The "Empire Strikes Back" of the MCU

Rating: 9/10 (15 January 2019)

Finally watched Marvel's "Avengers: Infinity War" this weekend. Oh, snap!
Sorry, Sorry. Terrible joke. Couldn't resist. Anyway, as someone who's not such a big fan of the Marvel films, I found this movie unexpectedly thrilling! My only complaint was that the REMAINING HALF of the Marvel cast didn't ALSO die!
No no, but seriously folks, I enjoyed this film far more than I thought I would. Infinity War is both a thrilling tragedy and a sublime joke - Marvel trolling their own audience, entertaining Marvel skeptics like me by letting the bad guy win, and killing-off many of their most beloved heroes (even if it's all only for now). The fact that it works, and feels like it has real stakes, even though we all know this is just Part One of a two-part story, is a testament to the skill of the storytellers.
In some ways, one might consider Infinity War to be the "Empire Strikes Back" of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Just as "Empire" is celebrated for being the dramatic pinnacle of the original "Star Wars" trilogy - the only film in that trilogy to leave our heroes stranded without a plan, at the end of an Act Two crisis without a third act in sight - Infinity War finds its cast of heroes outwitted and outgunned at every turn, their plans failing, their desperation mounting, hope always dangling just out of sight. The promise of good triumphing over evil is always there, until suddenly it isn't.
For a tale with such a sprawling cast and such a multi-threaded narrative, Infinity War does a fantastic job of keeping the story clear, even while moving along at a snappy pace. From the very first scene, the narrative zips along faster than might be expected, as we follow Thanos in his quest to possess all six Infinity Stones, and the various groups of heroes who are scrambling to stop him.
Part of the thrill, I think, comes from the fact that the heroes are behind from the get-go, only really grasping Thanos' plan after he's secured a couple of the stones -- and even then, we have various groups of heroes flung out across the galaxy, each group knowing some things that the others don't, and each unaware that the other groups are out there. And so it's a thrill, for instance, when the Guardians of the Galaxy encounter Thor, and are startled to find that they're pursuing a common enemy -- and then must find a way to establish trust with one another so that they can work together.
The film has a neat trick of having its setups arrive at payoffs much sooner than you expect. In an early scene, as Iron Man and Bruce Banner are meeting Dr. Strange for the first time, and the three are frantically sharing what they know and trying to come up with a plan to defend Earth, suddenly it proves too late for plans as invading ships land outside. It's a neat way of upping the suspense, having our heroes taken by surprise like this. It upends the usual formula, where the heroes have time to strategize before the "real action" begins. It happens many times during this film; it seems the bad-guys are always arriving exactly when you don't expect them to. It's a great hook.
This all creates the illusion that this two-and-a-half hour juggernaut is moving along much faster than it actually is. To be honest, I found myself riveted, thinking that I was just watching the opening scenes -- until I checked the time and found that the film was half over. For as weighty as "Infinity War" can seem from a distance, given its runtime and its huge cast and its "tragic" arc, it's remarkably fun and light on its feet.
There are also several elements of the story which transcend the superhero genre, in the way that only the best tales of this sort can muster. The fact that Thanos is a compelling villain who truthfully believes himself to be a misunderstood "good guy" captures the insidious way that evil people often operate in the real world. In Thanos, and in the allegiance he inspires in his followers, we can glimpse the kind of world-leader who commits violent acts in the name of a so-called noble cause, and whose rhetoric soothes the ear of many a constituent.
Likewise, it's fascinating how each time the heroes lose a battle, it's ultimately not because of physical weakness or secret vice -- it's because Thanos exploits their love for one another. Time and again, the heroes grudgingly fork-over a stone because they think it's better to let Thanos win this particular battle than to let one (or more) of their friends die. And unfortunately, this puts them into the endgame sooner than they expect, at an impossible disadvantage. It is a virute -- love -- that ultimately proves their undoing!
This is all great stuff! So tragic! So ironic! So much fun to watch! This is the stuff of real drama, even if we *are* dealing with a comic-book film, and even if it *is* the first part of a saga which we feel pretty sure will turn out all right in the end. ...In fact, maybe it's *because* we know there's a Part Two coming that makes the tragedy of this installment so thoroughly enjoyable.
So anyway, I had a really great time watching Infinity War. As many problems as I've often had with the Marvel approach to filmmaking (and even though I still think their films look weirdly flat and ugly, this one included) -- this film really worked for me. I laughed, I cried, I wanted to watch it again. I knew how it would end before I started it, and it STILL reeled me in. So that's a pretty good film, I think.