Avengers: Infinity War brings together just about every superhero we’ve seen in the Marvel Universe to face their greatest battle yet.
Thanos, a villain too strong for even the Hulk, has gathered a team of sinister minions to help him collect all six infinity stones. The result if he succeeds? He takes out half the universe and “perfect balance” is achieved.
The Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy team separate into small groups to take on their own monumental tasks. Spider-Man and Iron Man board one of Thanos’ ships to try and rescue Dr Strange who possesses the mind stone, Thor, Rocket and a moody teenage Groot head to the realm of Nidavellir to make and retrieve a new hammer while the rest of the guardians seek out the collector to find the reality stone before Thanos does, and everyone else heads to Wakanda with Vision to destroy the mind stone.
Dividing the heroes into groups maintained the excitement of each fight scene. Rather than just one epic fight at the end, all the heroes tried and failed to take out Thanos in their respective realms. For the first time, the heroes didn’t have a clear plan which they optimistically executed as a team but found themselves out of their depth and unsure how to react to the situation at hand. Mistakes were definitely made but this only made the story more credible.
Blood was shed and difficult decisions had to be made. Gamora and Vision arguably faced the most tragic fates when their partners bravely held a gun to their head for the greater good, but ultimately their sacrifice meant nothing.
In spite of the more somber tone of the movie, there were some genuinely funny moments too. Star-Lord and Drax, as usual, provided some much needed comic relief. A highlight was Thrax’s attempt to turn invisible and Star-Lord’s insecure reaction to meeting the muscular, deep-voiced Thor. Wise-cracks and jokes were made even in the face of colossal danger.
But oh my, the audience was not ready for the ending. The dramatic music that is typical of an epic Marvel fight scene faded into nothing as some of our favorite characters faded into dust. Spider-Man’s death was particularly moving, as the brave hero broke down and appeared a venerable teenager for the first time in the movie, admitting through tears that he “doesn’t want to go.”
With half the Avengers wiped out, we have no idea where the story will go from here. In the meantime, Infinity War is definitely a feature that can be enjoyed more than once.
