And so finally, the mad titan has come down from high above, to collect the infinity gems himself. But is the foregone conclusion that this film will top all others in the MCU even in the ballpark?
If you think I'm going to recap what has led us to this moment, then you've got another thing coming! Iron Man and Incredible Hulk, kicked off this MCU 10 years ago, both deploying within a month of each other and that's all your getting. 10 years later, we have reached the third major summation, with a story arc set to trump all the others that came before it - the play to save the entire universe...well technically half of it.
Avengers: Infinity War starts off exactly where it needs to, which is about 30 minutes after Thor: Ragnarok. I for one, immediately appreciated the opening, as we are thrust straight into the seriousness of the situation, where already, the heavy hitters have not fared so well - and this is the beginning of the movie. Kudos to directors, the brothers Russo for understanding that all the previous films are all the prologue we needed and therefore they could bypass any further explanation of the events at hand. Ladies and Gentlemen, we are here to see the ultimate intergalactic rukus and this is what we are given from the get go.
What is quite apparent in A:IW, is that there is a concerted effort to allow all the characters to get their chance to shine, whether it be through action scenes, acting or comedy. I imagine that turning the initial draft of this script, into a finely tuned one, was a bit of a nightmare, but writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeeley pull off what I imagine to be, a hair-pulling and frustrating mission, having to remember where all the characters have been and what they have done, so they could get everybody in, where they fit in.
I enjoyed the film a lot, I want you to know this, but in my heart, as a piece of filmmaking, as a piece of cinema, I wouldn't say that this is Marvel's finest film. Yes, A:IW has the unique make-up, similar to Captain America: Civil War, in that it brings in a multitude of characters to have a string of epic battles. But the movie felt like a compilation summation of all the movies that led us here. Almost as if the film could have been called: Thanos: The Infinity Diaries. Sometimes, A:IW felt like a series of clips, detailing how each battle went down, but this is understandable, as with so many characters spread out and the nature of the story, how long and serious could the narratives be per scene? Personally, I think if they had gone that way, the film would have been 10 hours long. However, I would still put Civil War and The Winter Soldier above Infinity War.
In addition to what elements could be improved upon, there are a few issues that surround the technical production that need addressing. Firstly, I have noticed that Marvel film scenes, that are shot during the night are poorly lit. Yes, we understand that it is suppose to be dark, it's the night! But if you think of Keanu Reeves Vs Common in John Wick 2, the scene where they are having a fight in the street or the Purge films, well that is how you light a night scene. Secondly, Black Panther's fighting scenes are a let down. In Civil War, he was awesome, but since his own outing and now this, we are constantly given this CGI Black Panther, moving in a way that is not to my liking. Chadwick Boseman is a seasoned martial artist, let him fight for real anytime he can, in the same vein as Captain America. Thirdly, the ill-construction of a character's abilities and history through their earlier films, can now be seen as the mistake that it is. And so now that Drax The Destroyer has come face-to-face with Thanos, we see that his misrepresentation makes him look pitifully meagre in comparison. Drax was specifically created for the destruction of Thanos. Sidenote; When Drax's family were killed, his human spirit (as Arthur Douglas) was taken out of his human body by Kronos (Thanos' grandfather) and put into the formidable one he currently occupies. The sole purpose of becoming Drax was so that he could kill Thanos. His powers range from superhuman strength, high stamina, resistance to physical injury, energy blast projection, travelling in outer space and hyperspace at great speeds, survival without food, water & air and telepathic abilities...and there is more, but you get my point.
On a positive note, Thor really gets to show his might and power and there was one particular scene where I actually felt my body temperature rise because it was so badass. Iron Man wows us with his upgrades and dedication to the fight, Gamora brought in some great emotional angst and most surprisingly of all is Thanos, it's his film. The Thanos story has been created to have a proper emotional dimension and like many real life tyrants, he carries the delusion that his mass destructive behaviour is actually a benevolence. Josh Brolin excellently emoted his intelligence and psychology through every scene. We weren't given the archetypal, moustache twiddling villain, who would throw his head back in laughter as he defeated an enemy. If anything he was thoughtful and respectful. Admittedly, I was surprised at the ending, it was a major anti-climax, however, the one and only post-credit sequence (right at the frikken end of allllll the credits) made up for it big time.
Overall A:IW is a good watch. You won't have to worry about not getting an epic showdown, but I am prone to believe, that the 2nd instalment scheduled for May 2019 can actually do better.
Overall A:IW is a good watch. You won't have to worry about not getting an epic showdown, but I am prone to believe, that the 2nd instalment scheduled for May 2019 can actually do better.
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