Have A Blast Toys + Games hasn’t written an entertainment review in a while, but after 10 years and 18 movies, etc, etc…
It seems appropriate to make our review comeback writing about the movie event of 2018. Consider this the Have A Blast Toys review event of the year! We’re going to write two reviews. The first, immediately below, will be spoiler free. The second, after a delay, much blank space, and LARGE WARNINGS, meant only for fellow first weekend viewers, will be a spoiler discussion of Infinity War that mirrors the first review.
HAB Toys saw Infinity War at a Regal theater. The theater premiered a feature call back to history by including a “MovieBill” (a program) with the movie. It’s a subtle touch recognizing the type of experience blockbuster pop culture movies have become with audiences. Much like a Broadway PlayBill it discusses the main characters/cast, the villain, the history of the MCU, and includes a mobile interactive feature. It was a nice touch but the question is, does the movie deserve it?
Yes, all hail Thanos, yes!
Infinity War runs a completely unnoticeable almost 3 hours. The tone and pace of the movie get set right from the opening scene. Infinity War pulls off a mix of consequence and comedy from start to finish. The movie is certainly not light hearted, but it knows how to perfectly break the tension. As a warning to parents, the film deserves the PG-13 rating. Small children may want to avoid this Avengers installment.
The Russo brother directors have made a film centered on the villain, as they have stated in pre-release discussions. A movie of this scope has to stay attached to a meaningful anchor. Thanos consistently acts as that anchor in his motivation and actions. Infinity War smoothly cuts to revolving interactions between new mixtures of heroes in various locations without missing a beat. On the flip side, Infinity War would have to be a much longer movie for each character to receive their due attention. An honest nitpick of Infinity War is that some important characters seem underrepresented in the film.
Our heroes, however, often show their character growth from the past 10 years in really clever and efficient ways. Their interactions stay tightly woven in the constantly moving story and one particular new relationship stands out as a highlight of how much has changed for an Avenger and a Guardian since we were introduced to them.
Thanos, though, does carry the movie on his large purple shoulders. Every course pursued by our heroes comes as a reaction to Thanos’ perceived plans. Though we’ve only seen him in glimpses in the last 10 years, Infinity War does a good (though not great, because it might have been impossible) job of making him a well-rounded, full explored, understandably motivated character. Truly, he belongs with Killmonger as one of the best Marvel villains, but Killmonger still takes the crown as a character. Thanos both has empathy and love (though the love part misses a small beat in a pivotal scene) in his quest to wipe out half the universe. Those relatable motivations also make him a very frightening bad guy.
The ending of Infinity War silenced an entire theater. Among many gasp inducing moments, there is a poignant loss that taken at face value is heart-breaking. It also includes a haunting cliff-hanger. Despite protests to the contrary, Infinity War completely sets up the yet unnamed Avengers 4. The battle sequence at the end is an amazing spectacle and made our viewer wish the showing were in the IMAX format. Go see Infinity War in IMAX, seriously.
It seemed impossible for Infinity War to live up to the amount of the Marvel hype leading up to the film. It did for our viewer. You can’t underestimate the amount of skill it took to pull off this movie. The ending really represents an astonishing bit of storytelling; even with the reflection that it’s part of a story that will continue to a few possible endings. Even if you’re not a Marvel fan, it’s simply a good movie. As Stan Lee himself said, Make Mine Marvel. You won’t be disappointed when you do.
Let us know what you think (spoiler free) of the movie in the comments if you've seen it!