Movie Review: Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Summary: The Avengers and their allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.

Pros:

Cast and Characters. All of the characters we have met are pretty much in this film so it’s a lot. I feel like I have to talk about most of them. Some definitely have way more to do than others but they’re all important in their ways.

• Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man. We find Tony in a different place in this movie, it’s been two years since Civil War and he and Pepper are talking about the future. However, Tony feels a threat coming and he wants to do whatever he can to protect Earth. But he still is a bit hung up on past things and sometimes can’t get out of his own way, as per usual. Throughout this movie, Tony is trying to be a leader, trying to work with everyone he comes into contact with and I think he has to learn that things don’t always out the way 

• Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America. Following the events of Civil War, Steve is a fugitive and the leader of a faction of the Avengers. Steve is always as unshakable as he always has been. When he gets the call about Thanos, he shows up and immediately gets into action, especially with the hope of not sacrificing anyone. If Steve can save you, he’ll do it. If he can throw himself on the grenade for you, he’ll do it and he does that here. I think it’s easy to tell that he’s a little different. After everything that’s happened, he’s seen a lot and he definitely seemed to be in a more “somber” place, not that Steve is ever really that upbeat, but he just seems different. I love his look, with the beard and the longer hair. I also loved how his uniform still had an air of his old uniform, but with darker colors because his whole story was him questioning everything he knew and loved. I think Chris Evans is fantastic as Steve and I’m going to be very sad when Marvel Studios finishes with our main heroes’ stories and we move on because Steve has just been this pillar for me. Chris Evans manages to keep Steve likable while also making sure his values, morals and ideals are never shaken. He’s a true leader. I’d follow him anywhere.

• Chris Hemsworth as Thor. His story picks up right after Thor: Ragnarok which is an interesting place because he has super emotional motivations considering where we left off in that movie. He wants to protect his people, including his brother (where’s Valkyrie by the way?) and throughout the movie, he just wants to find a way to harness his power. He lost his hammer in the last movie, so now he’s on a mission to do something to help against Thanos. I’m so glad they allowed Hemsworth to really do some humor as Thor because he’s funny and I think Thor deserves to be a balance between funny and serious. I love his new look, I love all of his interactions with everyone, he always has great chemistry with the people around him.

• Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / Hulk. In this film, Banner starts off as The Hulk with Thor and Loki in the beginning. Heimdall uses his power to send him back to Earth, and Banner spends a lot of the movie trying to reintegrate with the Avengers since Hulk left in Age of Ultron. He keeps trying to tell everyone how dangerous Thanos is and I think the biggest thing is that we’re starting to see… is there that much of a difference between Bruce and Hulk these days? We really get to see more of Bruce in this one, see him become an Avenger over his giant counterpart. I love Mark Ruffalo, I think he’s a great actor and I very much enjoy him go between playing Bruce and playing Hulk.

• Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow. She ends up being with Steve, despite being against him in Civil War, and not ending up with him in the end. She must have found them. She’s changed her look (I don’t care for the blonde) and she’s like Steve’s right hand, which I like because I do like the fact that they have such a great friendship. I don’t think she does much until the fight on Wakanda, where she kind of teams up with Okoye which is awesome in many ways. I’ve never been a ScarJo fan but she’s fine in this role. She does also have good chemistry with her coworkers as well. 

• Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange. Doctor Strange gets involved when Bruce falls into the New York sanctum. He also has the Time Stone so obviously he’s a target. Strange definitely is a bit more humble coming from his first film, but he’s still a bit of douche. Which is why his scenes with Tony were so great. Cumberbatch and Downey Jr. worked really well together. The thing about Strange is that his goal to protect the time stone and he doesn’t care about who gets in the way of him doing that. His character arc in the film I think is the most noticeable. Cumberbatch is still fine in the role, I think his American accent was better this time around but I really liked Strange a lot more in this then I did previously.

• Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man. Peter is back and I love him still. He’s a kid so it’s great to see him reacting to things and especially with him being kind of new to this, he throws himself head first (which is why I want him to really interact with Steve, he’s so much like him) and is willing to do whatever he can to help. He’s following Tony and Strange’s lead but he always pulls his weight. Tom Holland is great still, and he has a great emotional scene at the end that really got me.

Supporting Characters. I definitely thought there was a distinction between the characters we saw the most and the ones who would be considered “supporting”. I mean, everyone is good so if I don’t really go into detail about everyone, it’s kind of for a reason.

• Don Cheadle as James “Rhodey” Rhodes / War Machine. The last time we saw him was in Civil War, where he was paralyzed. Tony creates an apparatus so he can walk again but it’s easy to tell that he’s a bit reluctant to put on his suit again after what happened. However, he also seems to be regretting the side he chose in Civil War, mostly since he was only on that side because he’s Tony’s best friend. I’m sure Tony feels responsible for his injury but they hardly interact in this movie, since Rhodey is with Steve most of the time. But I think he definitely is regretting things. Cheadle is fine as always, he has a commanding presence as Rhodey but I don’t think he has a lot to do in the film.

• Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa / Black Panther. Picks up right after his movie, he’s the king of Wakanda. He’s housing Bucky Barnes, and Steve takes his team to Wakanda with the hope of Shuri being able to help remove the Mind Stone from Vision. T’Challa welcomes them and I think he and Steve could also have a great friendship. I also liked that while on Wakanda, everyone took the lead from him. Chadwick is great as always in this role. He’s regal, kingly, and he looks good while doing it lol.

• Paul Bettany as Vision. He has the Mind Stone in his head so he’s definitely a target as well and important. He’s with Wanda and they’re attacked by Thanos’ lackeys for his stone. They fight but are overwhelmed, Steve, Sam and Natasha show up and Vision has definitely become way more human so he’s willing to sacrifice his life but Steve believes everyone can be saved. Vision is willing to do what he can to live, but at the same time, save the others. Paul Bettany is great as Vision because you can clearly see the conflict he’s feeling when it comes to wanting to be with Wanda but also not wanting to be a part of destroying the world.   He’s really hopeful in this, he definitely doesn’t feel like an untouchable android.

• Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch. I believe she is the youngest of Steve’s faction of Avengers. She can harness magic and she’s really powerful. I really hope they allow her even more to use her magic to its full ability because in the comics, Wanda can warp reality. But anyway, her goal is to save Vision without him dying because of love. I like Olsen in the role, I just wonder if they got rid of the accent because at times it was very faint and other times it definitely seemed like it was gone completely. She’s also great at emotional moments.

• Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes. I LOVE Bucky, I just wish he was in these movies more but whatever. He’s been on Wakanda, living life, getting better and his hair’s all healthy and stuff lol. He’s the White Wolf lol. Once he’s told that he’s needed, he gets his new arm and gets right back in the fold. Sebastian Stan is also always good and he’s great as Bucky. Give him more to do!

• Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Falcon. A member of Steve’s faction of Avengers, he doesn’t have much to do other than being a wingman (lol pun intended) and to fight from the air. I love Sam though and I hope he gets more to do later on.

• Tom Hiddleston as Loki. He’s always great as Loki, so memorable and he has some great stuff right at the beginning. We’ve really seen Loki fluctuate through the last 10 years and I think he’s still an interesting character. Tom definitely understands him and made him not only a memorable and one of the MCU’s best villains, but also someone who can be a hero when he needs to be.

• Zoe Saldana as Gamora. She is a Guardian but also Thanos’ daughter. We know that she has daddy issues period but this film really allows that to take shape in how she’s reacting to everything. Gamora knew this day would come and I think part of her hoped that he wouldn’t go through it, while the other part of her wants him to try to fail. Zoe Saldana had a lot of emotional moments in this movie and she does well. I really felt it.

• Karen Gillan as Nebula. I guess she’s a member of the Guardians now, at least loosely lol. She is also an adopted daughter of Thanos but she doesn’t seem to be the favorite, or even one he truly cares about. However, her and Gamora have gotten closer thanks to Vol. 2 which Thanos exploits that relationship. I enjoy Nebula, she’s very entertaining and it’s interesting to see the opposite side of Thanos’ relationship with his daughters. I haven’t really seen Karen Gillan in anything but these movies, but I think Nebula is a bit sad in how her life seems to be, which works. Makes you feel bad for her even though she can have an attitude lol.

• Dave Bautista as Drax the Destroyer. I normally find Drax annoying, however he was funny in this, I loved his “invisible” scene. It was really funny. He seeks vengeance against Thanos for killing his family. He can get a little “tunnel vision” because of that but his relationship with the other Guardians is great. They all have a great relationship period. Dave Bautista is fun when Drax isn’t being annoying.

• Vin Diesel as Groot. Of course Groot is like a teenager in this film, so he has a bit of an attitude. His teeth even look like he has braces lol. Like you want to pop him for just the tone. He spends a lot of the time on a video game just so unbothered about everything happening around him, till he has to rise up and take initiative and it was so beautiful. Vin Diesel is still great as the voice. It’s fun watching him do behind the scenes of the voice and how he just does different things even if all Groot says is “I am Groot”. 

• Bradley Cooper as Rocket. A genetically engineered raccoon-based bounty hunter and mercenary, and is a master of weapons and battle tactics. I love Rocket, he’s my favorite of the Guardians and he decides, along with Groot, to travel with Thor and he gets to play Captain while Thor is thinking about the events at the beginning of the movie. Bradley Cooper is still great as the voice, he manages to put a lot of emotion into Rocket’s voice and Sean Gunn does great with his motion capture.

• Chris Pratt as Peter Quill / Star-Lord. He is the leader of the Guardians. Quill starts off the movie with his group and they run into Thor. The Guardians split up among different missions and Quill goes through some things on his mission. He has to deal with what’s happening with Gamora and how she’s revealing things to him. He also does something really stupid that I’m still mad at him for. I don’t know if it was part of a plan or not, but still stupid. Chris Pratt is fine at Quill, I actually enjoyed seeing him bounce off of Downey Jr., Holland, and Cumberbatch. He also has good chemistry with Saldana.

The Villain. So Thanos gets his own section from our heroes because he deserves it. For a character that’s been teased for years and movies, I think he lives up to his hype. He’s threatening, he’s big, he’s scary and ironically he does have emotional moments. Thanos isn’t just trying to be a bad guy, in his mind, what he’s doing is for the good of the universe. I mean, it’s selfish because he think it’s his mission, he’s really doing it for himself. I think he’s a complicated villain. Josh Brolin does a great job with him as well. His movements and facial expressions for Thanos I thought were handled very well. Even though I HATE HIM, he’s fantastic.

I cried. So it’s emotional. I can’t say that everyone will cry, nor will you cry all at the same places of the movie. I think it depends on the person and on whether or you’re a crier. I’m a crier. However, I felt an array of emotions during this film. The first 20 minutes had me in my feelings, my friend had to constantly calm me down throughout the movie because I was so upset. Something else happened, I like that character so I was upset but I wasn’t like how I was in the first 20 minutes. Then… the big one, the ending. I know all about people’s contracts, and the movie lineup so it’s easy to sooth one’s feelings but in the emotions and turmoil of the movie, that stuff packs a wallop and I felt all of that. Upset. The theater was dead quiet, and I think I definitely heard sniffling, not just coming from me. After I see it again, and hopefully do a Spoiler Talk (those are so hard to do lol), I can go into more detail but everything they wanted me to feel, I felt it. I’m sure there will be people who will scoff at the emotions the movie wants you to feel, and that’s fine, but for me, I felt all of that. Anger, sadness, hope, confusion. All of it.

I laughed. I think Infinity War, has a great balance of humor and somber tones. It’s very funny which can’t helped considering the cast and the humorous characters. There will be a lot of laughter throughout and different kinds, so, if you don’t find Drax funny, which I normally don’t because he annoys me, you’ll see Peter Parker say or do something that is funny. It definitely varies from humor types and I loved that.

The Beautiful Visuals. Marvel Studios has been building up to this for ten years (Which I love the 10 in the Studios of their logo) and it definitely shows. Tony has a new suit and the way he uses it, it’s definitely his best suit yet. Also, Spider-Man’s Iron Spider suit, that thing was awesome, definitely reminiscent of that suit in the comics. There are a few parts where certain things happen, ugh spoilers lol, but there’s a scene on Knowhere that was pretty cool where the effects are used for Drax and Mantis and I was shocked because that was so different! Then of course I thought Thanos looked really good and real on-screen. There’s a really cool scene with Nebula, I mean it’s not cool for her, but it was cool to look at. Plus, the characters using their powers, or their weapons, or whatever, it’s all handled so well that you don’t get lost in who is doing what. You know it’s Steve running all super fast alongside Black Panther. Or that it’s Peter swinging around with his webs, or Doctor Strange using his sorcery to fight and warp dimensions. *Sighs* It’s so beautiful.

The use of Sounds/Music. What I mean by this is usually Marvel films start out with an upbeat, or some type of familiar music when the logo is on-screen. This movie starts out so ominous that it puts right into the head space of this film from the jump. I knew what I was getting myself into but I knew it was going to be a hard one. There are moments throughout where the music swells and you’re excited, or when you go to a location, for example Wakanda and drums are being played. Stuff like that. They’ve done so much world building that you know where you’re going when you hear the music. Plus, the music at the end… wow.

Cons:

The Story Narrative. So, I think the story was a bit weak. I mean, I get it. But it’s really just action moving forward more than the plot moving forward. Yes, the movie about our heroes saving the world from Thanos, while it’s also about Thanos, who probably can be considered the main character of the movie. We learn a lot about him, but it just feels like our heroes are just popping up, being introduced in the movie and teaming up. Compared to The Avengers, which I think has a more solid storyline, I think this movie kind of lacks a clear narrative. It’s not like it’s not there, I just think it’s weak. There’s so much being juggled that I think the story gets left behind, especially when we cut to different characters and what they’re doing.

Stakes. There were times where I was unsure what or who was going to happen, or whatever. They want you to feel like everyone is in danger, and while that’s true sometimes, I think it shies away from taking some bigger risks that it could have, and probably should have taken.

Overall, I loved this movie. My problems with it did not prevent me from enjoying it and having a great time watching it. I was very emotional from the beginning and remained in a heightened state of stress throughout the rest of the film. I think all of the characters we have come to know and love were all great in their own right. I do wish we got to see more of certain characters but there was a lot to cover and I think they did well. It was funny, the movie knew how to balance the humor with the emotion and I think the writing was handled in a mature way that didn’t make the humor seem juvenile. However, I did cry. It’s very emotional throughout the movie and the ending packs a wallop I think. I also loved the visuals, we got to revisit Wakanda which is just as beautiful (even though we didn’t see a lot of it) as it was in the movie, and all of the visuals were handled in a way that I’m sure would be great to see it in IMAX. Thanos was a great villain. He really came in and effed everything up which made me hate him, but I also liked him. I also think the way music was integrated in the film. It’s always important to have an engaging soundtrack and I think the movie does that. Plus, the way it took sound away so it was only the visuals, made me stress out even more. On the other hand, I did notice a few things, I thought the story was a bit weak and it just felt like a series of actions more than an actual plot flowing throughout the movie. The stakes   are high but at the same time it doesn’t always feel organic. I think things would have been different if the ending was just a tad different, it might have been a bit more emotional. HOWEVER I love this movie and it destroyed me. I’m still upset about it now lol but it’s a great movie.

Rating: 4 out 5 stars.

Have you seen Avengers: Infinity War? What did you think about it? Let me know in the comments below and don’t forget to like and follow this blog for more reviews!