Plot Holes, Jumbled Action Sequences, & A Big Let Down, Oh My!

Rating: 4/10 (6 May 2018)

SPOILER ALERT!!
I am a Marvel Chick. I totally dig the whole Marvel Verse and wave my 'fangirl flag' proudly. I was looking forward to this movie so much...then something happened. I went to see it today. I did not read any of the reviews before I went. I never do. I always view a film without input from folk that usually don't know what I like. So there I was, popcorn and coke in hand. Two rows back from the screen ('cause I'm into total immersion, okay) in my reclining seat.
Ten minutes in and I know we're in trouble. It's not the fact that two of my favorite characters didn't survive the opening credits. This is Infinity War, right? People are gonna die. It's just seemed so pointless. Loki dies but Thor survives? How is that fair? Hemdall dies saving Hulk of all people?? Not that I'm hatin' on Hulk...but come on, Hemdall! You have sworn an oath to the 'Thone of Asgard' and you don't save EITHER of the princes? Really?? I know Hulk is refusing to 'come out' after Thanos kicks his butt that no one ever has before but still...
The movie goes rapidly downhill from here. Thanos and his twisted cult of psychopaths got on my nerves early and they danced all over them until the end of the film. We bounce all over the world (and off it) to keep Thanos away from the Infinity stones. Who decided that two of the most important stones be 'hidden' on earth? Not a good idea.
Our Merry Band of Marvel Heroes needs to take a page out of the Star Trek verse. 'The needs of the many out weigh the needs of the few or the one.' This could have saved SO many lives. Loki gives Thanos the Tesseract to save Thor. Thanos tried to kill them all anyway. Actually succeeds in killing both Loki, Hemdall and all of the Asgardians. Thanos sacrifices Gamora, the daughter he loves. (Thanos has a really weird idea of what love entails...but whatever) He does this so he can gain access to the Soul Stone. Dr. Strange gives Thanos the Time Stone to save Tony Stark. (Tony Stark? Wasn't his expiration date up like a couple years ago?? ) This gives Thanos the power to turn back time whenever he wants. Which he does after Scarlett Witch kills Vision (her lover) to destroy the Mind Stone. He just turns back time. Rips the stone out of Vision's head and heads off to wipe out life as we know it. So Scarlett Witch went through all that gut wrenching heartache for nothing.
This could have been a good movie. Maybe even a great one but it's not. It's a mishmash of the worst parts of just about every Marvel movie over the past 10 years. There are a few notable omissions. Most of the gang is on deck but they're so ineffective. They rehash the same differences they had in their other movies showing little or no growth or development aside from the superficial 'romantic' themes. I get that Pepper and Tony are an item. We knew this already. I get that Black Widow and Bruce are an item. We knew this two movies ago. Same with Gamora and Peter, Scarlett Witch and Vision. and on and on and on. This is supposed to make their loss more poignant but it doesn't. The fight sequence in Wakanda and on Thanos home planet were so predictable. Such a waste of excellent CGI and actors.
The only surprise in the movie is who survives. Thor, Tony Stark, and Steve Rogers survive. I know this is to set up the next part of the Infinity War set that is scheduled to hit theaters later this year. The Russo boys need to step up their game. This disappointment does not bode well for the new film. Guys. sometimes too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Just FYI. You just know that someone is going to get hold of the time stone and turn back time so we can blah, blah, blah. Been there, done that.
I really wanted to love this movie. I really, really did. But I left the theater feeling used and not in a good way. I felt like Marvel turned up the manipulation meter to eleven. Because, you know it's eleven which is one more than ten, right?
I rated the movie a '4' because I wanted it to be good. It just wasn't.