An Unexpectedly Exciting and Unconventional Superhero Film

Rating: 8/10 (6 July 2018)

"Avengers: Infinity War" comes at a time when I'm personally at superhero movie fatigue. With each addition to the MCU being the same fast food cinema of mediocre and enjoyable film consumption, I enjoyed "Avengers: Infinity War" and was pleasantly surprised at how much care and difference the film was given compared to the other members of its family.
The film is a culmination of an empire of superhero storytelling which gets seriously bogged down by its overcrowded palette of characters. The film essentially follows none of these heros but rather, to my pleasant surprise, mainly follow the antagonist and villain, Thanos, played by Josh Brolin. In many ways, he feels like the hero of the story due to how much attention the story gives him to convince the audience that this could be one of the best written villains in a superhero film every written. We understand this character to a depth that was honestly alarming and fascinating. Each scene builds on the next to carefully create a character we go from hating, to want to see him succeed.
Thanos is definitely the best aspect of this film and him itself gives the film a massive advantage over its many flaws and criticisms. In keeping in line with the film's writing, since much attention is given to Thanos, we are given a disappointing inbalance in hero characters that share the screen. None of which really developed arcs or changes we see in the film. Despite the overall disappointing characterization, stakes are higher than they ever have been. This again goes back to the phenomenal protagonistic villain and well orchestrated action sequences.
Additional complaints about the script include truly head-scratching plot holes and questions like, "How did he get there?' 'Why didn't she just do that?" Many of these questions, that appear throughout the film genuinely matter since they took me out of the film and made me question things I should not have been worrying about. Better care definitely could've been taken into creating a more cohesive and consistent plot that makes more logical sense that it deserves.
Visual effects on this film is fantastic and nothing else really needs to be said on this front. CGI's detail and scope is something to be studied by aspiring visual effects artists. General look definitely reflects the talented directors, the Russo Brothers. They prove once again that they understand what makes a film exciting and enjoyable to watch.
Despite my issues with "Avengers: Infinity War" it honestly was such a surprise and enjoyable film to watch. It felt refreshing despite its darker and heavier tone and will be much more remembered than the past 10 additions to the MCU. This finally felt like an epic story rather than an inconsequential episode to the fast food cinematic machine that the MCU has become. This one is definitely worthy of the praise and massive revenue its received.