So no spoilers to anyone who has seen or heard anything about the new Avengers film (e.g., beyond that it involves the Avengers and Infinity Stones and a purple dude named Thanos). I can’t speak for the comments, but please exercise a bit of discretion.
General Notes
1. Marvel’s long game plays off, as a huge cast is able to come together, do stuff, and we don’t spend half the movie on origin stories and relationship building and screwing around.
2. Banter! So much banter!
3. This movie is rated PG-13. Please bear that in mind before you bring your cute 6-year-old tot wearing their favorite Marvel super-hero t-shirt. Really.
4. There’s enough super-hero fighting that goes on in an epic fashion to make the final battle, in quicker shots, both reasonable and neatly done.
5. The MCU, though, really does have a bunch of egotistical jerks in it (looking at you, Iron Man / Dr Strange / Starlord). That said, this is used to fine effect.
6. The Infinity Stones (the various McGuffins we’ve been plaing with most of the MCU Universe) finally get some useful explainations / applications.
7. Is this the best super-hero movie ever? For a variety of reasons I need to demur on that. But it’s one of the most ambitious, and really nicely done.
Obligatory (if non-spoilery) criticisms
1. I am so over the “Hey, here’s one group fighting another group and they immediately gender segregates so that the women are fighting each other” trope. Which crops up here multiple times.
2. Thanos undergoes a change in motivation from the comics that I think makes him less effective as a villain. The attempts to make him relatable are mixed in impact. I’m also a bit sorry to see him drop his full armor after the first few scenes. That said, he’s pretty bad-ass.
3. Some supporting characters disappear way too quickly. It’s good to have seen them, but …
4. One of the major players should be showing a lot more PTSD than they are. This is touched on, briefly and lightly, but just doesn’t ring true as it plays out.
5. The use of the Infinity Gems is irregular enough in application of their abilities as to feel like weak writing vs. psychological limitation.
6. One of the major characters ends up getting something of the Gimli treatment.
Summary
I’m gonna give this one a ★★★★☆, at least after first watch.
It’s certainly an epic, and human as well. They manage to juggle a ton of characters and still give everyone their moment or three in the sun (again, one of the strengths of the MCU), and the movie ends on some serious gut punches.
I’m definitely ready for the next one, a year from now (opening 3 May 2019).
But, jeez, that poster is a mess.
And completely dependent on having seen every previous movie at least several times to keep track of things?
+Cindy Brown Well, yeah, this is not a movie I would walk into as my first Marvel movie. That's a bad thing (for people who have never watched any of them) but also a good thing (they can build on what's already been done and established).
It's the same as serialized TV vs a series of done-in-one plots. You run the risk of alienating folk who haven't seen the previous stuff (or are afraid that they won't be able to follow it unless they have), but provide greater payoff for the folk who have.
So, yes, if you didn't see Black Panther, there are things here that may be confusing. The bet Marvel is making is that most folk who come to see AIW have seen Black Panther, or are willing to play catch-up.
Speaking of the poster, there is one scene that has been in nearly every AIW advert since they started being released that is not only not in the movie, but (a la Thor: Ragnarok) intentionally deceiving.
Further deponent sayeth not.
https://plus.google.com/photos/…
I've seen some of them — the Trash New York movie, Ultron, Deadpool, Black Panther. Sounds like I'd be okay then.
For the record, there is one post-credits scene, waaaaaaay at the very end (apologies in advance to your bladder). It's interesting and worth waiting for, both as part of the story, and as the first shot in upcoming stuff in the MCU.
+Cindy Brown Well, Deadpool won't help at all, as that's a Sony film using characters that Sony licensed from Marvel back in the 90s when the company was about to go under.
The other ones you mentioned will be good to contribute to your understanding. Some Thor (the most recent one), Guardians of the Galaxy, and Iron Man wouldn't hurt, but aren't critical.
This site's review — largely spoiler-free — is correct in so many ways, but still manages a much more negative conclusion than I feel.
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/04/avengers-infinity-war-review-whats-missing-from-this-2-5-hour-romp-hope/
+Cindy Brown there are a few clever YouTube videos that can bring you up to speed with the universe.
My favorite so far is one about the time lines of the movies individuals.
That being said, infinity war is hard to process.
It is really a good movie, has a great edition, colours, camera movement. cgi, intresting script nothing dull or boaring, I really enjoyed this film more than Age of Ultron more than Black Panther and way better than Civil War.
+JC MOLFINO I agree it's better than Age of Ultron. I can't agree on the ranking vs Civil War or Black Panther (as a personal judgment).
One interesting note I keep seeing (as I can now read reviews of the movie) is a profound ignorance or denial of comic book conventions, i.e.:
1. Team-ups are different from solo outings. The more bodies you put in, the different the dynamic. That AIW managed to actually hit so many character notes is a tribute to everyone involved. That it didn't go as in-depth into each character as a solo outing is, um, really missing the point.
The point of a team-up — whether at the first level (like just the Avengers), or at higher levels (multiple groups) is to enjoy the interaction, not the individual personal growth. I think the movie did decently in both of those categories, for a movie that featured eleventy-dozen characters.
2. Character death. I will admit that it is a SPOILER (but not much of one) that characters die here. Some of them are characters that are involved in major franchises that we know are going have further movies. Some reviewers are shocked, shocked, to realize that (some of) those deaths may/will be retconned, using the same power in some cases as caused them.
Dudes. Comic books. Characters in comics talk meta about how nobody seems to die forever. Calling this cheap, or a cheat, or illogical, or a betrayal of audience expectations just shows you have no idea what you are talking about.
(Ironically, many of these same people are willing to say, "This makes sense for [hypothetically] those actors whose contracts with Marvel are coming to an end." They're willing to be meta about actors contracts, but not about death in a world with REALITY, TIME, and SOUL gems.)
Crikey, the more I look at that poster, the more it bothers me. The lighting is all over the place. The sizes and poses are similarly goofy. It's like someone did a crude cut-and-paste into Paint and called it a day.
I'd rather see a simple image of Thanos with the gauntlet crushing the world or something. The need to have an every-face-of-every-favorite-character really did not work well for Marvel here. Even if the movie is making almost as much in its opening weekend than Justice League did in its entire run.
Can't help abstracting the title away from the entertainment it headlines, and see enthusiastic proselytizing for the concept and spectacle of war. Imperial entertainment tuning kids to the empire's background of peripheral wars.
What about that hitherto-unknown character getting the reverse-Gimli treatment?
So this article (h/t +Doyce Testerman) does get spoilery, regarding character death(s). But if you don't mind that, Scalzi's always a good read.
I disagree with him, though, because while what he says is true, my reactions to the character death(s) was not muffled by being meta, but enhanced by the reactions of the other characters on screen. I felt it real for them, and thus accepted what was happening. If that makes any sense.
https://whatever.scalzi.com/2018/04/30/thoughts-on-avengers-infinity-war-and-yes-there-are-spoilers/
i thought infinity war was a pretty good movie. i haven’t seen every much movie but i still enjoyed this. already jonesing for the sequel!
btw what trailers did you get? i got to the showing late
yea i think that will be better idea
+Dave Hill pretty cynical write up.
Saw it.
Yes, support characters just disappeared.
Some great banter.
There were moments that made me feel like I was playing City of Heroes again.
+Stan Pedzick I'll take that last note as an endorsement …
+Dave Hill I think the specific moment when I had a CoH moment was the big battle and my mind went “Oh, Rikti, you got to really herd and control them”.
+Stan Pedzick Sigh. Haven't thought about Rikti in far too long.