Unfortunately for Marvel, the fans always step into the halls for the movies with sky-high expectations, even if they know absolutely nothing about what is happening in the film. Fortunately for Marvel Cinematic Universe fans, they not only live up to those expectations, they almost always surpass it. And Avengers: Infinity War was no different.
For the first time in 10 years, I didn’t get tickets for the first show for an MCU film, so as I walked to the theatres, the earlier show had just broken and I navigated the whole distance to the hall with my fingers in my ears so that I wouldn’t overhear anything. Thank god I did. Because hearing even one word about the film will spoil some jaw-dropping moment or the other, as the film is full of them. I will try my best to not give out a single thing while I fangirl about a movie I have been waiting for since 2012.
The first and only spoiler-y thing (not really) I will say is that Infinity War makes Game of Thrones look like child’s play. You can make what you will of that. That said, Infinity War should also be taught as a course to studios who make franchises (looking at you Warner Bros., Fox and Sony). This is how you pull together 10 years of films, bringing in not just almost all the characters you have seen through those years, giving each one of them the time and space to shine but also marrying the different tones that have emerged in those 10 years.
Yes, almost all your favourite superheroes are in the film, and yes everyone gets enough time to make the fans happy. My hands are sore and voice hoarse from the yelling and the clapping. While the movie runs at a breakneck space — jumping locations from New York to space to Wakanda — and moves from battle to battle, it still finds the time to reconnect old friendships and form new ones. There is even time to introduce new characters and do them justice. And you even come back with new-found respect for old characters; for me it was Thor, now he truly looked and behaved like a god! It leaves you in awe of the directors, the Russo brothers, because it cannot have been an easy task.
The action sequences are worth a mention and they will have you ooh-ing and uh-oh-ing with frequency. One of Doctor Strange’s fights is surreal and mind-blowing. So are Iron-Man and Spider-Man’s sequences. And of course there is that big battle in Wakanda... oh holy moly!
When Thanos is out to destroy the universe in a film, you expect devastation, and trust me there is plenty of that going around, but what you don’t expect is the film to be the most romantic in the franchise, and you definitely don’t expect to be laughing a minute after you’ve been on the edge of your seat, breathless because of a showdown. Yes, the humour comes from expected sources, but it is done seamlessly. Some of the funniest scenes happen when Thor and the Guardians are together (not a spoiler since you’ve seen it in the trailers!), and then there is Tony Stark and Spider-Man. Spider-Man scrambling away saying “don’t put your eggs in me” (a reference to Alien) when he meets one of the other superheroes he’s never seen before is one of my favourites. And there are so many!
Even more amazing is how the movie actually revolves around a villain. He is evil, never doubt that, and righteous, but what he is after is not entirely for his sole benefit and that adds more layers to the character than most of the Marvel villains before. Pipe down Loki fans, no one can beat him in terms of popularity, but Thanos’s presence is more along the lines of Killmonger (from Black Panther), except with hundred times his power.
One last thing, keep the tissues handy. Be prepared for the most horrible expletives coming from all around you (I dropped so many f-bombs I must have scared people around me), get your tickets for the second watch (I have got mine already) and hold your tongue when you step out of the hall. #ThanosDemandsYourSilence
Is Avengers: Infinity War a fitting tribute to 10 years of MCU?
Tell t2@abp.in
