Review: Avengers: Infinity War

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Alanna Felton, A&E Editor

Avengers: Infinity War is a lot of movie, a two hour and forty-minute-long behemoth that represents the culmination of eighteen Marvel movies produced by Disney studios over the past ten years. And yet, despite its enormous roster of characters (sixty-four in total), settings, and plot lines, Infinity War manages to stop just short of being too much.

Instead, it is an epic team-up that has something in it for just about every moviegoer, packed with action and adventure while still making room for more heartfelt moments. And with some truly shocking twists and turns scattered throughout, Infinity War is proof that, even after a decade of movies, Marvel still has plenty of tricks up its sleeve.

In Avengers: Infinity War, all of Marvel’s heroes, from the original Avengers to the warriors of Wakanda to the Guardians of the Galaxy, must join forces to defeat Thanos (Josh Brolin), an evil alien who is attempting to gather all of the universe infinity stones for his own nefarious purposes.

Infinity War has a lot to accomplish as a movie, and every second of screen time is jam-packed with characters, dialogue and plot-advancement. Still, I can’t help but be impressed by the fact that, overstuffed as it is, Infinity War never becomes too chaotic or messy. The plotting is taut, and the pacing is relentless, racing back and forth across the galaxy at a speed that can be both exhausting and exhilarating.

Marvel movies aren’t exactly known for having well-developed villains, and after seeing the Infinity War trailer, I was prepared for Thanos to be yet another ridiculously-over-the-top, mustache-twirlingly evil CGI big bad. Instead, I found myself very pleasantly surprised by Josh Brolin’s performance, which makes the character both a credible menace and surprisingly humanized.

The real stars of Infinity War though, are of course, its heroes, pretty much all of whom get some great moments throughout the movie. This is the first Marvel film to bring the characters from the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise into contact with the Avengers, and there are some truly hilarious interactions between the two groups of heroes.

Additionally, Infinity War does a great job of building off each of the Marvel movies so that it has something for every fan – whether you are curious about the fate of Team Cap in the fallout from Captain America: Civil War, wondering what happened to Thor and the Asgardians after the end of Thor: Ragnarok, or want to see more of characters such as Iron Man, Spiderman, and Doctor Strange.

Best of all, for those still riding the wave of Black Panther-love (and really, who isn’t?) there are some truly great scenes set in Wakanda. Particularly notable is an awesome, long-overdue team-up between Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, Elizabeth Olsen’s Scarlet Witch, and Danai Gurira’s Okoye.

Avengers: Infinity War is definitely far from perfect. It has its fair share of plot holes, and has many characters and settings that can make it difficult devote enough attention to any one of them. Still, for such an ambitious movie, it is surprisingly coherent, entertaining, and compelling. It’s a fun ride for anyone who likes entertaining action epics, and a highly-satisfactory culmination for Marvel fans everywhere.