Welcome to MAYvel Phase 2, the one-month marathon that goes into two months because of how much media Marvel has put out that doesn't include the actual comics. Unlike last year where almost all of Phase 3 was reviewed, from Ant-Man to Black Panther. This year, only two MCU movies are being reviewed, Infinity War, and the Ant-Man sequel. Two shows are going to be reviewed as well, along with a list marking almost every MCU movie from worst to best. Endgame won't be on that list because I don't want to spoil the Endgame. So don't worry, there won't be any spoilers of the movie in this review, and in the Toybox reviews this month, which will be reviewing the Avengers Endgame sets. So then, before you go to see Endgame, even though you probably already have, let's look at its direct lead-in, Avengers Infinity War.
It should be said that one of the biggest potential flaws of the movie is that this really isn't an Avengers movie, even though they are the title characters. This is a Thanos movie. The purple guy that was seen in Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Age of Ultron, name-dropped in Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, and the owner of the big ship at the end of Thor Ragnarok, this is his movie, he is the main character, with all the heroes that have been in the last 10 years of movies all reacting to him. This isn't exactly a bad thing, depending on what you're looking for as Thanos is a really strong villain, both physically and in terms of how he was written and performed. With all the Infinity Stones in play (along with the reveal that Gamora knows the location of the Soul Stone, the one stone missing up to this point), Thanos makes his big move to claim the Space Stone, the Mind Stone, the Reality Stone, the Power Stone, the Time Stone and the Soul Stone. The only thing stopping him? The Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy, with everyone basically scattering to try and protect the stones. He devastates Xandar before the start of the movie to claim the Power Stone, he devastates the already struggling Asgardians to claim the Space Stone, including killing Loki and Heimdal. He sends the Black Order (Corvus Glave, Proxima Midnight, Ebony Maul, and Cull Obsidian) to take the Time and Mind Stones, while he goes to get the Reality and Soul Stones.
To counter this, Thor, Rocket Racoon and Groot go to Nadivalier to forge a new weapon for Thor, Mantis, Star-Lord, Drax and Gamora go to Nowhere to try and protect the Reality Stone, only to have Gamora taken from them by Thanos so that he can get the Soul Stone. Iron Man, Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, eventually joined by the aforementioned Guardians who went to Nowhere, along with Nebula after she escapes from Thanos's capture (from before the movie) try to protect the Time Stone, while Captain America, Black Widow, Falcon, War Machine, Bruce Banner in a Hulkbuster, Black Panther, Black Panther, a huge Wakandan army, Winter Soldier, and Scarlet Witch try to protect Vision while they try and get the Mind Stone out of him. Also, Pepper, Wong, and Shuri are here. Shuri, in fact, is trying to get the stone out of Vision.
For as huge of a cast as this is, the movie stays at a quick pace throughout, there's not much fluff concerning The Avengers, though they don't get any character development. Nor do the Black Order, which is a shame because when looking at the comics, The Black Order alone could have been phase enders, even when separated. However that could have led to another 20 years of Marvel movies on this phase, and I don't think anyone could have kept the hype for Thanos going that long. For a two and a half hour long movie, there is no fluff, with no clear standout moments that I think could have been cut. Maybe a scene with Ross regarding the Sokovia Accords, but that would only be taking out a few minutes at most. It's certainly the strongest part of the movie because of how focused it is. It's certainly a feat of cinema storytelling to have so much in this movie. However, the sheer amount of stuff can easily overwhelm people, especially if you haven't been keeping up with the previous movies.
I feel sorry for Black Panther, along with Ant-Man and The Wasp. Not because of the quality of the films, I still think Black Panther is a good movie. However, it's clear that the priority in the editing and CGI was Infinity War. What resources couldn't go to making Black Panther's action scenes look fluid went to rendering out every muscle on Thanos's bald head. That being said, while there are minor moments where the CGI doesn't look good, such as Bruce's head sticking out the top of the Hulkbuster, this movie looks amazing. It's impressive to see the fights going on because trust me, there's a lot of fighting, from things like Thanos going one on one with Hulk, all the way to crushing one of Titans Moons and using the rubble to throw at Tony. If you're looking for a spectacle, you'll find it here. Sadly, as usual, you won't find the same kind of care given to the score, which never really stands out here. It's fitting, easily fitting, but it's not memorable on its own.
Infinity War is easily worth watching, as it is really enjoyable if you're onboard with the Marvel Movies. However, the huge cast does make this movie feel crowded, and it's not newcomer friendly. I find it hard to call that last one a genuine flaw though as, to me at least, it's like complaining that the twenty-first chapter in a book doesn't make sense because you didn't read the first twenty. Yes, there's a lot of movies to watch, but speaking from experience, you're the best bet to get through all of them is to watch them in bursts. Just remember that this movie started life as a Part 1 to a bigger story. See you next week for Ant-Man and The Wasp
No comments:
Post a Comment