Avengers: Infinity War

Directed by: Anthony & Joe Russo
Written by: Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Josh Brolin, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chris Pratt, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Tom Holland, Dave Bautista, Pom Klementieff, Chadwick Boseman, Danai Gurira, Don Cheadle, Anthony Mackie, Scarlett Johansson, Karen Gillen, Peter Dinklage, Letitia Wright, Sebastian Stan, Winston Duke, Benedict Wong, Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, Benicio Del Toro, Gwyneth Paltrow, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Terry Notary, Sean Gunn
Action/Adventure/Fantasy - 149 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 25 Apr 2018

Hollywood finds the ideas of Thomas Malthus as ripe fruit for storytelling. There are plenty of post-apocalyptic scenarios detailing the aftermath of a mass human catastrophe due to too little food production to sustain too many consumers. Most recently, the adaptation of Dan Brown’s novel, Inferno, followed the trail of a madman intent on culling what he viewed as surplus mouths to feed through biological warfare. In the culmination of 10 years of Marvel Studios storytelling, the filmmakers choose to motivate the Avengers’ greatest foe with Malthusian instincts. The universe must be kept in balance and there is a super villain out there who decides he is just the leader to determine what that balance will be.

Tapped to direct one of the most anticipated fan films of all time, Anthony and Joe Russo realize Marvel’s rabid fan base are emotionally invested in the Avengers, their spin-offs, and all things Stan Lee. Über-fans demand the satisfying moments from mixing characters who operate in different storylines and corners of the universe. The Russo brothers gained our attention when they came out of nowhere to create one of the best Avenger films to date, Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Next, they began to crack the nebulous code of combining an avalanche of superheroes into one film without everyone collapsing the pyramid in Captain America: Civil War. In Infinity War, the Russo brothers, like the Avengers, face their greatest foe yet, shoving just about every Marvel superhero featured in the last 10 years into one plot.

The definition of 'one plot' is loose at best, because even though all of your favorites, both the most popular, Iron Man and Captain America, and the newer blood, Doctor Strange and some members of the Guardians of the Galaxy, are all here, they are locked in their own segments. However, the interactions you want to see will have many cracking a smile. The most screen time mixing goes to Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch). Opting to confront the bad guy on his own planet forces these two alpha males, both egotistical and self-absorbed, to try and understand one another. Tony Stark is a man of science. Stephen Strange is a man of magic. Throw in Spider-Man and some Guardians and you have yourself quite the combustible stew.

The bad guy uniting all the heroes is Thanos (Josh Brolin, Hail, Caesar!), a smirking villain seen previously in brief credit scenes from earlier films. Thanos is a world conqueror; he is the universe’s Genghis Khan. Thanos is stronger than the Hulk; he is smarter than Iron Man. Thanos is also the reason Infinity War scores high points. He is complex. The bad guy with brains and brawn is nothing new, but Thanos has layers. He carries with him a degree of empathy and even comes across as relatable for a second or two. He has a backstory which would lead most scholars to spout Malthus one-liners, but Thanos also moves with immense power and a goal; a goal the Avengers must unite all of their efforts to combat, for nobody can face the behemoth alone.

Gamora (Zoe Saldana) comes closest to cracking through Thano’s armor. We know from the Guardians films Gamora is Thano’s daughter. There is a bond here which may either be exploited or abused. Gamora is the key to unlocking Thano’s rawhide exterior, moving past the strength and violence into the inner being almost to something resembling sensitivity. Family problems are nothing new in these Marvel films. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) fills everyone in on how his sister removed his eyeball and blew up his planet. Not to be upstaged, Peter Quill (Chris Pratt), reminds everyone his father killed his mother and then tried to kill him. Heavy stuff for sure. But this is the Avengers; it is also at least 30% funny too. There are dozens of quips to go around referencing who is a superhero and how most of them have made up names. Some of the older heroes are straight up confused at how many Avengers there are now, “So, there is an Ant-Man and a Spider-Man?”

Infinity War juggles so many moving parts, it would be tough for the best directors to maintain a coherent narrative arc; one which makes sense as a whole thematically. The individual parts pull their weight as best they can, but the uniting force tying it all together is Thanos. His goal is so extreme and monstrous, it is challenging to wrap your head around it. Yet, these heroes we all know and some love beyond measure are here to fight the good fight together. Many love them because they see themselves beneath the armor and powers. The Avengers are very human; they have deep flaws, even psychological scars. There is so much going on in Infinity War, I didn’t even mention the other emotional soul of the film, Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olson) and Vision (Paul Bettany). Their arc suffers a bit due to character saturation, but what we are able to glean would have made an outstanding film foundation on its own. Fans have a whole year to wait and dissect it all before the second half arrives to piece together what may be one of the most shocking endings in Hollywood history, but that should be enough time to appreciate just what the Russo brothers attempted to do.

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