REVIEW: ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ offers a fresh take on the superhero genre
Everything was leading up to this moment. Right here, right now. Eighteen movies have proceeded “Avengers: Infinity War.” Throughout the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), hints have been dropped that have led to the plot of “Infinity War.” Thus, there were lofty expectations from fans and the movie did not disappoint.
“Infinity War,” which is directed by Chris and Joe Russo, begins where “Thor: Ragnarok” leaves off. Thanos and his crew have attacked the Asgardian ship and slaughtered half of the people on board. As Thanos, the Mad Titan, tries to extract the mind stone from them, he kills off a major character in the MCU. This decision by the Russo Brothers to kill a major character in the first ten minutes of the movie sets a very ominous tone that the movie continues to build on.
What makes “Infinity War” so great is its portrayal of Thanos. Thanos, the villain of the film, is arguably the main character of “Infinity War;” which is atypical of superhero movies. Thanos is on a mission to collect all of the infinity stones and unite them in the infinity gauntlet. If he is successful in doing so, all he would need to do to wipe out half of the universe is snap his fingers. His motivation for doing so is to restore balance to the universe so that populations can thrive.
With the addition of so many mainstream characters, a fear going into the movie was that the characters would not receive equal screen time. This fear is shattered as each character has their own storyline and reason for being on screen, and the screen time is shared equally amongst all of the heroes.
What makes “Infinity War” so wonderful is its unpredictability. Superhero movies tend to be very formulaic in their approach. The heroes fight successfully, the villain enters the fray, the hero suffers an event to which they were unprepared and then they find a way to win. “Infinity War” takes this formula and turns it on its head.
Thanos is the main character of “Infinity War,” and he is the one that experiences a tragic moment. In his quest for the soul stone, Thanos finds out from the keeper of the stone, which is another shocking character reveal, that in order to capture it he must sacrifice something he loves.
The Mad Titan sheds a tear before doing what he knows he has to do. The sacrifice Thanos makes for the soul stone adds another layer to the depth of the movie. The Russo Brothers gave us something that we did not expect, while at the same time leaving us hanging onto a thread of hope.
By using the villain Thanos as the main character of the film, the Russo Brothers are able to show that superhero movies are more than a superhero, they are also about the supervillain. After collecting all of the infinity stones, Thanos accomplishes what he set out to do. The villain of the movie has now done what the heroes usually do in superhero movies. This was started in “Black Panther” with Erik Killmonger, and “Infinity War” continues the idea.
The movie also steps away from the superhero formula in that it brings shocking deaths to crowd favorites. One of the deaths, in particular, has inspired a meme of “I don’t feel so good” which has also had heartbreaking consequences as well. The death leaves questions about how the heroes are going to rebound from this catastrophic event.
A huge question that lingers following “Infinity War” is how the upcoming releases of “Ant Man and the Wasp” and “Captain Marvel,” will tie into the MCU timeline. Captain Marvel seems destined to be a huge part in taking down Thanos as the “Infinity War” post-credit scene suggests.
“Infinity War” leaves fans with a feeling very similar to that of the “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.” We need “Avengers 4” and we need it now. However, we must wait until May 2019 to get our cathartic release.
