Oh Snap

Rating: 10/10 (27 April 2018)

Marvel's Infinity War soars as it gives us what the franchise has promised ever since 2012's The Avengers. Out of all of this film's ambitions, the most impressive feat remains to be on delivering a Thanos that is menacing, intriguing, and astoundingly tragic. This leads to a film that is epic at its core, yet emotional and patient in its execution.
The standout of this film is arguably its main character, Thanos. It is through him that we see a villain that does not boast about how evil he is for the sake of being evil. He does not twirl his moustache and no longer sits idly on his chair basking at how destiny is at the palm of his hands. His pursuit and end goal in the film is portrayed as something noble. It is one that requires consequential sacrifices to be made and he believes that what he is doing is faultless and the right thing. He understands pain and loss and we see that throughout the film. He laments the countless lives he has lost and especially the things that he genuinely cares about. He believes that it is his burden to carry out his task of collecting the Infinity Stones and that he is the only one willing enough to save the Universe through his own means. He is the ultimate antithesis to the Avengers. It also surely helps that Josh Brolin's portrayal of him, even though mostly CGI, is one that shows an abundance of depth and a commanding presence to the character.
Meanwhile, it is made clear here that the Avengers exhibit themselves as those who happen to believe that even one life sacrificed is not a cost that they are willing to take. It is through them that Thanos reveals their goals as futile and short-sighted. This theme is hammered home even more by showing how "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" are still hopelessly divided through numerous planets and locations. Fresh from the events of Civil War, Tony and Steve are still not on speaking terms and the threat of galactic destruction could not have come in a more terrible time.
That doesn't mean that there aren't plenty of character dynamics that are absolutely brilliant. To name a few, Cumberbatch and Downey give phenomenal and unwavering performances that mostly pay-off the peril and torture that they've been expecting to arrive for years now through the destruction of life itself. Holland also gives a vulnerable and obviously young side to him even at the midst of the end of the world. Hemsworth shows off his acquired personality from Ragnarok, yet still shaken and jagged because of what's at stake. He shines as his role as the God of Thunder has never seen this much significance compared to prior outings. His interaction with the Guardians is the perfect bridging of both worlds that we knew was already coming sooner or later. Rocket and Groot are also given an unexpected role along with Thor that was fun and unique to watch. Speaking of the Guardians of the Galaxy, Gamora and Quill standout as their worried and broken past comes back to haunt them. Gamora particularly shines as the daughter of Thanos, which gives a sense of history and affliction for both characters. Each character drives home the grim and merciless danger that they are in. The stakes are still high and it is made clear for each sequence. Nonetheless, this is all not to say that this movie lost the usual Marvel trademarks of quips and lighthearted fun. It's still definitely an Avengers movie and how the characters organically and hilariously complement each other just makes their eventual collapse and downfall even more tragic and heartbreaking.
On a technical standpoint, the film is visually breathtaking and ups the scale to planets and worlds previously unimaginable. The blending of both the Guardians, the Avengers and Thanos himself breathes an entire universe into life and it feels lived in and familiar. The action scenes are definitely on point and take center stage in this film. The Russo brothers have learned a lot ever since they took the directing helm in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The film presents the action as it is and does not opt in for shaky cams or obviously recognizable body doubles. They do not disappoint, aside from set pieces being a little too short lived as the film has to constantly go back to other side stories happening planets away. It's understandable as it has to juggle this huge ensemble of a cast that already had their own character developments and movies prior to this one. However, when a Lord of the Rings-esque battle is ensuing, it doesn't help when the film steps back from it to show a side story which we inevitably all know where it will lead it up to. Aside from that, other minor complaints are how the film's score shy away from using the individual themes to symbolize the heroic moments of their respective heroes. The Guardians of the Galaxy theme or the Spider-Man Homecoming theme are a few examples that are not present in the movie.
In the end, this film will leave you speechless, disturbed, and perturbed. It's something that Marvel has successfully made us feel after 10 years with most of these characters. It's a unique cinematic experience that any other franchise or movie comes close to nowadays. Infinity War essentially created a cultural phenomenon that will be discussed further in years to come.
Verdict: 4.5/5