of the paths start coming together. Shortly afterThanossacrificesGamorafor theSoul Stonehe returns toTitanto get theTime StonefromStrange. BeforeThanos’arrival,Dr. Strangewent forwards in time looking to see if they could win any of the outcomes to which he finds one. I was kind of hoping he’d find two for the simple reason that whatever happened from here on in was all part of the one positive outcome thatStrangesaw.
Despite that minor gripe, it sure as hell didn’t detract from the conflict that would take place onTitanwhenThanosdid eventually arrive. Meanwhile, as that’s going on and the group onEarthprepared for the attempt at theMind Stonewe have our kind ofHobbitesque group inThor, Rocket, andGroot. This little gaggle of the hero’s sought a weapon equal in power of theInfinity Gauntlet(kind of similar toFrodoandSam’srole in theLord of the Rings). I also found it hilarious thatPeter Dinklagewas a character much larger than most but was still classified as a dwarf in this film. It was also interesting givenThor’sbig arc inRagnarokwas his hammer didn’t make him who he was, and yet here he was seeking a new weapon of similar properties in his very next film appearance. It’s around here where the film started taking a similar path asReturn of the Jedi, which was in every conceivable way a good thing.
The three main groups all transpire at once, being the groups onTitan, EarthandThor’sholy trinity. This is where the film kicks it into overdrive as it’s basically perfection from here on in. It plays off so well with most of the strongest of theAvengersfightingThanosand the more grounded ones taking on theBlack Order. It made the two main conflicts seem more satisfying as there really weren’t a whole lot of characters who had a big power edge over the others. However, the highlight one for me was the battle onTitanas we got to see theGauntletget used a bunch. We also saw great progression withStrange, Iron ManandSpidermanfrom when we last saw them in their own films. That being said, the fight onEarthwas also a joy to watch where we really seeScarlett Witchseem to turn the tide of the battle… UntilThanosis done with the group onTitan. It was going so well for theAvengersas well sinceThor’sgroup returned with a new godly weapon that was absolutely laying waste toThanos’forces. It was nice to see whenThanosarrived onEarththe remaining heroes could do little to even slow him down as he cast them aside like they were nothing. The desperation moves to haveScarlett Witchdestroy theMind Stonealmost ruined the film with a copout ending. Fortunately,Thanosused the newlyacquired Time Stoneto reverse that event and take theMind Stoneby crushingVision’sskull.Thorwould then show up and hurl the new axe atThanosseeming mortally wounding him and ruining the film again. Thankfully that’s not what happened next following the quote “You should have gone for the head”. This leads to the epic climax that everyone talks about, whereThanossnaps his fingers wiping out half the universe. We lose a huge number of hero’s from the snap as well. Casualties areBucky, Panther, Spidey, Groot, Star-Lord, Drax, Mantis, Strange, Falcon, andScarlett Witch. The film ends withThanoson a new planet smiling into the sunset at a job well done. We also finally got a rewarding after credits scene asMaria HillandNick Furyare killed by the snap, but not beforeFuryuses a transponder to contactCaptain Marvel.
Now for my thoughts on the film that everyone’s talking about. I enjoyed the pacing quite a lot, there were very few moments where it felt slow. This really lent itself well to the third act which played out much likeReturn of the Jedi’swhere there were three separate groups all doing different things at the same time. The transition periods seemed to suit the scenes well, my one gripe regarding technical aspects is I wish the film was just a bit longer. There are a lot of characters present, and I feel as a result that the film could have used a three hour run time. Aside from that my only other minor gripe was that I felt there were a couple moments of poorly timed humor, thankfully there was none during moments of heavy conflict. TheBlack Orderwas cool albeit almost complete pushovers as they accounted for zero hero deaths. Every hero has a few good action moments, withDr. Strange vs. Thanosbeing easily my favorite. For a more complete review of the film, watch the linked podcast with myself and fellowFandomwire writer Chris Nugentabove. My final review of the movie is solid and an absolute must-see for anyone who enjoys superhero or action movies in general. Thanks for reading/listing and stay tuned for moreAvengers content on Fandomwire.
Avengers: Infinity War – 9/10
Equipment and Microphone Provided By: Taylor Scheiner, Patrick Canales, and Alexander Ureta-Pablo
Chris Nugent
Articles Published :33
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