Ive said that Age of Ultron was the most comic book like move in the genre, Infinity War makes that look like childs play. For all intents and purposes, this movie shouldnt work as well as it does. From start to finish, the movie is balls to the walls action. The pace is unrelenting and it very rarely ever lets up. The movie has a runtime of two hours forty minutes, but it really breezes by. After my second viewing, the middle does feel a little slow, but thats more due to wanting to get to the insane action pieces that close out the movie. I really have to hand it to the Russos, theyre really good at balancing everyone. The editing of the movie is incredibly tight. They once again deliver on some incredible action sequences that are very well thought out and planned. The fight between the heroes and Thanos on Titan is incredibly different and inventive. Its everything I could want out of a team of heroes vs singular villain action sequence. Everyone was working together to take him down. I wanted that out of Ultron, Steppenwolf, or Apocalypse who all disappointed in that aspect. I do wish they tried to be a more different with the finale in Wakanda. While it does things differently and I thought each character was used more efficiently, the hordes of pawns vs the Avengers was a little too repetitive of previous films. I did enjoy the smaller action bits of the heroes vs the Black Order, I kind of wish they had stuck with that.
Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely deserve a lot of credit for their writing. While not the most profound or deep, it does offer something unique. The narrative structure is very different, it isnt a typical 3 act structure. Im still not completely sure what its actual breakdown would be. This is part one of a two part story, and this is just the first act of that story. Its the reverse of the two Deathly Hallow films. I wish there was a little more breathing room. As I said the films pacing is relentless, theres a lot going on but not a lot of time to let it sit in. I wouldve liked to get some of the smaller more intimate character moments that Age of Ultron and The Avengers were able to deliver. The few there are arent very wide spread with who they are between. Getting back to the films odd structure, the movie is also told from Thanos perspective he is the protagonist of the main plot. Hes really the only character that goes through a real journey over the course of the film. Hes so well written and Josh Brolin delivers a great performance filled with genuine emotion. As per the rest of the MCU, character interactions are the highlights. Finally getting to see the Guardians and Avengers talk makes for some really good comedy. It reminds me of a comic book event, where everyone just shows up and does there part. Of course not everyone gets their time to shine. All the characters that stay on Earth are kind of an after thought, which was disappointing as most of the actual Avengers were apart of that. Narratively speaking, it makes sense as this is a more cosmic threat, but I wouldve liked to see those characters do more. They couldve been the breathing room of the film. It was a little weird how much focus the Guardians got. Outside of Drax and Mantis, they play a far larger a role in the narrative than almost all the Avengers save for Thor. I understood Gamoras focus as shes a daughter of Thanos, but the others were odd.
Speaking of Thor, hes continuing that upswing from Ragnarok. Finally at the forefront in an Avengers film, he gets the most focus and is pretty much co-lead to Thanos. Im happy for Thor fans as theyre finally getting to see their character represented the way they want on screen. I did have an issue with how overpowered Thor seemed to be. He was able to almost kill Thanos when the later had all the Infinity Stones, it felt a little bit ridiculous. Reminded me of when Superman showed up in Justice League and practically saved the day himself. The only reason the Avengers didnt was because of Thors trademark disappearing act.(Thats more of a personal nitpick really, Ive never been a big fan of ridiculously powerful characters)
Now I love that the Avengers lost at almost every turn, it reminded me of Empire Strikes Back where the heroes only got very small victories. Thanos doing the trademark snap is a fantastic moment in direction. Killing the music and relying on the quietness of the surroundings and the actors performances was a brilliant choice. The reactions to people turning to ash are heartbreaking, some of the best acting a lot of these actors have shown in these films. Now I know all the snap deaths will be reversed. Everyone who died because of it are exclusively people who will appear in future movies, where as the ones that are still around are at the end of their tenure at Marvel. Thats something Im looking forward to seeing, as the second half will be far more focused on the main Avengers. Its a story thread I cant wait to see fully realized. Infinity War really affirms what I love about comic books. Its the weakest of the three Russo films, but I think its arguably the best Avengers film. Its like watching a season finale of a tv show. The 10 years and 18 movies of buildup really paid off for Marvel for me.
