The Marvel Cinematic Universe is one of the most impressive undertakings in cinema history. The scope of this project that totals 11 years can only be compared to Richard Linklater’s “Boyhood.” It has all built up to this moment: “Infinity War.” But don’t assume that the series’ climactic film will give you a resolution. First, I feel a bit hypocritical in enjoying this film because I have been so vocal about my frustrations with Marvel oversaturating every film with too many superheroes. I believe that every film should work as a standalone film (even if it is a sequel) and this series is the antithesis of that. Black Panther should not be introduced before his own feature film was even produced, Tony Stark should not take a predominant role in Spider-Man, and a Captain America film shouldn’t bear his name just because he gets to kick more butt than the other dozen featured superheroes in the film. However, “Infinity War” allows us to view the previous EIGHTEEN FILMS as a series of chapters in a long book instead of a book of short stories. It is amazing how 11 years of interconnected stories and mid-credit scenes have culminated in the complex relationships and story elements that drive this epic. The most frustrating part of the film is that its cliffhanger ending robs us of the opportunity to either start OR end the film with a sense of stability. It is literally open-ended. I find it to be similar in nature to “The Empire Strikes Back” but Empire’s predecessor didn’t feel like it was the culmination of a series. With all of the preparation required of audience members for this film to make sense, they needed stability on one end or the other. As far as the characters are concerned, the writers’ handling of literally dozens of superheroes and the largest all-star cast of all time is admirable. The storytelling is reminiscent of Star Wars, moving back and forth between various missions across the galaxy until all of the characters come together in an epic battle sequence. Captain America is probably the least represented character and I was surprised at how vital of a role Dr. Strange and the Guardians of the Galaxy played, thus confirming that there isn’t much that can be skipped if you want to understand the film. Especially when characters like Black Widow, Vision, and Scarlet Witch randomly appear in other characters’ films without receiving their own backstory. Jeremy Renner was noticeably absent from the film and credits even though he filmed scenes for both “Infinity War” and the sequel. I’ll be interested to see how they’ll incorporate him back in after cutting him completely. With so many all-stars in the cast, the acting is at a very high level. Josh Brolin brings the necessary amount of evil to Thanos and all of our returning heroes successfully deliver the expected Marvel brand of comedy to ease the tension throughout the film. They also know when to ramp up the emotions, giving the story a constantly oscillating contrast between laughing and crying. The film delivers all of the realistic action sequences, emotional moments, and special effects that we have come to expect from Marvel. It is amazing to see this complex story play out. I was worried that “Avengers: Infinity War” could never live up to the hype and anticipation surrounding it but its success is evident in the heightened emotions of every Marvel fan. The story did what was necessary to provide a big payoff; after all, the most important battle in the history of the universe comes at a price.
[Pictured: It is surreal to see so many superheroes onscreen at once]
No comments:
Post a Comment