"Fun isn't something one considers when balancing the universe. But this does put a smile on my face."
Here we are, over the course of 18 movies Marvel have slowly
shaped our entire cinematic landscape and redefined the way we think of
franchises, all leading up to this moment. It is safe to say that this kind of
film is unprecedented in cinema history. No other studio has succeeded in carrying
out a sustained narrative over the course of as many movies as Marvel, all with
the intent to draw audiences in via the same route comics readers would get attached
to different names and titles. So this is it.
When the universe is threatened by Thanos (Josh Brolin), a
power crazed totalitarian seeking to unite all six infinity stones and use them
to wreak havoc on the cosmos, the Avengers must unite from across realms and
planets to face their biggest and most dangerous threat so far.
I’m almost unsure of how to even measure this kind of movie.
Do I see it as the culmination of all of its 18 predecessors? Is it the epitome
of blockbuster entertainment as we know it? All I know for sure is that it is
far from merely a regular movie, or even a regular Marvel movie for that
matter. ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ has a kind of built in audience appeal that
could only come about from a full decade of slowly gaining a loyal audience who
have placed firm trust in the creators and their ability to entertain and
marvel (pun intended).
Obviously the film is crowded, somewhat convoluted and
gigantic in scale, but that was always going to be a given. Where ‘Avengers:
Infinity War’ triumphs is how it so fundamentally understands how its audience
relate to and care about the characters who occupy the story. It effortlessly
endears you to its characters, fleshes out the stakes and sense of dramatic
consequence that will befall them should they fail in their mission, then it
just lets the stunning spectacle say the rest. Make no mistake, even if this
were empty spectacle (which it is not) I would argue that it would still make
for the price of a ticket.
The Russo Brothers have displayed an acute blend of style
and personality, as far back as their time directing ‘Community’. Their
filmmaking renders the most enormous of set pieces as personal affairs which retain a key focal point in how they
zero in on the characters at the heart of the action. Their camera never gets
lost amid all of the chaos and they seem consistently interested in what the
heroes themselves are going through, both physically and emotionally. There is
a kinetic energy to how they compose an action sequence, giving every super powered
punch a sense of visceral impact.
While the narrative essentially boils down to a somewhat
simple premise (bad guy wants to do bad stuff, good guys try to stop bad
stuff), it’s the dynamic between the ensemble cast of characters that bestows
the film’s story with a unique involvement to it. The characters emotional arcs
are what underpin the action and intergalactic conflicts, and those arcs are
always presented in a way that feels natural to the script. There’s no point
where the movie outright halts the flow of the story to tell us how the
characters are feeling, instead splicing their progression with the unfolding
plot whilst making the action integral to their development.
The script also strikes an excellent balance of tone. There
are some truly heavy themes and consequences within ‘Avengers: Infinity War’
but the film never descends too deeply into this grim undertone so as not to
lose the attention of its core audience. There is still plenty of character
driven humour and cathartically heroic moments that make the whole spectacle
thoroughly entertaining. But watch out for some striking gut punches that might
make even the most casual viewer well up slightly. I also have to give huge
credit to Alan Silvestri, whose musical score is so sweeping and epic that it
never fails to convey the utter grandeur of every trial these heroes undergo.
But even with all of these elements at play, it would have
been shockingly easy for ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ to become a parade of non-sequiturs.
What ties these unfolding events together is Thanos himself, the movie’s main
antagonist whose journey to accomplish his goal is phenomenal. There’s a school
of thought that the best villains are ones who sincerely believe themselves to
be the heroes and that is absolutely true of Thanos. His motivations are not sympatric
necessarily but they are based in rationale, and due to the script strongly
establishing what kind of person he is the viewer has no trouble understanding
why his specific attitude would lead him to the conclusions he reaches. His
progression over the course of the movie creates a thematic undertone that really
ties all of the events and characters together.
Josh Brolin’s performance is also outstanding, possessing
such an air of menace that Thanos always feels like a prevalent threat to our
protagonists. But at the same time Brolin crafts several intimate character
details through his performance that paint a hauntingly complex portrait. Other
fantastic performances include Chris Hemsowrth once again embodying the godlike
tendencies that ground Thor as a completely believable presence. The usually
charismatic Robert Downey Jr portrays a much more concerned Tony Stark, as if
even he is aware of the gravitas concerning what is about to happen. Elizabeth
Olson is also brilliant for reasons I won’t dare spoil, adding a large amount
of emotional resonance to the third act.
But Marvel have placed their trust in so many talented
actors that it should come as no surprise that every major player within the
film brings their best effort. No one is phoning it in or merely confident in
their own assurance. They all re-establish the characters via their
performances, embody who those characters are and proceed to react within the
story in such a way that they instil great weight into the script just by being
a noticeable presence. Seeing these heroes on screen together is one thing, but
to have them feel like real fleshed out characters with their own emotional
drives and consequences, well that’s something that has only ever been achieved
here.
Spectacular on a level that will satisfy any fan of the MCU,
‘Avengers: Infinity War’ is truly the culmination of a full decade of
blockbuster filmmaking. It’s going to be an agonising year until the next
instalment.
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