The Beginning of the End(game)

Rating: 8/10 (6 August 2019)

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past decade or so you might have heard of a little production company by the name of Marvel Studios. Creating motion picture adaptations of Marvel Comics properties, they've had a surprisingly consistent track record for delivering satisfying big budget superhero entertainment. The fact that they also managed to tie everything together into a cohesive shared universe is something that frankly hadn't been seen to that extent in movies before. All of the care that went into these productions culminated in 2018's "Avengers: Infinity War" and its direct sequel, 2019's "Avengers: Endgame". Together they proved to be a fitting capper to Marvel's journey that began with "Iron Man" in 2008.
First of all, it's important to recognize that this movie is part one of a two part story. I didn't realize this when I originally watched the movie, so I was somewhat disappointed that the story wasn't brought to a resolution. Later on, when rewatching the movie ahead of the concluding chapter, I got a better appreciation of what the movie was meant to be.
As had been hinted at for years, "Infinity War" finally marked the entrance of Thanos into the Marvel universe as a major villain. He seeks to acquire the six Infinity Stones, which will make him powerful enough to restore balance to the universe... by laying half of it to waste. Naturally, our heroes the Avengers aren't about to just let that happen. However, Thanos's power increases with the acquisition of each new stone, so stopping him becomes a race against time.
For a movie that's the culmination of 19 previous films, a memorable villain was a must. Luckily, Josh Brolin's portrayal of Thanos is one of the most memorable in the Marvel canon. No doubt much of the credit goes to the original creator of the character (Jim Starlin) but the fact is that Thanos gives the impression that he's someone who could give the Avengers a run for their money. In fact, he's such a formidable foe that the threat of defeat is more palpable than in any previous Marvel movie. That his motivations are also interesting from a philosophical point of view is another point in the movie's favour.
Having a compelling villain is of course a crucial element in any superhero movie but in this case the sheer scale of the undertaking is impressive in and of itself. Featuring a star-studded cast of Marvel veterans in the various heroic roles, it's amazing that the producers managed to keep the shared universe alive this long just to be able to put this movie together in the first place. That they managed to keep the movie from collapsing under the weight of its stars is another testament to their commitment to quality. Despite a fairly hefty two and a half hour runtime, the movie is nicely paced and gives a reasonable amount of screentime to all involved. My only real complaint is that the final act's impact is somewhat muted by the utter improbability that certain characters will be gone for good since they already had sequels in the pipeline. Surely they could have stuck to characters whose fate was less certain?
"Infinity War" may not be the type of movie I'd watch for awards-worthy work on either side of the camera but as a feat of production I think that it and its (superior) sequel are nearly unparalleled. It makes me wonder if "Endgame" might be shown some love at the next Oscars ceremony. I mean, "Black Panther" was nominated for Best PIcture and that was arguably more about cultural impact than the actual merits of the production (though I wouldn't have argued if Michael B. Jordan was nominated). In any case, Marvel fans don't need any convincing to watch this movie. For others, this probably isn't the best starting point.