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Avengers: Infinity War (2018), PG-13, ★★★1/2


Well, this is it. 10 years of Marvel movies and it is led to this cinematic event where almost all of the superheroes collide and take on the ultimate enemy: the Darth Vader of MCU films, Thanos. With all of the great and good and OK movies from every superhero, people are ecstatic to find their own favorite superheroes take on a dire situation in which it could potentially alter the franchise in one way or another. This movie is the supernova of comic-book movies as far as I am concerned and the question is raised whether or not, it delivers. This movie avoids the fear of being a hassle to watch, like Batman v. Superman, and delivers on the promise of being an awe-inspiring plethora of events that will leave you breathless but also wanting for more.

THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS so to meet the readers' expectations of not being spoiled, this is going to probably be a short written review.

Thanos (Josh Brolin) begins his quest for power to seek out the Infinity Stones to match the gauntlet and destroy the universe. After a terrible encounter with Thanos, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) becomes unconscious and as he is drifted into space, the Guardians of the Galaxy - Peter Quill/Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista), Rocket (Bradley Cooper), Teenage Groot (Vin Diesel) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) finds him and gets him on-board onto the ship. After Thor explains himself, he learns that Gamora is Thanos' adopted daughter.

Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is on a jog with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) as Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) enters through his portals and tells Tony that he needs to talk to him also bringing Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) to bring the matter as urgently as possible. In Scotland, Vision (Paul Bettany) is living with Wanda Maximoff/Scarlett Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and is rescued by Captain America (Chris Evans), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson) and Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) after an attack. Most of them are aware that Thanos and others are planning an attack, most likely in Wakanda.



Let's get the negative aspects of my review out of the way. There were three quibbles for me because it has a lot of characters, there were at times that certain main characters were downgraded and we do not spend as much time with them compared to others. Plus, the humor sometimes undercuts the drama and it is a bit unnecessary. I thought it dragged in certain parts of the movie that it could shaved off 5-10 minutes. Nevertheless, this is a rollercoaster ride of epic proportions and it does not stop until the end.

I have been reading certain critics' reviews of saying that it is bloated with characters or there are too many characters. Those critiques are invalid because this is treated as a big TV episode like a big Game of Thrones episode where we spend time with almost all of the characters. The previous movies are being shown, in my opinion, as character-driven episodes as we spend time with certain characters that we care about and what they are being up to. It all builds up to Infinity War as there are stakes and definitely leaves you hanging with even bigger stakes.

Also, even though the banter is great between all of the characters, this movie is Thanos' movie and Josh Brolin does a fantastic job of bringing the dark side of the universe in a whole other meaning. He is definitely the best villain of the MCU as he is menacing and his purpose is straight-forward as it is threatening and sort of makes sense to rule his own universe from the comfort of his own seat. People do die. The superhero MVPs are Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, the Guardians of the Galaxy and Scarlett Witch and that is all I can say about that.

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo, who made the last two Captain America movies, had the challenge of juggling all these characters around with such detail and attention that it is noticeable and I applaud their efforts. To create a movie with so many characters and grand spectacle is difficult and they did a very good job. I think some of the special effects in this movie are some of the best of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as it is visually bold and also a bit brutal. There are some dark scenes that rival the hard PG-13 comic book movies. If you think that Infinity War is too much to handle, it is fine. Go see it and pay close attention. It is an event that people will be satisfied with that it may require repeated viewings to increase their excitement. This is a very good movie as a whole but I think this is a movie that I think perfectly defines a comic-book adaptation onto the big screen.

STAY FOR THE POST-CREDITS SCENE IN THE END!

***1/2



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