A Big, Giant, Entertaining Mess...With One of the Boldest Superhero Endings Ever

Rating: 8/10 (6 May 2018)

Pardon the clichÃ©, but Infinity War is truly an emotional roller coaster. Unlike previous entries in this long-running behemoth of super-people, this ride's ascents and dives come faster and furious-er than Vin Diesel driving a sports car through a skyrise window. And (at the risk of really pushing the metaphor) this coaster's biggest drop comes seconds before you exit the ride, leaving audiences with a sense of "Woah...", unlike most other comic book films.
To clarify, this isn't the best MCU film. For one thing, better entries in the series say something outside of themselves. Iron Man touches on the military-industrial complex. Spider-Man deals with modern-day class issues. All the Captain America entries wrestle brilliantly with government overreach. Infinity War is (for better or worse) focused on plot and character. In spots, it lands its punches (Thor's arc, Thanos' brutality, anything Guardians); in others, it misses (initial attack on NYC, Vision & Scarlet Witch love story, anything Cap). It's a gargantuan undertaking, and your investment in the story and forgiveness of its unwieldiness will only goes as far as your predetermined commitment.
If you haven't been keeping up with the franchise (which is essentially a big-budget television show), this is not the episode to jump in on. A 10 years / 18 films / 50+ superheroes bottleneck whose ambition has only been matched by its success. By its very nature, there's only so much you can do to keep this thing from flying off the rails. However, if you're already committed, then the endless barrage of humor and excitement, which crescendos into an unexpected emotional gut-punch, will make for a haunting and bold (though not quite fantastic) Marvel outing.