Are you – Happy? Surprised? Disappointed? Or, All of the Above? Remember, it’s not the end, the next one is!!! Many Hits, Some Misses, All In All, Good Job! Avengers Infinity War Review
Verdict of The Idiot
Idiot-o-Meter: Far Out, Man
ATTENTION: Spoilers from the second half!
It’s here! The movie we’ve been eagerly waiting for 10 years is here! MCU’s magnum opus is here. Just about every superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe makes an appearance in Avengers: Infinity War!
Have you finally seen Avengers: Infinity War? Are you happy? Are you surprised? Are you disappointed?
Or are you all of the above?
I am.
I am happy – because I finally saw Avengers: Infinity War. The movie was how I thought it would be. It wasn’t mind-blowing, but it was satisfactory.
I am surprised – because the Russo Brothers managed to pull it off, with a flick of their fingers! The duo juggled all the parts competently, giving everyone their time in the sun without breaking momentum. Also, a few of the surprises they pulled – I did not see them coming!
I am disappointed – because the climax began and ended abruptly without making me feel for the characters. It was a loaded ending with lots of drama, but the drama failed to invoke any strong reaction from me. The movie ended before I could grasp the horror and beauty of the scene. As someone from The New Yorker put it, “In “Avengers: Infinity War,” characters aren’t introduced; they just show up, and their behaviour is entirely defined by the template set for them in other movies.”
Avengers Infinity War Review – The Idiot’s Review
Synopsis:
Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, The Hulk, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, Spiderman and the Guardians of the Galaxy unite to battle their most powerful enemy yet – the evil Thanos. On a mission to collect all six Infinity Stones, Thanos plans to use the artefacts to inflict his twisted will on reality. The fate of the planet and existence itself has never been more uncertain as everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment.
It’s important to remember that though the movie might have “Avengers” in it, this movie is about the Mad Titan, Thanos. It’s not an Avengers movie, it’s a Thanos movie. And it plays as such.
Avengers: Infinity War starts off in an explosive way, with a much darker tone than Marvel’s previous movies. And, this sense of death looming over our favourite superheroes is maintained throughout the film. We already knew that unlike Thor: Ragnarok, Spider-Man Homecoming or Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War would not be comedy-oriented. It just couldn’t be; there’s too much at stake! However, the Russo Brothers do include the signature blend of comedy that Marvel is notorious for.
The review I wrote a week before the movie’s release is more or less on point, minus Loki’s death (which was his own doing). The only thing left to review would be Thanos and his Black Order. Josh Brolin does a brilliant job of portraying the mad Titan and the Black Order, like other MCU villains, fade into the darkness eventually. As for this review, as Deadpool remarked, “This sh*t’s gonna have nuts in it!”
All in all, it was satisfactory. I didn’t expect it to be like The Avengers (2011), and it’s not as bland as Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015). As I mentioned before –
The brilliant twist in the whole thing – the movie doesn’t need to be mind-blowing. Even ‘above-average’ will do for it. Why? Because it’s a two-part Avengers epic and there’s another one coming next year, which will be the actual finale; this one signals the Beginning of The End while the next one will be The End (as we know it). If Infinity War performs above-average and then delivers in 2019’s untitled Avengers movie, it’s a major win for Marvel.
However, if Avengers: Infinity War performs magnificently but its successor fails to wrap up the epic in a convincing way, it would have all been for nothing!
Avengers: Infinity War has been directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and features an ensemble cast including Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, with Josh Brolin, and Chris Pratt.
Verdict of The Idiot
Idiot-o-Meter: Far Out, Man
The Idiot’s Rating System:
4.0 – 5.0: The Dude Abides!
3.0 – 4.0: Far Out, Man!
2.0 – 3.0: Take It Easy, Dude!
1.0 – 2.0: You’re Out Of Your Element!
0.0 – 1.0: The Goddamn Plane Has Crashed Into The Mountain!
Now for the good part – who lives, who dies, what’s incredible?
Avengers Infinity War Review – SPOILERS AHEAD!
SPOILERS AHEAD! Enter At Your Own Risk!!! If you haven’t seen the movie, you would be best advised against scrolling down further.
You have been warned!
The most surprising moment in the movie comes within the first five movies when Thanos kills Loki after the God of Mischief tries to assassinate the Mad Titan. Thanos then tells Thor, “No resurrections this time.” I had earlier construed that Loki would join Thanos and his Black Order and would ultimately betray him in the final chapter. But, it seems the Russo brothers had other plans. It was also surprising to see Loki handing over the Tesseract only to save Thor’s life.
Also, the most surprising cameo has to be that of Red Skull’s, Captain America’s adversary in the first Captain America movie. When Gamora takes Thanos to the planet Voromir, the place where the Soul Stone was hidden, they encounter Johann Schmidt, a.k.a Red Skull, living in a kind-of purgatory, guiding those seeking the Soul Stone, without ever being able to attain it himself.
Now, without being too full of myself, let me say that I half-expected many superheroes to perish.
Avengers Infinity War Review – Who dies in Avengers: Infinity War?
Loki Odinson
Strangled by Thanos when Loki deceives him and tries to assassinate him.
Heimdall
Killed by Thanos with a spear after he channels dark energy to open the Bifrost and send Hulk back to Earth.
Gamora Zen Whoberi Ben Titan
Thrown off a cliff by Thanos in planet Voromir to obtain the final Infinity Stone – the Soul Stone. A soul for a soul; the sacrifice of a loved one for the stone.
The Vision
Killed by Thanos. After Scarlet Witch destroys the Mind Stone in Vision’s forehead, Thanos uses the Time Stone to rewind time and restore the stone; he crushes Vision’s head as he takes the final Infinity Stone.
White Wolf/Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier
Earth – Disintegrated when Thanos flicks his fingers and destroys half the Universe.
Black Panther/King T’Challa
Earth – Disintegrated when Thanos flicks his fingers and destroys half the Universe
Falcon/Sam Wilson
Earth – Disintegrated when Thanos flicks his fingers and destroys half the Universe
Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff
Earth – Disintegrated when Thanos flicks his fingers and destroys half the Universe
Spider-Man/Peter Parker
Titan – Disintegrated when Thanos flicks his fingers and destroys half the Universe
Doctor Strange/Stephen Strange
Titan – Disintegrated when Thanos flicks his fingers and destroys half the Universe
The Guardians of the Galaxy
Titan – Star-Lord, Groot, Drax and Mantis are disintegrated when Thanos flicks his fingers and destroys half the Universe. Only Rocket survives.
Maria Hill
Earth – Disintegrated when Thanos flicks his fingers and destroys half the Universe (post-credits)
Nick Fury
Earth – Disintegrated when Thanos flicks his fingers and destroys half the Universe (post-credits)
Avengers Infinity War Review – Who lives in Avengers: Infinity War?
Iron Man/Tony Stark
Thanos stabs Tony but spares him after Doctor Strange makes a deal to hand over the Time Stone if he lets Tony live. Tony Stark lives to fight another day. If he has to die, it will be in the final chapter, not this one.
Captain America/Steve Rogers
Goes up one on one against Thanos and survives. As expected, Steve Rogers lives to fight another day. If he has to die, it will be in the final chapter, not this one.
Thor Odinson
Almost kills Thanos with his new hammer, Stormbreaker. On a different note, he also gets an eye back! Thor Odinson lives to fight another day. If he has to die, it will be in the final chapter, not this one.
Hulk/Bruce Banner
The Hulk refuses to take over Banner after being curb-stomped by Thanos at the beginning of the movie. Bruce Banner lives to fight another day. If he has to die, it will be in the final chapter, not this one.
Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff
Takes out several of Thanos’ children. Natasha Romanoff lives to fight another day. If she has to die, it will be in the final chapter, not this one.
War Machine/James Rhodes
Faces immediate court martial after disobeying direct orders to arrest Captain America.
Rocket
Travels with Thor to planet Nidavellir to help him forge his new hammer.
Nebula
Imprisoned by Thanos at planet Titan when she tries to assassinate him. Saved by Gamora after she gives up the location of the Soul Stone.
There was this episode on an Avengers animated series (I forget if it was Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes or Avengers: Assemble) where Thanos has the Infinity Gauntlet loaded with the Stones and uses them to toy with the Avengers.
He uses all the stones, including the Time Stone, a standalone gem with powers of a different kind – time. Among its numerous powers, it also has the ability to alter time and get people back from the dead.
Even in comics, Thanos has used the Infinity Gauntlet to wipe out part, or all of the Avengers, multiple times. But, the Avengers returned. So, several superheroes perishing at his hand did not come as a surprise.
Also, the deaths of Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Black Panther and the Guardians of the Galaxy was pretty transparent. Since all the above-mentioned characters have sequels planned, there is no question that they will be brought back in the game for the final Avengers movie.
They Cannot Be Gone For Good!
While some died and some lived, there were a few whose fate remains unknown, like Pepper Potts, Wong, Shuri etc. There were also some superheroes missing from the action altogether.
Disappointingly, Hawkeye didn’t make an appearance in Avengers: Infinity War. Though his (and Ant-Man’s) disappearance has been explained as ‘lying low because of a deal with the government’, Hawkeye is a crucial part of Avengers and his absence was felt by many. Hopefully, Marvel will provide a better explanation for his nonappearance, with a deserving standalone moment in the next instalment.
Valkyrie was surprisingly absent from the film. Though she was on the same ship as Thor and Hulk, there was no mention of her in the film at all. The Collecter made an appearance, but that was only because Thanos manipulated reality with the Reality Stone. His fate remains unknown.
Now, it’s very important to note that the original Avengers team survives. Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow and, possibly, Hawkeye survive Thanos’ universal genocide. This means that the original members of the Avengers Initiative will assemble one last time to take down the Mad Titan and bring back their spandex-wearing superhero friends in the upcoming Avengers 4.
This is a nice way to emphasise and highlight the founding members of Avengers in a sea of heroes in the final chapter as they unite to execute Marvel’s coup de grâce. The original Avengers deserve the moment, because, this time, it’s personal!. Also, it’s their movie, after all!
Now we wait to see how this whole business, which has been building up since 2008, wraps up. Will Avengers go out with a bang, cementing itself as the best Hollywood can offer or will it fade away into the darkness of our minds?
We wait. We’ve waited for a decade, what’s another 370 days?
The Idiot's Corner 