Read the title again. That's exactly how I felt after I watched Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War. The movie was released just yesterday and I immediately went to watch today right after class. Perhaps, this is my first time to watch a movie so quickly after it was just released. As you may or may not know, I am a huge Marvel fan. In this summary + review, there are tons of spoilers, so read at your own risk!
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The End of Asgard?
The movie begins where Thor: Ragnarok ended off. Thanos has massacred the Asgardians in search of an infinity stone: The Tesseract. It is shown at the end of Ragnarok that Loki stole the Tesseract again without anyone knowing. When Thanos demands for the stone, Thor denies. Heimdall sacrifices his life to transport Hulk back to Earth to warn the others. Loki, on the other hand, decides to swear his "undying loyalty" to Thanos after giving him the Tessarect, only to have him killed right in front of Thor. Thanos says that there will be "no resurrection" this time. Will Loki return? I don't know, but (SUPERNATURAL SEASON 13 SPOILER) if Gabriel can come back, I'm sure they'll be bringing back Loki... right?
The Hunt for the Infinity Stones
We then see the happy couple Tony Stark and Pepper Potts before they are interrupted by Doctor Stephen Strange and the return of Bruce Banner. Thanos sends his men to Earth to get the remainder infinity stones — one with Dr Strange, the other with Vision, while Thanos goes off on his own to get one of the infinity stones. Thanos is indeed a tragic villain with a backstory but why he wants to obtain all the power and go as far as sacrificing Gamora still remains a little unclear. If he loved Gamora and mourned for her, why did he still do it? In the beginning of the story, he says, "I know what it's like to lose. To feel like you're right, yet to fail nonetheless." Thanos will return in Avengers 4 so let's hope it will be more clearer.
Tony Stark and Dr Strange's exchange is witty and hilarious as the unlikely anti-hero duo pair up. The only regret is that they didn't say "No shit, Sherlock" to each other. I also like how Tony Stark always looks out for the young Peter Parker and the look on Peter's face when he was finally declared an Avenger is everything. One thing I really enjoy watching is Thor's character. He's funny when he needs to be and serious when it's time to protect the rest. Thor has gone through so much hardships after having to see all of his people die in front of him and he definitely needs a break. I didn't quite like the axe and I wished he would've asked for another Mjölnir.
The War Continues
The ground zero battle of Infinity War took place in Wakanda. Unfortunately for the others, Thanos has achieved all of the infinity stones. With the snap of his finger, it triggered a reaction — the deaths of half of the universe. I'm pretty sure that this action will be reversed or altered (like how Dr Strange says that there are many different alternatives, in which they only win in one) in Avengers 4 because you can't kill half of your main characters, especially the ones we all love including Bucky, T'Challa and the entire Guardians of the Galaxy squad excluding the "rabbit" as Thor calls him. In the post-credits scene, we see Nick Fury and Agent Maria Hill driving somewhere until both Nick and Maria disappear. Nick sent an emergency message to someone, but we don't know who (Captain Marvel, hopefully). Infinity War ends on such a big cliffhanger that it just begs to watch the sequel immediately.
What works:
1. The dialogue + funny moments for sure. How are they able to come up with funny dialogue all the time even during intense scenes?
Favourites:
- Everyone favouring the "better Chris" between Pratt and Hemsworth. Obviously, the king reigns. Also, the battle of egos.
- "I am Groot." / "I am Steve Rogers."
- Drax being "invisible".
- Bruce Banner bowing down to T'Challa.
- "WHY is Gamora?"
2. The relationships. I'm not just talking about love relationships, but all of the character's relationships with one another. Dr Strange, who originally only cared for the safety of the infinity stone in his hands, was willing to sacrifice the stone immediately to save Tony's life. Not to mention Tony's and Peter's relationship as father and son was nicely portrayed. If you didn't feel anything when Peter reached out to Tony before he turned into nothingness (this is what we call the 'teardrop moment', I guess you're more heartless than Thanos. Speaking about love relationships, we have Wanda/ Vision and Star-Lord/ Gamora, both of which had a tragic end to their stories.
3. The little things. Stan Lee's cameo as a bus driver, Red Skull's return (edit: It's played by one other resident Walking Dead hero, Ross Marquand!) and T'Challa's "Wakanda Forever!" are just some of details that interest me. Adolescent Groot was especially funny because I'm sure I can relate to his actions and behaviour.
What doesn't work:
1. The crossovers. It did work to a certain extent, but there were too many characters which meant that some characters didn't get a chance to interact with one another. For example, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. It would've been nice for them to actually meet up and fight side by side again. What about Bruce and Nat? The only exchange they had was when they met each other again after a long time. Plus, I can't believe Hawkeye's still in retirement and not disappointing his kids (We miss you, please come back and help clean up all the mess).
2. The fight scenes. It could have been done way better. With so many characters in the final fight in Wakanda, it was a waste that Black Widow, The Winter Soldier and even Captain America had little focal time. I mean, Bucky just got a cool new arm made out of vibranium and yet he does nothing with that arm? Sure he's a soldier and he looks and does good using his gun, but at least let him do something with that arm! A cool clothesline, perhaps? Plus, I would have really liked to see Drax doing a Batista Bomb on Thanos.
3. The deaths. Loki's death in the beginning did set the tone for the rest of the movie but the deaths in the end when half of them turned to ashes? Not so much. It wasn't as impactful (Peter's & Tony's last exchange, Okoye's distraught at losing her king and Vision's death scene were exceptions) and Gamora's death was the least moving because of her naivety. Gamora's death is probably the most sloppiest scene in this entire movie.
4. Thanos' character could have been developed further. He's not just an everyday bad guy who does evil things because he feels like it. There's a backstory to it and it should've been played out better. Here's hoping to see more of it in the sequel.
Rating:
While this might not be the best Marvel or Avengers movie (in my opinion of course), Infinity War did wonders by making us care for all our favourite characters and wanting to know more. It didn't even feel like a close to 3 hour movie. I'd give it a 7 out of 10.
Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War is now out in the theatres.