May 1, 2018
Rachel Librach
“Avengers: Infinity War,” Marvel’s latest, much-anticipated installment finally hit theaters. And it certainly lived up to the hype.
I knew “Avengers: Infinity War” was going to be epic, but nothing could have prepared me for how spectacular the film actually was.
I’m a Marvel fan. I’ve watched all the movies in this franchise and enjoyed the experience. However, getting to this point in the Marvel’s Avengers franchise has been a tiring one.
Before watching “Infinity War,” I asked myself what more could Marvel do? At this point, we are all familiar with the superhero formula.
Characters exchange witty one-liners, the villain is ominously portrayed with no possible hope of defeat, the heroes rally together and with sheer determination and heart, they somehow manage to defeat the villain in an epic battle.
This film, with a run-time of two hours and 40 minutes, did a perfect job balancing humor with tragedy, as well as taking the time to savor those slower moments that allowed the audience to breath and appreciate the storytelling before shifting to intense action shots.
The movie was not overly saturated with exposition, yet I believe that anyone who hasn’t seen the previous Marvel films could still be able to enjoy this movie.
Not only was the writing in this movie phenomenal, with every character masterfully playing off of one another to result in comedic brilliance with every delivery, but the special effects were nothing short of spectacular.
However, what I didn’t account for were the numerous plot twists and various moments of tension throughout the movie that kept me second guessing my assumptions and clinging to the edge of my seat awaiting the outcome.
One of my favorite parts about movies are the villains. If you can pull off an intimidating, yet complex villain, you have a good movie. “Infinity War” not only did an excellent job of casting Josh Brolin for the role of Thanos, but the overall character design was also impressive.
I had preconceived ideas about Thanos before watching the movie as being this massive, planet destroying, madman with no moral compass. He was all these things, but the character was surprisingly well-balanced with an empathetic backstory, and his presence was never too overbearing or aggressive.
Brolin portrayed this calculating, confident villain that didn’t seem to be phased by anything.
His cool,calm demeanor was not only incredibly disarming, but it added even more depth to the psychopathic character. Right away, audiences could tell this villain was not like anything the Avengers have faced before.
While Ultron was also presented a cool and collected villain oozing utter indifference, he was limited in his capacity to understand human emotions. Yet, Thanos was revealed to have a compassionate side.
This made his character all the more complex, and we as viewers have to wrestle with the conflicting notions that if he does have empathy, how can Thanos act with so little remorse?
The writing was spot-on and helped the movie flow so effortlessly between scenes and plot lines. I especially enjoyed the verbal sparring matches between Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch).
The scenes between Star Lord (Chris Pratt) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth) also served as a much-needed comedic break from the intensity of the plot.
The constant twists and turns will leave you guessing, and the thrill of seeing all of your favorite Marvel characters on the big screen will not disappoint.