Marvel Studios has created the ultimate action movie.
Accomplishing exactly what they set out to do, Marvel gave us 10 years of background, dozens of lovable and relatable characters and an entire universe as a setting. Then they introduced the ultimate threat – an invincible villain on a quest to achieve unlimited power. A villain who believes he’s doing the right thing. A villain who can’t be stopped. Marvel put the lives of their characters, the lives of half the population of the universe they so painstakingly constructed, as the stakes.
“Infinity War” truly lived up to its name. It is by far the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s greatest achievement, and probably the biggest thing to happen in the history of superhero films. It is a cultural phenomenon, the brilliant culmination of rich lore, vibrant characters and genius storytelling.
It’s emotional, it’s exciting, it’s dramatic and intense. It’s violent, beautiful, touching and frightening. It’s everything I hoped it would be.
The pacing was remarkable, especially considering the daunting task the film’s multiple simultaneous storylines must’ve posed its creators. The movie has a runtime of two hours, 40 minutes, but by the time the credits rolled, I was left still wanting to see more. I found myself surprised by how well things came together. The film doesn’t waste any time, and yet, it doesn’t rush to a conclusion either. It had the feel of an expertly crafted and well-polished film, which, of course, it was.
The characters were wonderfully acted. The utterly massive cast meant no one hero spent very long on screen, but the 18 other MCU movies served their purpose well and provided the film with fully developed characters, even though the individual heroes didn’t get much attention on their own.
Speaking of incredible and well-developed characters, I believe the MCU has finally solved its notorious villain problem. Thanos was magnificent, and Josh Brolin was perfect for the character. In fact, it seemed to me Thanos was the star of the film. He saw more screen time than any of the heroes, and he absolutely deserved it. His slow walk, his towering physique and his calm, deep voice all came together to form a truly terrifying creature. His motivations were explained, his emotions were explored and he was utterly believable as the most dangerous being in the universe. Thanos made the movie what it is. I cannot praise the MCU enough for its depiction of this character.
Thematically, the movie chose to explore sacrifice and loss. There’s a lot of death in “Infinity War,” and it’s portrayed in a way that’s truly haunting. Let’s just say the film doesn’t shy away from showing a lifeless corpse. Or several. Sacrifice plays a huge part, and it does so in a beautiful way.
Visually, the film is stunning. Marvel spared no expense on actual filming or CGI. The alien characters, floating spaceships and rainbow-colored beams of power all looked just as real as the Wakandan grassland, or the haggard faces of Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. It immerses you.
The action scenes were phenomenal. They managed to show off each character in a fight, and did a remarkable job of conveying desperation through each of the character’s unique fighting techniques.
“Infinity War” is the biggest cinematic event since … I don’t know how long. It’s had essentially 10 years of hype, and it lived up to all of it. The MCU has become a part of movie culture, and this film cements Marvel’s place as one of the biggest film franchises in history. Everyone has to see this movie. It’s too early to call it a classic, but this is certainly a movie that will be remembered for a very long time.
Keagan Miller is a general studies sophomore and Life & Arts reporter for The Battalion.