Avengers: Infinity War Is a Giant Cinematic Spectacle That Delivers on Its Promises

By Avik Basak

Every now and then we find movies that are so much hyped and generate sky-high expectations. But, there seldom come those, which not only live up to those expectations but somehow manage to exceed them. Avengers: Infinity War is one of those rare films. A film, which was a decade in the making and promised to be the beginning of the culmination of MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) as we know it, does good on all its promises. It might feel faulty at times but it makes up for that in the other parts.

It clocks in on a whopping 2 hours and 29 minutes, which could make a film feel overlong but in case of Infinity War, it does not feel like an issue at all for obvious reasons (22 heroes, come on!). Equipped with a fast-paced narrative, it sets us on a thrilling, edge of the seat roller coaster ride that jumps from one corner of the universe to another in a jiffy, while also making sure that they happen in a natural way without forcing anything.

Taking place a couple of years after the events of Captain America: Civil War, this movie sees its big baddie, Thanos on his quest for the six Infinity Stones. He plans to put them all together in his Infinity Gauntlet so that he can wipe away half the lives in the universe, which according to him, is overpopulated and should be rebalanced. The Avengers, along with the Guardians of the Galaxy and the others are the only ones who stand between him and his goals.

Now, talking about Thanos, he is undoubtedly one of the best Marvel villains that we have seen in the MCU. If you ask me, he is not a villain at all but the antihero of the movie. Because if we see it from his perspective, the problem he is talking about is not false and we can relate to it. It is his resolution that is questionable. As a result, he is dreadful, ruthless and menacing but yet we just cannot help but feel for him. Brought to life by an incredible motion capture performance by Josh Brolin, it is Thanos and his realistic logic behind his doings that give Infinity War a whole new dimension. The only thing that is missing in his character arc is a proper back story, which is reportedly edited out to make the film shorter, one of the fewest clumsy decisions made by the makers.

As for the other players of the movie, from Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo to Chadwick Boseman, Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Holland (There’s so many, you cannot name everyone), everyone is in fine form here. It is only the screen time they get that varies, as we can expect in a movie as big as this one. Hopefully, we will see it get balanced when Avengers 4 hits the screens next year.

Despite the unequal share of the screen time, one of the most prized treasures of the movie is the character interactions. You just cannot help but stare in awe when you see the egomaniacs Tony Stark and Doctor Strange try to rip each other apart with their sparkly dialogue exchanges or when Star-Lord interacts with Thor and tries to imitate the latter’s voice. There is also a time when Bruce Banner exclaims, “There’s an Ant-Man and a Spider-Man?” These moments are pure gold for any Marvel Comics fan or anyone who has been following this franchise.

After impressing us with The Winter Soldier and Civil War, directors Russo brothers up their game for this mega event and do not disappoint us. With an equally brilliant screenplay from Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the Russos manage to deliver what was expected from them. It is also good to see Alan Silvestri, who scored the first Avengers movie, back for this one. Silvestri impresses us with some new tracks and also uses a few different versions of the signature theme.

Trent Opaloch’s cinematography is subtle and concurrent with the movie’s needs, while editors Jeffrey Ford and Matthew Schmidt please us with some amazing transitions. Like all Marvel movies, you cannot complain about the use of visual effects here, whereas the usage of 3D is also well handled.

Overall, Avengers: Infinity War is a giant cinematic spectacle that one cannot afford to miss at the movies. It is not flawless but if we can look past those few shortcomings, which we definitely can, it is a movie event of a lifetime. In fact, for the fans out there, a single watch might not quench the thirst.

P.S.: As you all know the drill, do not leave the theatres until the screen turns absolutely black. It is a special movie; hence it makes sense that it has something special in store for you after the credits as well.

4.7 Stars Out of 5 from Me...