I have had this film on "back up" for a long time now. I would look through my queue of films to watch / review and this one was always staring back at me but I just skipped past it because I am not really a fan of superhero films. I don't think I even watched Avengers: Age of Ultron.
I think i delayed watching this movie because there are so many characters in it but I was surprised to find out that this is actually part of the movie's great strength - we don't have to focus on any one character for too long. Of course the special effects are awesome, we all believe that is going to be the case when 400 million is spent on a movie. The thing that really won me over this time around is that I think I have just met my favorite villain of all time.
Without revealing too much of the story I just want to say that I was delighted to have a "bad guy" who is not just after personal gain and power. He isn't doing what he does just for the sake of conquest, which all too frequently seems to be the motivation behind most super-villains. I thought that his calm demeanor and the way that he seems to genuinely respect all of his opponents (for the most part) was actually a really cool way of presenting him. He is played by Josh Brolin but I can't be the only person that thought it looked and sounded like Ron Pearlman.
There are just a ton of stars and superheros in this movie, so this is a dream come true for comic book fans for sure. I was just really pleased that Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) was not in this one. I was always kind of annoyed by his character. Maybe he died in the last one - i don't know. I don't follow it well enough to really care.
I would say that only performance I didn't like was Mark Ruffalo's, which was a surprise to me since out of all the actors in this thing I believe he is likely the most talented. I suppose it is difficult to be the Hulk and that is why there has been so many of them.
Anyway, this movie was great fun and you don't need to be a fan of superhero movies to enjoy it. I am not a fan (outside of Batman) so there's proof for you right there. I reckon this film was good enough for me to watch it again someday.
So this comes highly recommended by me. It's entertaining, keeps the comic relief coming but not overly so, and has a totally different overall vibe than you expect - especially the ending.
There is so much I could say about this movie, but there are two things that I think are important to mention in regards to it.
This is a once in a lifetime kind of movie because it could have only existed with the 10 years of cinematic groundwork that had been laid out before it. I'm not entirely sure if we will see something like this again for a long time if ever.
Given the size of the undertaking, this is likely the best version of the film that could have existed and I think when you step back slightly, people can recognize how this could have gone horribly wrong but didn't.
I'm thankful for so much about this film. Seeing it opening night was one of the best cinematic experiences I've ever had and without giving away the ending (though really, how do people not know about it by now?) I loved the massive pair on the creators to end it on such a hopeless note. Yeah, I know it'll get reversed, but didn't stop the impact.
Here's the other thing for me that I loved, the Thor scene as he made the new weapon was the most unapologetically Jack Kirby-esque scene I've ever seen committed to film and as a comic nerd I loved every second of it. With comic movies making a push to be grounded like The Dark Knight, I appreciated the quick break to see the classic epic ness of reigniting a star with a space dwarf to forge a weapon with a talking tree and raccoon. It was epic and I loved that ode to the comics of old.
Enough said here. It's a flawed in some points, but I forgive all of that because they nailed everything that mattered.
fantastic follow-up pal. I loved every word of your response.
So true about point #1 there, never thought about that.
Two people really pissed me off in this film for epic failure in my opinion. Doctor Strange, and Star-Lord. OMG seriously. Chris Pratt's character has a meltdown and risks the entire universe. I won't go into details because spoilers n such.
And WTF Doctor Strange. You can manipulate reality FFS. Send Thanos' hand through a portal or something. If I am to be honest, this was not the best day for the Avengers. These guys have literally no ability to work as a team.
Don't get me wrong, I loved the movie (even though it doesn't sound like it) but it really does make you go come oooon!!
Chris Pratt's char has lots of extremely opportune moments. That is for sure
You can take anything as a comic book adaptation, but you have to admit that today they are winners. And not only on box office - although the new film of the crammed Marvel again broke its own record (it seems that in this area no one else puts them). The screen version of comic books today is a synthetic genre that has absorbed and practically killed some of its counterparts. Seriously: how many times a year does a movie about adventures in space, for example, or a large-scale insurgent? And kinomkiksy about superheroes leave at least twice a year - and this is only Marvel, who 10 years ago took a lot of risk with the "Iron Man" and won as much as no one had ever dreamed of.
"Avengers Infinity War" is a kind of a birthday cake in honor of the anniversary. All the favorite heroes, new and old locations, amazing beauty special effects, fantastic techno-pose sessions, the best villain of all time and a dozen lines, finally converging to one point - at the level of the application it was an occasion rather not for joy, but for panic . Until now, only Joss Whedon could have removed a whole movie about a lot of heroes - and then his abilities failed. Russo brothers did not look like a good personnel decision: their "confrontation" with all merits was too clearly falling apart into two parts, and the characters from the previous films looked slightly distorted in favor of the current situation. Nevertheless, Kevin Feige, great and terrible, made a personnel decision - and we could only wait and hope that Russo could do the impossible.
They succeeded - that's all we can say without spoilers, which will really be a crime to the audience. Because the main strength of the "Avengers Infinity War" is its monstrous emotionality. It grows slowly and inevitably, like a tsunami wave, and freezes to the finale to fall upon the hall in the twinkling of an eye.
The only drawback of the "Avengers Infinity War" is that only loyal fans can appreciate it fully. Megalomanian TV series Marvel came to the point where only those who saw all the parts of the cycle can understand what is actually happening here. The complexity, abundance of heroes and a lot of plot contradictions in due time became the reason for the crisis for the comic-universe - and it seems that this crisis is not far off and for its cinematography. Although ... Russo has already done the impossible once. Let's see what happens in a year.
Finally hahaha. I supose you were delaying this review. I agree, the villain is remarkable due to his motivations. He really had a convincing motivation to act. Hawkeye is not dead. So far we have not been told where he was, but he is going to be in the next movie next year (sorry for you hahaha)
The 6 original Avengers who conveniently happen to not have been desintegrated by Thanos's Snap will work together, getting help from various characters like Ant-Man, Captain Marvel, and maybe Adam Warlock, to steal Thanos's Time Stone from his Gauntlet to revive everyone (I think Ant-Man will go subatomic and sneak in the Infinity Gauntlet, but I am unsure of Adam Warlock's purpose or if he even is going to be in the movie. He is definitely going to be in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 at least. Now Captain Marvel has been confirmed to be the most powerful being in the MCU, far more than Thanos. That could play a big part).
Now Loki is in the cast for Avengers 4 so he will either be brought to life after that or not have been dead, or the Avengers will travel back in time to the events of the first movie, eother usong the Time Stone or Tony Stark's device at the start of Captain America Civil War, and we know for a fact Ant-Man will he there if that happens from set photos (maybe he has some relation witht the Reality Stone since they are similar). Either way his importance could be be to get Thanos's weak point by desguising into Gamora. Now a really cool thing that I hope they do is bring back every single villain in the MCU by using the Time Stone to defeat Thanos. Just imagine Hela, Jurmamnu, Ego, and all the gang fighting with Thanos and his Infinity Gauntlet with the Space, Power, Soul, Mind, and Reality Stones (I just realized this now when editing this comment but I feel like certain MCU villains represent the Infinity Stones).
That'd be so cool. But I suspect that that will bring back Thor's Hammer, Captain America will lift it and do something important, and eventually Thor will take back his original Hammer, giving the Axe to Starlord who will combine that with his Celestial powers to defeat Thanos, Captain Marvel either dealing the finishing blow or doing most of the work, cause she's a badass. Uuuuhhhh... I forget the rest of my guesses... But yeah happy ending and everything. But the movie will be dark.
The first paragraph could very well have been typed out by me. I too, have not picked this up for viewing for the longest time now as I had intentionally kept it away. Like you say, with the Ultron, I left it half way and didn't really ever go back to it with interest until one day it just came on TV and I left it playing in the back as i was doing my writing.
I know most people go about crazy about these superhero movies, but to me, they have just reached a point where they all look the same and seem to blend in. They don't offer the same "goosebumpy" chills like the earlier ones, maybe we have had too much of these, don't know.
But Yes, now with reading this, I shall give it a try.
Really a great movie. I appreciate your brilliant review.
When I watched Infinity War first before the trailer and you saw Hulk on 1:59 but you realized that he didn't even show up on that part of the movie.😂
Anyways, Love the movie though! And I think that the reason why you let Hulk show up in that scene was to not spoil the movie..
It felt like yet another Marvel movie to me. Incredible action and thrills peppered in with soap opera level writing and acting.
Coming Soon!
Man, I'm glad you liked this without having seen the others...it had its flaws as they all do to some degree (some much more than others), but I thought it was fun as hell and I loved it. I know you don't like superhero movies, but if I were gonna recommend any of the others, Thor: Ragnarok is my favorite. It is a great mix of funny and epic, not as corny as Guardians of the Galaxy (maybe it is, but it works better anyway), and lots of Hulk as the Hulk. Dr. Strange was pretty cool too. Ant-man is easily the worst, in my opinion, however much you may like Paul Rudd.
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