The Avengers: Infinity War
3/4
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Josh Brolin, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johannson, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Zoe Saldana, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Anthony Mackie and the voices of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel
Rated PG-13 for Intense Sequences of Sci-Fi Violence and Action Throughout, Language and Some Crude References
It's all come to this.
All the pieces are in play. Starting from "Iron Man" ten years ago, all the sequels, references and set-ups have led to this movie. Comic nerds have been in a state of perpetual excitement and anticipation ever since it was announced, and as tired as I was (and still am) of superheroes, I shared in the excitement. I also will say that it's actually a good movie.
Thanos (Brolin) is on the warpath. Believing that the universe is unsustainable, he plans to use the Infinity Stones to wipe out half of its inhabitants. The Avengers, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, the Guardians and others, will do anything to stop him.
As far as story goes, that's as complex as it gets. Doesn't matter. This is spectacle. In the end, the main draw of the movie is the gathering of all the heroes and watching them team up for a massive smackdown. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo manage to do what eclipsed Joss Whedon's limited talents and make this pay off. However, whether it's due to superhero fatigue, flat writing or something else entirely, the excitement feels limited. The spectacle is fun, but there's nothing truly eye-popping. Compare that to the space battles in, say, the "Star Wars" movies. The big finale is so similar to the back end of "Episode I" that it had to have been intentional. Also, for all his hype, Thanos and his minions don't seem that threatening. Granted, after being built up so much, no one could possibly live up to his reputation, but they still seem like guys the heroes could defeat on the way to the gym. And yes, Stan Lee has a cameo (which, for once, is funny), and Jacob Batalon returns as the unbearably annoying Ned, but he has only one mercifully short scene.
What's surprising about this movie is that there are huge shake ups in the roster. Part of the fun is seeing who will end up with who, and how they will interact. For example, Tony Stark (Downey Jr) teams up with Peter Parker (Holland) and Doctor Strange (Cumberbatch). Thor (Hemsworth) ventures off with Rocket (Cooper) and Teenage Groot (Diesel). This leads to some interesting, and often hilarious, interactions.
The cast does their jobs, but this isn't an actors' show. All they have to do is say their lines and kick ass. On that level, everyone succeeds admirably. The ones who deserve the lion's share of the credit are the Russos. They've juggled nearly two dozen characters and at least four different plot lines. That's a lot. And they do it without losing the audience too much and in a way that makes sense storywise. Had they not been able to do this, the movie would have tanked.
Much has been made about the ending. I won't spoil it here, but I will say that it's ballsy for a movie with a budget between $300 and 400 million. Of course, it helps that it's a part of the most successful film franchise to date and it has a guaranteed sequel. But still, hat's off to them.
"The Avengers: Infinity War" is what it is. You want superheroes, you got them. It is not the second coming of "The Godfather" as Comic Con devotees would tell you (it sits at number 9 on iMDb's top 250 list...not that that necessarily means much) nor is it the death of cinema as some cineastes will tell you. But after the sequel is released next year, Hollywood should wrap up the remaining storylines. Superheroes had their day in the sun. It's time for them to retire.
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Josh Brolin, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johannson, Don Cheadle, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Zoe Saldana, Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Anthony Mackie and the voices of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel
Rated PG-13 for Intense Sequences of Sci-Fi Violence and Action Throughout, Language and Some Crude References
It's all come to this.
All the pieces are in play. Starting from "Iron Man" ten years ago, all the sequels, references and set-ups have led to this movie. Comic nerds have been in a state of perpetual excitement and anticipation ever since it was announced, and as tired as I was (and still am) of superheroes, I shared in the excitement. I also will say that it's actually a good movie.
Thanos (Brolin) is on the warpath. Believing that the universe is unsustainable, he plans to use the Infinity Stones to wipe out half of its inhabitants. The Avengers, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, the Guardians and others, will do anything to stop him.
As far as story goes, that's as complex as it gets. Doesn't matter. This is spectacle. In the end, the main draw of the movie is the gathering of all the heroes and watching them team up for a massive smackdown. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo manage to do what eclipsed Joss Whedon's limited talents and make this pay off. However, whether it's due to superhero fatigue, flat writing or something else entirely, the excitement feels limited. The spectacle is fun, but there's nothing truly eye-popping. Compare that to the space battles in, say, the "Star Wars" movies. The big finale is so similar to the back end of "Episode I" that it had to have been intentional. Also, for all his hype, Thanos and his minions don't seem that threatening. Granted, after being built up so much, no one could possibly live up to his reputation, but they still seem like guys the heroes could defeat on the way to the gym. And yes, Stan Lee has a cameo (which, for once, is funny), and Jacob Batalon returns as the unbearably annoying Ned, but he has only one mercifully short scene.
What's surprising about this movie is that there are huge shake ups in the roster. Part of the fun is seeing who will end up with who, and how they will interact. For example, Tony Stark (Downey Jr) teams up with Peter Parker (Holland) and Doctor Strange (Cumberbatch). Thor (Hemsworth) ventures off with Rocket (Cooper) and Teenage Groot (Diesel). This leads to some interesting, and often hilarious, interactions.
The cast does their jobs, but this isn't an actors' show. All they have to do is say their lines and kick ass. On that level, everyone succeeds admirably. The ones who deserve the lion's share of the credit are the Russos. They've juggled nearly two dozen characters and at least four different plot lines. That's a lot. And they do it without losing the audience too much and in a way that makes sense storywise. Had they not been able to do this, the movie would have tanked.
Much has been made about the ending. I won't spoil it here, but I will say that it's ballsy for a movie with a budget between $300 and 400 million. Of course, it helps that it's a part of the most successful film franchise to date and it has a guaranteed sequel. But still, hat's off to them.
"The Avengers: Infinity War" is what it is. You want superheroes, you got them. It is not the second coming of "The Godfather" as Comic Con devotees would tell you (it sits at number 9 on iMDb's top 250 list...not that that necessarily means much) nor is it the death of cinema as some cineastes will tell you. But after the sequel is released next year, Hollywood should wrap up the remaining storylines. Superheroes had their day in the sun. It's time for them to retire.
Comments
Post a Comment