Being the next film in the Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man and Black Panther series, it's not like Infinity War could have been 'bad'. I'd like to pretend that I have a mature and intellectual take on these kinds of crossovers, but screw it; if Iron Man and Spider-Man are hanging out with Doctor Strange and Star-Lord, then that's really freakin' cool and I will be there to watch in rapt amusement as they struggle to make pop culture references over each other.
And while not every franchise is really explored to its full potential - shockingly, Captain America himself doesn't do very much - they all get enough screentime in the action and drama scenes to feel like they matter. The supporting cast for most of these films also appear, and although there are some notable exceptions (where's Valkyrie?) everyone feels fleshed out. Except... Thanos.
I'm not hugely into comics but Thanos is the kind of villain who's famous for what he's done rather than who he is. You could ignore every famous story about The Joker and still talk for hours about him, because he's the Joker. Take away what Thanos has done and what is there to talk about? He's space-Hulk with a glove, who wants to kill people because he has a crush on death or something. I was interested to see how this would be adapted for the film, and he certainly has motivations and people he cares about and a growing respect for the heroes, but he's still quite bland compared to certain other Marvel villains. Which, given that this group contains 'dark elves' and 'Ant-Man but... bad Ant-Man', isn't exactly a glowing endorsement.
But it's hard to talk about the film without mentioning the cosmic sadness it inspires. It's part 1 of 2, so you know things will get bleak, but fuck! Thanos successfully wipes out half of the world. Watching Bucky Barnes, Drax and Groot fade into ashes in front of their friends was sad. Watching Black Panther die while trying to help up Okoye was a huge shock. Watching Star-Lord and Doctor Strange fade away, the former disappointed and regretful, the latter with morose resignment, made me think Marvel weren't holding back. And when Peter Parker, terrified and apologetic, died in Tony's arms, I just silently cried.
Not only is this brutal, but it kind of foils the positive reaction to this film's lighter moments - and any previous lighter moments in the MCU. You don't laugh at a joke when you know how it ends. I can't imagine this will be a very rewatchable film, at least until the sequel is out.
In short, this film inspired a similar reaction to a good Game of Thrones season finale.
a) That was great, I loved it.
b) I wish someone had stabbed me to death before I had watched that.
c) I have to wait a year before I can see the next one? Ugh!
Ouch
... That's about it, really.
Being the next film in the Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man and Black Panther series, it's not like Infinity War could have been 'bad'. I'd like to pretend that I have a mature and intellectual take on these kinds of crossovers, but screw it; if Iron Man and Spider-Man are hanging out with Doctor Strange and Star-Lord, then that's really freakin' cool and I will be there to watch in rapt amusement as they struggle to make pop culture references over each other.
And while not every franchise is really explored to its full potential - shockingly, Captain America himself doesn't do very much - they all get enough screentime in the action and drama scenes to feel like they matter. The supporting cast for most of these films also appear, and although there are some notable exceptions (where's Valkyrie?) everyone feels fleshed out. Except... Thanos.
I'm not hugely into comics but Thanos is the kind of villain who's famous for what he's done rather than who he is. You could ignore every famous story about The Joker and still talk for hours about him, because he's the Joker. Take away what Thanos has done and what is there to talk about? He's space-Hulk with a glove, who wants to kill people because he has a crush on death or something. I was interested to see how this would be adapted for the film, and he certainly has motivations and people he cares about and a growing respect for the heroes, but he's still quite bland compared to certain other Marvel villains. Which, given that this group contains 'dark elves' and 'Ant-Man but... bad Ant-Man', isn't exactly a glowing endorsement.
But it's hard to talk about the film without mentioning the cosmic sadness it inspires. It's part 1 of 2, so you know things will get bleak, but fuck! Thanos successfully wipes out half of the world. Watching Bucky Barnes, Drax and Groot fade into ashes in front of their friends was sad. Watching Black Panther die while trying to help up Okoye was a huge shock. Watching Star-Lord and Doctor Strange fade away, the former disappointed and regretful, the latter with morose resignment, made me think Marvel weren't holding back. And when Peter Parker, terrified and apologetic, died in Tony's arms, I just silently cried.
Not only is this brutal, but it kind of foils the positive reaction to this film's lighter moments - and any previous lighter moments in the MCU. You don't laugh at a joke when you know how it ends. I can't imagine this will be a very rewatchable film, at least until the sequel is out.
In short, this film inspired a similar reaction to a good Game of Thrones season finale.
a) That was great, I loved it.
b) I wish someone had stabbed me to death before I had watched that.
c) I have to wait a year before I can see the next one? Ugh!