This is it, ten years and 18 movies and we’re finally at beginning of a sort of end point for what has been an impressive feat of cinematic world building. Everyone should know the basics of Avengers: Infinity War. Thanos, the bad guy in the shadows in all of the previous films, is gathering the Infinity Stones to wipe out half of existence. It’ll take the fractured Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy to come together an take on Thanos and his hoards.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of the first two Avengers films. The first was absolutely impressive in bringing so many heroes together from their own films, a first in many ways, and it was fun though thin. The second showed going bigger isn’t always better and expanded the world even greater while sowing the seeds for the next phase. Here, threads going back to the first Iron Man come together and it pays off.

Avengers: Infinity War is impressive. Really impressive. The film balances a lot and does so in a brilliant way. This isn’t one film, it’s really four threaded together in a way. At about 2.5 hours, the film is packed in and plotted in a way that keeps the viewer engaged the entire time and never feels like it’s too much or over the top.

The film begins right after the events of Thor: Ragnarok and does its best to establish the strength of Thanos and his minions, the Black Order. We’ve yet to see these individuals in a fight and directors Anthony and Joe Russo as well as screenplay writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely know they need to create the feeling these villains are bigger than life and an actual hurdle for our heroes. They do that and then some. It also establishes everyone is on the chopping block and can die. No one is safe. Expectations are set within the first fifteen minutes and then the rules are established.

Those rules are also toyed with as numerous characters at numerous times foreshadow their deaths. Normal tropes are used to subvert and toy with the audience expectations. The creative team knew what audiences were expecting in some sense and have clearly decided to play with that. Tropes can be used as weapons to play with expectations and in this case it works and works well.

The second intelligent decision of the creative team is the use of Bruce Banner, aka the Hulk, in the film. Gone since Avengers: Age of Ultron, Bruce was last seen in Thor: Ragnarok and he’s unaware of events that have transpired on Earth and with the Avengers. Through Bruce, the creative team informs the audience what has happened. So, those who might not have seen previous films can be caught up. Bruce is the device to catch folks up. It works and works well. It also has some comedic nods here and there due to that.

The film itself is broken up into three main parts. Thor is on a quest for a weapon. Iron Man is on a quest to take on Thanos. Captain America is on a mission to defend Vision and his Infinity Stone in Wakanda. Three plot lines that all feel like they’re given more than enough time.

But those three plot lines also do something interesting. They allow individuals to come together in different pairings instead of bringing everyone together and overwhelming everything. We’re given doses of what we want as too much would be overwhelming.

And that coming together is fantastic. It’s exactly as it should be. When put in a room the bravado and dick measuring would be overwhelming and that’s exactly as we get. A bunch of alpha males in a room together playing off of each other. And beyond that, we also get growth too. They may make smart ass comments to each other but they eventually work together in an organic way, though still keeping the great banter.

The movie also takes us to familiar locations in a “best of” sort of way. New York is attacked. A battle in Wakanda. A trip to Knowhere. It’s all there and then some as new locations expands upon everything we’ve seen before.

The villains though stand out to me. The Marvel films have had good villains, but not great (some exceptions may apply). Here though, it truly feels like a villain and obstacle has been created that is an actual challenge. This isn’t one on one battles, this is five or six on one or four on two. And in each one, the good guys struggle. It really feels like they have to put in a massive effort and things don’t just fall into place.

Thanos and the Black Order look fantastic. The motion capture for Thanos (and really all of them) is impressive to the point Thanos’ eye twitches as he thinks about something. The detail is great and there’s moments I forgot what I was looking at and would have thought it was Josh Brolin in practical make-up. Thanos too is given an amazing motivation and story arc. We get to know him, his philosophy, the why, and at times agree with him. There’s also emotional depth that comes through. This isn’t a villain, this is a fully fleshed out character who has an arc all to himself.

Not everything is perfect. There’s some truly horrible CGI later in the film and Elizabeth Olsen’s accent doesn’t want to stay around all the time. But, each character has their moment with the focus being on Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor. Though there’s a lot of characters no one really feels like they have been left out.

This is a film the audience cheered during and regularly gave a “hell yeah” to as moments just hit the mark. It’s hard not to get excited watching and that’s the biggest downside. While you cheer and laugh (and there’s a lot of laughter, great use of humor) you wind up missing some things which invites repeat viewing.

The film is a masterpiece in many ways pulling something off I never though imaginable and doing it in a way that beyond works. It also circumvents expectations in many ways. It’s clearly the first of two parts, so go in knowing that and you’ll be fine by the time things wrap up. It’s a must go and do so with as little spoilers as possible. Avengers: Infinity War is some of the most fun I’ve had in a theater in a while and will absolutely be breaking records.

Overall Rating: 9.0

[This review will be spoiler-free. However, it does contain some discussion of the plot, mostly discernible from the film’s promotional materials]

It’s impossible to be hyperbolic. There has literally never been another movie like Avengers: Infinity War. 

The culmination of a decade of serialized, connected movies, ever-teasing fans towards a giant crossover event. So, is it any good?

Absolutely, yes. It’s also one of the most challenging films in the genre, as it’s sure to leave many fans quaking with anger or curled up in a fetal position.

Leave all of your expectations at the door, because this film is chaotic and nihilistic. It is also beautifully crafted and supremely morally-centered, as all great superhero fare is.

At center is Thanos, a big baddie whose coming has been teased in a half dozen films. His goal? To unite six Infinity Stones, sources of great galactic power. Unlike most would-be conquerers, Thanos is not interested in ruling the galaxy, but, rather, destroying half of it. Channeling Malthusian theory, he believes the universe must be “balanced” by killing half of all living beings.

On the opposing end are literally almost every character in the last decade of movies from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Bring tissues. Thanos leaves a body count.

However, if you think you know who lives and dies, put all your expectations aside. One problem with watching this film is it is so full of feints and misdirection, you keep waiting for the next major character death. You will need to see this multiple times just so you can stop anticipating and simply enjoy the spectacle.

And boy howdy, is there ever spectacle. All of your favorite characters get their moments, and some even more than others. Front and center are Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Spider-Man (Tom Holland), and Thanos’s daughter Gamora (Zoe Saldana). On top of them, all of your favorites return, and perhaps the most impressive thing about this film is that everyone gets a moment to shine. Not only that, but they get specific callbacks to their films and backgrounds that are huge pay-offs for the fans who have been paying attention since Day 1.

Perhaps just as impressive is how expeditiously they dispatch their exposition in the first part of the film. Believe it or not, for a film that banks on its viewers having seen at least a half dozen other films in the series, it gives a nice intro for anyone who is either neophyte or needs a refresher. Stan Lee used to always spend the first few panels of every issue explaining how we got here, saying, “Every issue is someone’s first.” Avengers: Infinity War takes this in stride.

As great as our heroes are, this would fall flat without a great villain. And Thanos is a great villain– one who believes he is right, and we can empathize with as he goes on a personal journey as well. It’s not often that your antagonist is the one who enjoys the most character growth, but here we are.

A tiny complaint is that the CG that makes Thanos come to life looks a little uncanny valley-ish, but let’s be real: he’s a giant purple dude. He’s going to look cartoonish every once in a while. It’s ok, and it’s certainly nothing compared to another giant CG villain in a comic book event movie– Steppenwolf from Justice League. In every conceivable way, Thanos is a superior villain, despite these minor quibbles.

This film is just so unexpected. Who knew that such a giant spectacle could also carry so much emotion? It is also so meticulously constructed — balancing multiple storylines at different ends of the universe with beautiful, fantastical settings — that this truly deserves to be seen on an IMAX screen (or the biggest one you can find). The Russo Brothers prove themselves masters of being able to juggle this many things at once and yet make sure they all work. They’re master chefs who tell you they’re going to put 30 different ingredients into a giant burrito, and at first you’re incredulous, then skeptical, then hopeful, and as you taste it you’re surprised at just how well everything works together.

And a final exhortation: don’t spoil this movie for others. A LOT of stuff goes down. Make sure before you discuss it in public, on social media, that everyone around you has seen the movie.

But when you do see it, see it with friends, family, and others so you can cry together, and then wonder, “Where do they possibly go from here?”

The conclusion in 2019 can’t come soon enough to answer the questions left hanging.

4.5 out of 5 stars