Unprecedented

Rating: 10/10 (29 April 2018)

The two things that Marvel movies have always been under criticism for are their villains and lack of stakes. Not only does Infinity War put those criticisms away, it takes full advantage of the gravitas of the comic book it's based on. I can't really imagine a better way that the MCU could have closed out a 19 movie arc, while also perfectly setting up the final (for now) installment next May.
In one of the gutsiest and deadliest superhero films to date, The Russo Brothers have once again delivered a meaningful and thought provoking entry into the MCU. I don't know how they did it, but they managed to give all 30 something characters time to shine while also giving several of the big Avengers or Guardian related characters an impactful arc of their own. There are very minute pacing issues that perhaps some casual fans may take issue with, but for someone who has been with this universe from the beginning, I ate it all up. I'm not sure there are any directors who could have possibly executed this story as well as The Russo brothers did.
As with Age of Ultron, I worried that the tone of the trailers (dark and serious) wouldn't really translate to the movie, as the MCU is known for its humor. Ultron was a very funny movie but it still felt like a missed opportunity to not have a little more emotional weight to that story. Luckily, Infinity War brilliantly balances humor, heart, and some serious sh*t that goes down in this adventure-heist-thriller.
Much like its comic-book counterpart, Infinity War follows Thanos (and it's largely his story) and his quest for the 6 Infinity stones which gives him the power to wipe out half the universe. How can you possibly give someone like that shades of humanity and an understandable motivation? Well somehow they did it, and when Thanos or someone else does things that bring the emotion out of him, it's some of the best sequences of the film.
Most impressively, the Russo's and the writers figured out a way to pick up where we left each character while also making it fit into an Avengers story that needed them to more specific things related to a bigger threat. In other words, this film is driven by characters and not plot. As much as I love Age of Ultron, it feels more like a film that had their characters act based on where the filmmakers wanted the plot to go (i.e. Thor's quest in the middle of the film). Infinity War is far from that, and is clearly structured by filmmakers who still have stories left to tell in this universe.
I could go on and on about specific plot elements, scene stealers, surprises, and the bold direction the film takes, but I decided to take a more vague approach to this review to not spread the spoilery thoughts that the internet has been filled with the past few days. In short, Infinity War is the most balls to the wall film Marvel has ever done, but still fills it with brilliantly quiet moments that made Civil War and Winter Soldier so groundbreaking.
10/10