So. Here we are, after Infinity War.
For all the enthusiasm before the movie, I think the fandom has gone into a drone-like state of acceptance. For what use is there in resisting the events of Infinity War? The movie, in itself, is a mindblowing masterpiece that moves forward with a pace that isn't too quick for such a superhero-packed three hours. Each of the characters, I'm glad, were able to get their own screen time and actually come out memorable in their standalone moments. For such a massive movie to accomplish that is no mere feat.
That being said, I'm going to now go into specifics. The beginning of the movie came as a shock. I expected Korg and Valkyrie to atleast make an appearance (we have to presume that at this point, despite confirmation that Valkyrie is alive). The movie began on a note similar to Deathly Hallows Part 2. Bleak, darkness, death, and a villian who was monologuing away to the last heroes standing. That isn't a bad thing, but if we recall, the HP series made it's movies gradually darker and darker so it seemed natural to expect gloominess on screen during HP7. MCU, on the other hand, gave us two back to back vibrant, colourful movies before slamming us with this giant wall of gloom.
The movie would've made more sense if it was called Age of Thanos, or Thanos : Infinity War. As much as Civil War was not a Captain America movie, this isn't an Avengers movie. It is Thanos's movie through and through; and Josh Brolin kills it. You know that the directors have done their due diligence if the only character development in the entire movie is concentrated on Thanos. Gamora's death was a necessary part of that development, and it added a sense of loss to either side. No one emerged victorious...neither did Thanos, nor did the rest of the universe.
Talking about deaths, Loki's death was very sudden, and the fact that it happened seven minutes into the movie was unacceptable. Atleast for me, but I'm a huge Loki fangirl, so maybe my feelings on that are out of proportion. Heimdall's death touched me (in a way Hedwig's death did in HP7, I can not stop it with these comparisons, sue me), not only because Idris Elba is a very able character, but also because Heimdall was like the essence of Asgard to me; and him dying made me realize that Asgard now is, truly extinct.
The other 'deaths' at the end seem temporary, but one of them needs a very special mention. Peter Parker's death was brilliantly handled, by both Tom Holland and RDJ. Out of all the deaths, that was the hardest to watch; Peter Parker is just a kid, and I don't think anyone was ready to see that look of pure panic on his face. What surprised me most was that both Iron Man and Captain America were both left standing.
Which means, there is something deeper at work here. Obviously we know one of these central characters was going to die. So why didn't they? I have a theory, and it involves Doctor Strange; but revolves completely around Tony Stark. A mere hours ago, Strange flat out declared that he wouldn't hesitate to let both Stark and Parker die if it meant serving the greater good. What changed between that moment and the moment where he readily hands over the Time Stone to Thanos?
Two things did. One. He went into the future and saw fourteen million outcomes, out of which one was favourable. Two. Tony Stark was about to die.
So, given these facts, we have to assume that they are connected in some way. Tony's death might be the butterfly effect that causes Thanos to lose at the end. I have the strongest feeling that Strange did not prevent Stark's death; he only delayed it, and that makes all the difference. We know what Stark's guilt can make him do, we know the lengths he will go to to avenge one single person he barely knows (Sokovia accords, anyone?).
But now, that person is Peter Parker. Now, it is personal. So we have to assume here that Peter's 'death' was necessary as well. What I'm trying to say here is, Stark is going to die, but not before he sets in course the events necessary (directly or indirectly) for Thanos's fall.
Now I have to ask the question, how is Thor still standing? He lost his brother, (his girlfriend dumped him), he lost his best friend, he lost his planet, he failed to protect the last of the Asgardians, and he failed to kill Thanos after all of that. No wonder the end of the movie left us all down in the dumps. While on the subject the Thor, what the hell is the deal with the eyepatch? That was character development in Ragnarok. Him losing an eye to his sister was a strong turning point in the movies, it somehow signalled that he was ready to be King of Asgard. And now, he just...gets an eyeball? That's not right. Bring back the eyepatch, people. Character development is only effective if you stick with it. And Thor has really come into his own in the last two movies, don't go back on those decisions.
I think it's time we talked about Wakanda. To begin with, I expected more ludicrous Wakandan technology to be thrown around. I was slightly let down there, but I'm hoping the next Black Panther movie will make up for that. The ladies in the battle segment killed it (Romanoff, Okoye, and Scarlet Witch), and I would watch an entire movie with them and Hill just kicking ass. Otherwise, Wakanda delivered. I am not going to prattle on about how great the battle was, we all know that for a fact, and so I am moving on.
There is another character who the movie didn't talk much about, but by not talking about him, made a statement about how screwed the Avengers were to begin with. Remember how the Hulk just point blank refused to come out? Even when he was in the middle of battle? Does that seem like the gladiator that we saw in the last movie? No, guess why? Because he finally met someone that could punch the living daylights out of him, and for someone who has won all the fights he has ever been in (remember when he fought Fenris Wolf and won?), getting sucker-punched and passing out is a very new concept for the big green guy. It somehow humanises him a little, but mainly just goes to show how freaking scary Thanos is, even without his sparkly gauntlet.
I think it's time I wrapped it up, so we'll just touch on the post-credits scene here.
Captain Marvel, ladies and gentlemen. Why Nick Fury didn't contact her during New York is still a question running through my head. Or are alien invasions not important enough for her to get involved in? As a non-comic book reader and solely a fan of the MCU, I have no attachment whatsoever to the character. Like any new student, she has to go to school and prove her worth. And we will be here to pass judgement. (Another reason I'm sceptical may be that Wonder Woman was so unexpectedly perfectly executed, I'm not sure we will be charmed away that easily here. But who can tell? Marvel always delivers.)
In conclusion, Infinity War is worth watching at least twice in the cinemas. The dialogue is crisp, the humor and wit is on point; and to say that in a dark movie like this is truly a win.
9 out of 10 stars.
For all the enthusiasm before the movie, I think the fandom has gone into a drone-like state of acceptance. For what use is there in resisting the events of Infinity War? The movie, in itself, is a mindblowing masterpiece that moves forward with a pace that isn't too quick for such a superhero-packed three hours. Each of the characters, I'm glad, were able to get their own screen time and actually come out memorable in their standalone moments. For such a massive movie to accomplish that is no mere feat.
That being said, I'm going to now go into specifics. The beginning of the movie came as a shock. I expected Korg and Valkyrie to atleast make an appearance (we have to presume that at this point, despite confirmation that Valkyrie is alive). The movie began on a note similar to Deathly Hallows Part 2. Bleak, darkness, death, and a villian who was monologuing away to the last heroes standing. That isn't a bad thing, but if we recall, the HP series made it's movies gradually darker and darker so it seemed natural to expect gloominess on screen during HP7. MCU, on the other hand, gave us two back to back vibrant, colourful movies before slamming us with this giant wall of gloom.
The movie would've made more sense if it was called Age of Thanos, or Thanos : Infinity War. As much as Civil War was not a Captain America movie, this isn't an Avengers movie. It is Thanos's movie through and through; and Josh Brolin kills it. You know that the directors have done their due diligence if the only character development in the entire movie is concentrated on Thanos. Gamora's death was a necessary part of that development, and it added a sense of loss to either side. No one emerged victorious...neither did Thanos, nor did the rest of the universe.
Talking about deaths, Loki's death was very sudden, and the fact that it happened seven minutes into the movie was unacceptable. Atleast for me, but I'm a huge Loki fangirl, so maybe my feelings on that are out of proportion. Heimdall's death touched me (in a way Hedwig's death did in HP7, I can not stop it with these comparisons, sue me), not only because Idris Elba is a very able character, but also because Heimdall was like the essence of Asgard to me; and him dying made me realize that Asgard now is, truly extinct.
The other 'deaths' at the end seem temporary, but one of them needs a very special mention. Peter Parker's death was brilliantly handled, by both Tom Holland and RDJ. Out of all the deaths, that was the hardest to watch; Peter Parker is just a kid, and I don't think anyone was ready to see that look of pure panic on his face. What surprised me most was that both Iron Man and Captain America were both left standing.
Which means, there is something deeper at work here. Obviously we know one of these central characters was going to die. So why didn't they? I have a theory, and it involves Doctor Strange; but revolves completely around Tony Stark. A mere hours ago, Strange flat out declared that he wouldn't hesitate to let both Stark and Parker die if it meant serving the greater good. What changed between that moment and the moment where he readily hands over the Time Stone to Thanos?
Two things did. One. He went into the future and saw fourteen million outcomes, out of which one was favourable. Two. Tony Stark was about to die.
So, given these facts, we have to assume that they are connected in some way. Tony's death might be the butterfly effect that causes Thanos to lose at the end. I have the strongest feeling that Strange did not prevent Stark's death; he only delayed it, and that makes all the difference. We know what Stark's guilt can make him do, we know the lengths he will go to to avenge one single person he barely knows (Sokovia accords, anyone?).
But now, that person is Peter Parker. Now, it is personal. So we have to assume here that Peter's 'death' was necessary as well. What I'm trying to say here is, Stark is going to die, but not before he sets in course the events necessary (directly or indirectly) for Thanos's fall.
Now I have to ask the question, how is Thor still standing? He lost his brother, (his girlfriend dumped him), he lost his best friend, he lost his planet, he failed to protect the last of the Asgardians, and he failed to kill Thanos after all of that. No wonder the end of the movie left us all down in the dumps. While on the subject the Thor, what the hell is the deal with the eyepatch? That was character development in Ragnarok. Him losing an eye to his sister was a strong turning point in the movies, it somehow signalled that he was ready to be King of Asgard. And now, he just...gets an eyeball? That's not right. Bring back the eyepatch, people. Character development is only effective if you stick with it. And Thor has really come into his own in the last two movies, don't go back on those decisions.
I think it's time we talked about Wakanda. To begin with, I expected more ludicrous Wakandan technology to be thrown around. I was slightly let down there, but I'm hoping the next Black Panther movie will make up for that. The ladies in the battle segment killed it (Romanoff, Okoye, and Scarlet Witch), and I would watch an entire movie with them and Hill just kicking ass. Otherwise, Wakanda delivered. I am not going to prattle on about how great the battle was, we all know that for a fact, and so I am moving on.
There is another character who the movie didn't talk much about, but by not talking about him, made a statement about how screwed the Avengers were to begin with. Remember how the Hulk just point blank refused to come out? Even when he was in the middle of battle? Does that seem like the gladiator that we saw in the last movie? No, guess why? Because he finally met someone that could punch the living daylights out of him, and for someone who has won all the fights he has ever been in (remember when he fought Fenris Wolf and won?), getting sucker-punched and passing out is a very new concept for the big green guy. It somehow humanises him a little, but mainly just goes to show how freaking scary Thanos is, even without his sparkly gauntlet.
I think it's time I wrapped it up, so we'll just touch on the post-credits scene here.
Captain Marvel, ladies and gentlemen. Why Nick Fury didn't contact her during New York is still a question running through my head. Or are alien invasions not important enough for her to get involved in? As a non-comic book reader and solely a fan of the MCU, I have no attachment whatsoever to the character. Like any new student, she has to go to school and prove her worth. And we will be here to pass judgement. (Another reason I'm sceptical may be that Wonder Woman was so unexpectedly perfectly executed, I'm not sure we will be charmed away that easily here. But who can tell? Marvel always delivers.)
In conclusion, Infinity War is worth watching at least twice in the cinemas. The dialogue is crisp, the humor and wit is on point; and to say that in a dark movie like this is truly a win.
9 out of 10 stars.