The whole is less than the sum of its parts

Rating: 7/10 (30 April 2018)

Plot; Thanos makes his move to unite the Infinity Stones so that he can bring balance to the universe.
This year the MCU turns 10 years old, and Infinity War (the 19th film in the MCU) represents the culmination of that carefully laid story that started w/Iron Man. W/the exception of a few characters, the gang is all here, and an effort is made to give everyone a key role or at least a moment. It's not an easy task, but Infinity War (w/it's 2 1/2 hour runtime) does manage its cinematic roll call reasonably well. At times the massive cast comes at a cost, as characters fall out of the story for large stretches of time, but the film itself never stops to catch its breath.
The action here is almost nonstop, but I found very little of it compelling despite being technically impressive. Even w/the obvious stakes, I just never felt that dramatic tension; or only in fits and starts. The tone is serious and often grim, but that tried and true MCU formula remains, so there's humor as well and most of it lands.
If the MCU has had a consistent criticism its the villains, but that's not an issue here. Thanos is not only impressively rendered physically, but he's got a depth and a mission that go beyond your standard mustache twirling baddie. Our heroes are the same characters we've grown to love, and it was nice to see a few of them known more for their humor get some dramatic depth. The ending is one I didn't see coming and will leave even the casual fan's mouth agape.
There's a lot to like about Infinity War, but for me the whole was less than the sum of its parts.