'Avengers: Infinity War' Review

Sorry that I wasn't able to share this review as soon as I would have liked, but I had finals to worry about and that took precedence over writing this review. However, that did enable me to see the film a second time after my last final and the poll I put out on Twitter indicated my followers would rather wait to read my thoughts after two viewings rather than my initial take on it. This review will in-fact be spoiler-free so I'm taking great care not to discuss plot points in detail and remain as vague as I possibly can while providing my opinion. Now with all that out of the way, let's get going.

'Avengers: Infinity War' Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects. 

Avengers: Infinity War follows the Mad Titan Thanos as he and his henchman, the Black Order, seek out the six Infinity Stones in order to fully assemble the Infinity Gauntlet. Once the gauntlet is complete, it can grant the wielder control over all space, time, reality, mind, soul, and power, giving Thanos the means to bring balance to the universe as he sees fit. With the universe at stake, the Avengers must reunite and ally themselves with the likes of Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Black Panther, and the Guardians of the Galaxy if they're to have any chance at stopping Thanos.

At long last, the decade long Marvel journey has brought us to this moment... Avengers: Infinity War is an unprecedented cinematic event that has truly been ten years in the making thanks to an interconnected series of of eighteen films preceding it. The history of what's come before only enabled directors Anthony and Joe Russo and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely to hit the ground running at a breakneck pace because all the pieces were already in place for this cinematic culmination. While longtime Marvel fans who've diligently kept up with the films in the franchise won't take issue with this, I imagine someone who's only seen a few Marvel movies or none at all would be fairly lost. This isn't to say you "have" to go marathon them all beforehand, but the dramatic weight of it all desperately depends on a familiarity with the universe so seeing the others first will only enhance your experience. Otherwise, you may be a bit confused as to why everyone else is crying and cheering around you.

On that note, it's almost impossible to go into Infinity War without a certain set of expectations because it's meant to be the pay-off for watching ten years worth of Marvel movies. After The Avengers, the door was blown wide open for these characters to come together so, naturally, fans have been antsy to see certain characters interact as Marvel expanded its universe. Being a fan myself, I was incredibly excited for Infinity War. However, accompanying my immense expectations were a few concerns. First of which was wondering how in the world were the Russos, Markus, and McFeely going to balance an ensemble of over twenty heroes while adapting such beloved source material?

 

Well, I don't know how they did it, but they pulled it off... Not every character has a complete character arc per-say, but they all get their moment in the spotlight and that was more than enough for me. Infinity War also gets a lot of mileage out of bringing many of these characters together for the first time as it's remarkably entertaining. This film's nearly three hours long, but I've found myself invested from start-to-finish both times I've seen it because it's such an emotionally-charged experience. When leaving the theater, you may not quite know how you're supposed to feel because there will be so many complex emotions for you to unpack thanks to an insane ending.

Visually, the film's chocked full of stunning spectacle with illustrious cinematography, outstanding visual effects, and action that's both epic and engaging. And I'd be remiss not to mention the costuming, production design, or editing, which are also quite impressive. To make matters even better, Alan Silvestri returned to score the flick with a compilation of sweeping, grandiose compositions that further bestow gravitas to the proceeding events. 

Which leads to my other concern... Marvel doesn't have the greatest track record with its villains, so while recent Phase 3 installments have turned that around, I was still anxious that Thanos may not live up to his comic-book depiction or the hype built up around him, and I couldn't have possibly been more wrong... At the end of the day, Josh Brolin steals the show as Thanos and proves to be one of the best comic book antagonists put to screen yet. Thanos isn't really "relatable," but his twisted methodology is understandable while his conviction is respectable. Thanos is a being who's willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish his goal and that makes him quite intimidating as he leaves a terrible trail of death and destruction in his wake. Nevertheless, Brolin brought a layer of humanity to the Mad Titan that caught me totally off-guard and made me somewhat sympathetic to his cause. Additionally, Thanos is one of the best examples of motion-capture done right in a mainstream blockbuster. Brolin's performance shines through the visual effects wizardry in such a way that the intergalactic tyrant feels grounded and real as opposed to over-the-top and cartoonish.

Filling out his Black Order are Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Terry Notary, Carrie Coon, and Michael James Shaw as Ebony Maw, Cull Obsidian, Proxima Midnight, and Corvus Glaive respectively. Each proves to be a worthy adversary for the Avengers, but they're ultimately lackeys for Thanos. Ebony Maw definitely stood apart from the others though.

In regards to the immense ensemble, almost every living Marvel character makes their way into the cast of characters, so I could go on all day if I were to list every character since they're each perfectly cast to begin with. Instead, I'm going to simply spotlight the standout heroes in no particular order. First up, there's the grouping of Robert Downey Jr., Benedict Cumberbatch, and Tom Holland as Tony Stark, Stephen Strange, and Peter Parker (or Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man if you want to use their "made-up names"). These three made for a fascinating trio who exhibit some extraordinary acting chops with a great group dynamic amongst themselves. 

It should then come as no surprise that I'd bring up Chris Evans' performance considering Captain America is my favorite Marvel character, but Evans does a swell job returning to the role once more as he brings a new spin on the character to show how he's changed as a result of the events in Captain America: Civil War.

Others I feel obligated to mention are Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen in the roles of Vision and Scarlet Witch. It may seem odd, but the romantic relationship that's been developed between them really takes off as one of many emotional tethering points spread throughout the film thanks to a believable chemistry between Olsen and Bettany. 

Perhaps the most surprising standout for me though was Chris Hemsworth's Thor. Till Thor: Ragnarok, I never really cared much for Thor as a character and found him to be one of the least interesting Avengers. However, I'm really liking the recent progression of his character and the Russos, Markus, and McFeely did a marvelous job furthering his arc after all that happened to him in Ragnarok. Hemsworth seriously steals the show with some of the best moments of action and humor while his rapport with Rocket and Groot was delightful to say the least. 

Lastly, Gamora plays a pivotal role as a daughter of Thanos, and Zoe Saldana really steps up to the plate. Gamora proves to be one of the significant emotional lynch-pins of the film due to her relationship with Thanos. The dynamic between Saldana and Brolin really sells that complicated connection in ways one wouldn't really expect. 

In summation, Avengers: Infinity War doesn't simply throw down the Infinity Gauntlet for contention as Marvel's best film yet. It does so much more. The Russo brothers slam the gauntlet down and assert the film's irrefutable dominance over all that's come before it. I never thought I'd say this, but the preceding Marvel films look cute in comparison. 

Film Assessment: A+ A-

Throwback Thursday Review: 'The Avengers'

Sorry for the lack of Throwback Thursday Reviews recently, as well as the delay on this review, but I'm finding it increasingly more difficult to set aside time to write these in the final weeks of my spring semester as assignments, projects, and exams head my way. If you'd like to have an idea of upcoming content for the blog, read the next few paragraphs. Otherwise, go ahead and skip past to read my review of The Avengers.

I mentioned this in my last Throwback Thursday Review, but all my finals are scheduled the same week Avengers: Infinity War will be released, so there won't be any Throwback Thursdays for the remainder of this month. Reviews you can expect for the remainder of April include my thoughts on Rampage and Avengers: Infinity War, and I'll be writing a Triple-R for Avengers: Age of Ultron next week instead of a Throwback Thursday Review to tie into the Marvel motif. 

Speaking of which, I began my Marvel marathon to prepare myself for Infinity War and successfully watched all of Phase One last weekend (this means Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, and, of course, The Avengers). I hope to watch all the Phase Two this weekend and get through Phase Three next weekend. I won't be re-reviewing all of them because that's a daunting task to complete before April 27th, but it's been a while since I last shared my MCU ranking so I'm reranking the films as I watch them to share my most accurate ranking with you all. However, I'm going to hold off till Ant-Man and the Wasp is released in July since that will be the twentieth installment to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and I like the idea of rounding out my list by ranking twenty rather than nineteen. I'll also have a better idea of where Infinity War fits by then, so it's truly for the best.

'The Avengers' Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects.

When Thor's mischievous, evil brother Loki gains control of the mystical, all powerful Tesseract, Earth is threatened by the prospect of alien invasion. In response, S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury implements the Avengers Initiative and calls upon Earth's mightiest heroes to come together and learn to fight as a team to defeat this unprecedented threat. 

Believe it or not, but The Avengers is somehow the one entry of the Marvel Cinematic Universe that I have yet to review. I wasn't blogging at the time and hardly had any online presence aside from perhaps... Facebook? I was barely a freshman in high school and I'm now about to enter my Senior year of college. Nevertheless, I can remember my initial experience and anticipation going into the film vividly. This was among one of my first experiences watching a blockbuster that felt like a genuine event. It was the culmination of six other films that brought together characters on a scale never before seen or attempted for that matter. Sure, there have been other feature length crossovers before The Avengers, but never one that was THIS grand. It was like a comic-book crossover, but on the big screen. 

Comic-book movies had made big bucks before, but this was the first one to really break the bank as it emerged to be the third highest grossing film of all time worldwide with the highest opening weekend of all time at the time of release. It's since fallen to fifth highest grossing worldwide with the fourth highest opening weekend, but that's an impressive hold considering those above it are established franchises. I say all this not simply to tell you the film was successful, as you probably already know that, but to stress its importance as an instant worldwide phenomenon. B/C-list comic-book characters became easily recognizable and an integral part of modern pop culture in almost an instant. Anyways, enough about my attachment to The Avengers and its major success. You came here to read a review, didn't you?

The Avengers was written and directed by Joss Whedon, with Zak Penn co-credited for the feature's story. Say what you will about the man for his work on Justice League, but that was hardly his fault and there's no denying Whedon's got geek-cred when you look at his long list of writing credits. In fact, Whedon's ability to write quippy one-liners is undoubtedly his strongest asset as a filmmaker. I say this not because the lines are funny, but because they're genuinely quotable. I can recite an embarrassing amount of dialogue from The Avengers off the top of my head, and it's not just because I've seen the film countless times. It's because those lines are memorable and stuck with me through thick-and-thin for the last six years. While it may be a bit too early to cement The Avengers as a classic blockbuster, it's undeniably become a significant cornerstone of pop culture in the years since its release.

When you zero in on what Whedon brought to the project as a director, you'll quickly find that he handled tone and action remarkably well. The Avengers is equal parts serious, exciting, and immensely entertaining. A sense of stakes are integrated from the outset, it's a delight to see the heroes' personalities clash as they come together in middle, and the third act never ceases to amaze as I'm subjected to an overwhelming sense of awe and wonder with each and every viewing. I'm always particularly amazed by the tracking shot spotlighting each of the Avengers as they fight amidst the Battle of New York. The action spread throughout is all great though as some of Earth's Mightiest Heroes duke it out with each other before finally coming together for the greater good. One more element that definitely deserves a mention is the score composed by Alan Silvestri. Silvestri's score is really responsible for much of the film's gravitas, but is often overlooked in favor of complementing the film's other components. 

The Avengers is also one of many Marvel productions to have been nominated for Best Visual Effects by the Academy, and it's not too hard to see why. It's been six years since its release, yet the effects haven't aged a day. Go back to other effects-heavy blockbusters released in 2012 and you'll find that's not always the case. The respective designs for Hulk and Iron Man are among the best visual renderings of those characters to this very day. The Iron Man armor doesn't look too sleek and streamlined while Hulk isn't an odd rubbery-looking shade of green. They're each just right. 

If I were to nitpick, the first act doesn't lend itself well to rewatches in comparison to the rest of the MCU. However, the build-up is necessary and still entertaining. It's just a bit tedious as I always find myself eager to see the characters meet each other again, but the wait's always worth it because the character interactions are always incredible to behold. Just about every character thrown into the mix interacts with others in one form or another (whether it be verbal sparring or a physical confrontation). Which, in and of itelf, is kinda why The Avengers is still charming.

Of course, the film needed to assemble a worthy ensemble if this was ever going to work, but Marvel's casting department thankfully hasn't let us down yet! Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, and Jeremy Renner are all the spitting image of their comic-book counterparts and embody their characters in a way that I can hardly see any other actors taking over in the future. I'm not going to get into the nitty-gritty for each character because you've probably heard me praise them all in other reviews, but Ruffalo in particular was a big step-up from Edward Norton's Bruce Banner/Hulk. Not that Norton's a bad actor, but Ruffalo has a better grasp on the character in my opinion. I think Ruffalo is a more believable scientist as Banner and better communicates the character's struggle and inner darkness in ways Norton just wasn't suited for. 

As for supporting S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, Samuel L. Jackson, Cobie Smulders, and Clark Gregg are equally perfect for the respective roles of Nick Fury, Maria Hill, and Phil Coulson. Jackson's got the grit for Fury, Smulders is sufficiently badass as Hill, and I can hardly end the review without taking time to spotlight Coulson. Clark Gregg was such a delightful presence in the cinematic side of things so, of course, that's how Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. came about. I really have missed the character in the films and am ecstatic about the recent news he'd be returning in Captain Marvel since that takes place in the '90s. However, I'd still like to see Coulson encounter the Avengers again sometime in the future.

Last, but certainly not least, would be the God of Mischief. To this day, I think The Avengers is Tom Hiddleston's best outing as Loki because he really gets to relish in the villainy before being relegated to an anti-hero in the next two Thor flicks. Hiddleston chews the scenery like there's no tomorrow and plays well paired against the likes of Downey, Jackson, and Johansson to name a few. All the while, Loki's end goal is maniacal, yet understandable due to his upbringing and that's why he's still one of the very best Marvel villains despite his later flirtations with the light side.

I'd daresay The Avengers is irrefutably a defining blockbuster for my generation. It exploded onto the pop-culture scene because it's epic, action-packed, and full of humor and heart. It's been six years, and I still get giddy staring at the above iconic group shot. Few frames have that effect on an individual. Much less the whole globe. 

Film Assessment: A+

Marvel Cinematic Universe Films Ranked (Revisited)

With the release of Doctor Strange as Marvel Studios' fourteenth film I felt it might be fun to go back and revisit my ranking of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Note: This list changes constantly but this is my current stance on ranking the MCU.

Previous rankings: Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie Ranking & Marvel Cinematic Universe Movie Ranking (Revisited).

14. The Incredible Hulk- The Incredible Hulk is pretty bland. Nothing really is particularly noteworthy or memorable and even Marvel Studios tries to bury in under their expanding catalogue.

13. Thor- Thor, as I said in my review, is really cliché. The fact Thor is stopped of his powers for most of the running time makes it a slog to sit through. Loki really overshadows Thor, a constant struggle for the franchise, and the only redeeming factors about it are some of the technical elements and the spot on casting.

12. Thor: The Dark World- Thor: The Dark World is a generic Marvel movie for about the first half ,but there's a flurry of great sequences followed by a generic third act finale. It has some really funny moments and really only ranks above it's predecessor because it didn't take away Thor's powers and gives Loki more to do.

11. Iron Man 2- Iron Man 2 is a mess, but admittedly an entertaining mess. There's a little too much going on as Marvel sought to set up The Avengers but Robert Downey Jr. remains a delight as Tony Stark and the action sequences are pretty cool.

10. Iron Man- Iron Man kicked it all off and really this is where on my list that the films listed jump from "watchable" to "great" and everything from this point higher is a film that I really adore. Ranking this list was only a matter of deciding which one I liked more and why. Really my only issues with Iron Man is that it doesn't hold up quite as well as some of the other films I have ranked higher.

 

9. Captain America: The First Avenger- Captain America: The First Avenger is a delightful period piece and war film. I love how it explores the character of Steve Rogers, his origin story, and features one of the MCU's few actually great romances as well.

8. Iron Man 3- Iron Man 3 is an underrated movie. People weren't expecting Shane Black to bring his distinct directorial style into the MCU and as a result I think people were caught unawares by his creative decisions. I really like how Iron Man 3 explores the character of Tony Stark and think people whine a little too much about the Mandarin twist and the fact he's not in the armor for most of the runtime.

 

7. Guardians of the Galaxy- Guardians of the Galaxy is out of this world fun, but I think it has some flaws that many people choose to overlook in favor of relishing the moment. It's not so much that I think Guardians is a bad film that it's in the middle of this list, but rather that I've enjoyed a lot of the succeeding MCU entries a little more.

6. Ant-Man- Ant-Man is one of Marvel's more underrated films. The scale, stakes, and scope are all appropriately small and it's one of Marvel's funniest films to date. 

5. Avengers: Age Of Ultron- Avengers: Age of Ultron really wowed me with my first viewing but over time has began to crack so that I see some of it's faults. It's still an entertaining film with some great action and memorable moments, but they lose some of their luster and awe after successive viewings. 

4. Doctor Strange- Doctor Strange is what I'd consider Marvel's most daring experiment yet. The psychedelic visuals are a wonder to behold, it effectively brings real magic into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and every department brings their all. 

3. The Avengers- The Avengers is always an entertaining spectacle. Upon rewatching the film I've decided that the first act is a little slow to assemble the Avengers but that's just the nature of film, things take time and the buildup won't be nearly as interesting once you've seen it before. However, The third act is always exceptional to watch and I can't help but smile at the shot pictured above followed by sequences of the Avengers fighting off an army of Chitauri.

2. Captain America: The Winter Soldier- Captain America: The Winter Soldier is thrilling from beginning to end. The action sequences are spectacular and every moment has me on the edge of my seat, regardless of if I'm watching from home. 

1. Captain America: Civil War- Captain America: Civil War is my personal favorite MCU entry for a multitude of reasons. One, it has the most emotionally-charged third act finale of any superhero film to date that effectively subverted expectations and built upon the events that had occurred in almost all of Marvel's twelve previous films that led to this conflict. Two, it has some of the best action sequences I've ever seen in almost any film to date. Three, it managed to bring in two new characters and balance the dauntingly large ensemble cast to where every character had their moment to shine but never stood on the toes of Tony Stark or Steve Rogers. Everyone in each department brings their A-game and it all amounts to one of Marvel's best films to date that holds up upon revisits. 

Ranking of Marvel Cinematic Universe Top 10 Post Credits Scenes

Given that Avengers: Age Of Ultron is only two days away from release and it is one of my most anticipated movies this year, I thought I would make a series of Top 10 lists and this list will rank the top 10 post credits scenes from the MCU. I decided to rank the post credit scenesbecause they are some of the little things every MCU film has. I'm only including scenes prior to Avengers: Age of Ultron. I'm ranking them based off of humor and clever placement. If a scene isn't on here that you enjoy on screen doesn't mean I dislike the scene it just didn't make my list. 

1. Thanos (The Avengers)

2. Shawarma (The Avengers)

3. The Avengers Initiative (Iron Man)

4. Baby Groot (Guardians of the Galaxy)

5. The Twins (Captain America: The Winter Soldier)

6. Infinity Stones (Thor: The Dark World)

7. Tesseract (Thor)

8. Thor's Hammer (Iron Man 2)

9. Stark visits Ross (The Incredible Hulk)

10. Howard The Duck (Guardians of the Galaxy)