Rating of
3/4
"Avengers: Infinity War" by Yojimbo
Yojimbo - wrote on 04/26/19
Thanos reaches Earth in his quest to possess the six all-powerful “Infinity Stones” and indiscriminately exterminate half of all life in the universe.
Infinity War is the destination of pretty much all of the previous MCU movies so far; this is the story it’s all been leading up to and attempts to tie up all of the relevant threads from Captain America: The First Avenger through to Thor: Ragnarok. Readers of Marvel comics will be very familiar with the formula as it is very much a cinematic version of one of their “event” crossover stories, with a large number of disparate characters converging and then splitting up into teams, each with missions equally important to the ultimate goal. The near-constant action and one-liners is a bit of an assault on the senses and as a result it’s best just to allow it all to wash over you rather than think too much about it; the plot itself is a little threadbare but most of the large number of characters get their chance in the spotlight and play off each other well, the funniest lines coming from the bickering between Peter Quill and Thor in the genuinely funny style of Ragnarok. It’s nice to have an “ultimate villain” with a back story that does not paint him as pure evil, and although there is obviously an over-reliance on CGI, it does have the requisite witty dialogue and drama to keep you engaged throughout. But most importantly, it sets up a cliff-hanger that makes Endgame an irresistible temptation to anyone with any interest in the Marvel universe.
Hardly a work of art or cinematic genius, but Infinity War does exactly what it sets out to do; amuses, entertains, and leaves you salivating at the prospect of the next instalment.
