Movie Review: AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

Following the movie on Friday, I posted to Facebook the fact that, with all expenses combined, my Avengers: Infinity War (2018) IMAX 3D experience set me back forty-three bucks. Granted, the stadium seating made it like I was sitting in someone's living room--even with people sitting directly to each side of me, I didn't feel crowded--but still, $43 just for me? No wonder I rarely attend the cinema.

So, I figured I should get some return on the investment (uh, besides the movie) and decided to make that the subject of my first blog post in months. Thus I present my slightly spoilery review of the third Avengers film.

I will begin by saying that you will want to have seen at least the previous few MCU films before taking in this one. That sounds obvious, but my folks watched Netflix's Defenders miniseries without having seen any of the preceding series featuring the stars of that show. Thus the suggestion, which I make primarily because A: IW begins almost immediately after the end of Thor: Ragnarok.

The ships carrying the surviving Asgardians, led by new king Thor (Chris Hemsworth), have been attacked by the massive, genicidal alien tyrant Thanos (Josh Brolin, seen briefly in Avengers 1&2 and Guardians of the Galaxy), a behemoth so formidable that, after having half of the passengers slaughtered, he personally beats the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) senseless and murders a fan-favorite character (I won't spoil everything, but you can probably guess). This carnage is all collateral damage of Thanos's goal: the acquisition of one of the six infinity stones that will allow him to wipe half of all life in the universe from existence.

One odd aspect of this opening scene--which becomes apparent soon after--is that it is one of the absolute darkest (in content and lighting) of the MCU series, yet it's the teaser to a film filled with sometimes out-of-place (and often desperate) comedy. In that respect, it is like Thor: Ragnarok, though not quite as nauseatingly silly.

For example, following a very brief, romantic tete a tete with fiancee Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow in her only appearance), billionaire genius Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) is summoned by the mystic Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), and we're treated to a tennis match of quips between Strange and sidekick Wong (Benedict Wong) with Stark as the net. More jarring is the subsequent battle with Thanos's minions, which is kept from being breathless by the continual interpolation of jokes, chief among them the moment where Dr. Bruce Banner (Ruffalo sans CGI) experiences the Hulk-out version of erectile dysfunction. Even the soon-to-arrive Spider-Man (Tom Holland), the quip-master of Marvel Comics, is given more to high-pitched hysterics than witty repartee.

Anyway, the pair of deadly aliens are part of a force sent to Earth to retrieve two more infinity stones, those in the possession of Strange and the android Avenger Vision (Paul Bettany). The rest of the two-and-a-half-hour movie is structured like a classic team-up comic book, with squads of heroes trying to stop Thanos from gaining the other stones. This film is so chock-full of characters, whom the writers work hard to give screentime worthy of their popularity, as well as undeniably well choreographed action, there is really only one guy who gets sufficient personality development: Thanos himself.

Perhaps that's appropriate, since we've had 18 other movies in which to become acquainted with the bulk of the cast, but we're still talking about a computer-generated alien comic-book villain. I'm not actually sure if that's impressive or sad. I'll admit, though, that Thanos's "performance" is affecting, and for this I tip my hat to actor Brolin (though I've no idea how much he was physically involved), the digital artists, and directors Anthony and Joe Russo. Behind-the-scenes footage of George Lucas on the Star Wars prequels and Guillermo Del Toro on Pacific Rim revealed to me how hands-on the helmers are during the creation of the CGI characters' scenes.

Also to the directors' (and screenwriters') credit is the fact that at no point is the story confusing. The heroes' and villains' goals are always clear, and upon each scene change it's easy to pick up the thread of the action again. Obviously, this is helped by the utter simplicity of the plot, a type that goes all the way back to the Golden Age of comics.

But the most significant element of A: IW has got to be the ballsiness of its ending. Indeed, it's a testament to the confidence the studio and producers have in their famously bubblegum-cheerful franchise that they greenlit such a grim conclusion. The unapologetically wrenching bookend scenes recall the (literally) funereal start and end of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, though DC's execrable attempt to kick off a franchise was dark all the way through. No doubt Marvel's allowance was made easier by the fact that Avengers 4 will premiere just over a year from now.

Still, I rather wish the close of this film had offered a little more hope than merely Doctor Strange's vague last line. Who am I to talk, though? I love writing dark endings. And it's clear from the fates of so many of the characters that the next flick will center on the original Avengers assembling one more time before their Marvel contracts are fulfilled. That thought provides the true bittersweetness to Avengers: Infinity War.

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi violence, language, and some crude references.

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