A Massive, Glorious Spectacle, but wondrously incomplete

Rating: 10/10 (29 April 2018)

It's finally here. He's finally here. As the Hulk crashes back to Earth, and Bruce Banner returns, he gasps ,"Thanos is coming."
Back in 2010, Scream 4 was announced (Scream is my favourite horror movie), and I spent every day hungrily watching trailers and spots over and over, trying to figure out what was gonna happen. 7 years later, Infinity War released its first teaser and I had the same sense of excitement that came with the knowledge of a new Scream film. Finally, all the characters and stories would be coming together in one almighty show down of good vs evil. But just like the false starts in Scream 4, and the false endings, I was not ready for this. I don't think anyone can be.
The action begins where Ragnarok left off; Thanos has discovered the refugee Asgardians and attacks them, hoping to get the Tesseract. Thanos is not playing around. The scene is barely over before New York is under attack again and that feeling of finality hurtling toward you doesn't let up until the credits roll.
Marvel definitely took a gamble and I think it paid off. I'm amazed at the negative reviews I'm reading because it truly informs how spoiled we are that this movie received anything less than critical acclaim. It is bombastic and filled with characters that over 10 years have developed, the acting is stellar, the various tones of the different directors over the past 19 movies seeps into every detail from the colourful and playful Guardians, Thor's off beat humour, Iron Man's cripplingly humane sense of responsibility, Spiderman's youthful
and exuberant laissez faire, Captain America's seriousness and Dr. Strange's mystical mind melting graphics. It's all here. Not to mention the sheer ecstasy of the return to Wakanda. Black Panther may have just come out but there's no denying the impact T'Challa and company have had on the Marvel universe.
What's more, these characters are so fleshed out and clearly defined that to see them work in tandem, and there are some surprising team ups, is just cinematic joy at a different level than I've ever experienced. Somehow, within all of this, there is even time to deliver character development and true pathos to characters such as Thor (whose story, on reflection, truly is devastating, even if he is a God), Gamora (Zoe Saldana deserves massive credit for delivering some great work against what I can only assume is a man covered in green screen during filming) and Groot, who has so little to do, and yet so much to do with the story.
The movie, however, belongs to Thanos. He is present in every scene. Even if not physically, his presence is felt as the Avengers and Guardians do everything they can to prevent his goal of gaining all the stones. In all honesty, the movie should have been called "Thanos." If Ms. Mojo was naming it, it would be "Top 10 Avenger Fails."
But, there are problems. Big ones, actually. First of all, if you have not seen many (and I mean many, not just a few) of the Marvel films, you may really struggle to join the ride. There is a lot of story involved and even though there is a small bit of exposition at the beginning, every scene is crammed with different characters with motivations that without context will feel alienating to many. Many characters are sidelined and it's hard not to believe that they are given lines just to remind us they're there. If you're a fan of Black Widow, Bucky or Shuri, check your expectations at the ticket booth. Further, it reveals itself to be a first part in a two parter towards the end which ultimately delivers a fatalistic and very depressing note. When "Empire Strikes Back" ended, it was on a message of hope. When "Infinity War" finishes, you know there's a sequel planned but that doesn't mean the writers should be let off the hook for how they end the first part.
Still, this is an amazing accomplishment and deserves to be seen at the cinema.