Avengers: Infinity War - The most important comic film of all time
"Avengers: Infinity War" is the battle between the most powerful superheroes in the Marvel universe and a mad titan. The film also marks the end of an era that has spanned 19 feature films to date. Marvel Studios is making cinema history. And - damn it - you can't afford to miss it.
The last scene plays, then it slowly gets dark and the credits roll. "Avengers: Infinity War" has just come to an end. I am overwhelmed. Empty. Then I try to find my thoughts again. They seem to have been swept away. Swallowed up by the ground. And suddenly - as if in a flash flood - everything comes back. Joy, anger, surprise, horror... the thoughts come flooding back. My brain starts to rattle.
I realise that the world doesn't even know about their happiness yet. "Avengers: Infinity War" is here. Really... I still can't quite believe it myself after six years of waiting. But I do know one thing: you'd be a fool to miss out on this spectacle.
A little warning: If you've seen the trailers and followed the coverage of "Avengers: Infinity War" to some extent, you won't find any spoilers here that you don't already know. But if you want to enjoy the film completely unbiased, then watch it first before returning and then let me know what you think in the comments.
Six Infinity Stones to enslave them
Source: Marvel Studios
Thanos (Josh Brolin), the mighty Titan of unknown origin, is after the Infinity Stones. There are six of them, and whoever takes possession of them will become the most powerful being in the universe, commanding all life and perhaps even death itself.
But Thanos doesn't want power for power's sake. He wants to restore balance to the universe. The Titan comes to the conclusion that this balance can only be restored if half of all life in the universe is wiped out. If he had the Infinity Stones, a single snap of his fingers would be enough to make that a reality.
The Avengers centred around Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America (Chris Evans) are less happy about this. Still scarred by their own quarrels, which led to the disintegration of the superhero squad in "Captain America: Civil War", they declare war on Thanos.
The culmination of a cycle
Source: Marvel Studios
"Avengers: Infinity War" is breathtakingly pompous. But also tragic, painful and merciless. It is the culmination of an insane journey that began ten years ago in "Iron Man" with Nick Fury, played by Samuel L. Jackson, and his words:
"Mr Stark, you've become part of a bigger universe. You just don't know it yet."
No one had any idea at the time just how big this cinematic universe would actually become. Not even the Marvel executives around producer Kevin Feige himself. The Marvel Cinematic Universe now comprises over 60 named characters. And almost all of them have found their way into the film.
In short: "Avengers: Infinity War" fires from all cylinders.
The director brothers Anthony and Joe Russo deliberately play with the audience's expectations. Leaving them thinking they know what will happen next, only to change their minds. Consistent. Okay, not exactly to the same extent as director Rian Johnson in "Star Wars: The Last Jedi". But perhaps that's for the best. The two brothers have kept a big promise that they made in numerous promo tours beforehand: Nothing will be the same after "Infinity War".
Yes, there are changes. Big changes. Yes, some of them hurt. But dramaturgically, they make sense. After all, where would the tension be if everything remained as it was at the end and the good survived unscathed? Exactly. Apart from that, Feige doesn't want his film universe to stagnate or even get bogged down. Changes, as painful as they may be, are part of it.
The villain - Thanos
Source: Marvel Studios
In a cast that now has at least a few Oscar winners and nominees, one stands out: Josh Brolin. He plays Thanos, the Mad Titan - as he is known in the comics - and the film's villain.
And Thanos really takes the cake.
He first appeared six years ago in "Avengers", where he turned out to be the real mastermind behind the events surrounding the Battle of New York. He then appeared from time to time on the sidelines, menacingly observing events from afar. In "Avengers: Infinity War", the time finally seems to have come for him to take matters into his own hands.
And how.
Luckily, Marvel has realised that the best villains are the ones where the methods, and not necessarily the motives, are wrong. Hela's (Cate Blanchett) hatred of her father in "Thor: Ragnarok", for example, was perfectly understandable. Or Erik Killmonger's (Michael B. Jordan) outrage in "Black Panther" at how a people as advanced as those of Wakanda could remain in hiding for decades instead of sharing their knowledge with the world to help those suffering.
Source: Marvel Studios
Thanos follows this pattern. He is cruel and consistent. But his motives remain comprehensible and follow a certain logic that doesn't correspond to the usual "I'm evil because reasons" cliché. Because all he really wants is to save the universe from the fate that once befell his own people.
Josh Brolin has found the perfect balance between ice-cold calculation and terrifying madness. His performance has been transferred to a computer model using motion capture technology - similar to Gollum in "Lord of the Rings". And the result is impressive. Not for a second would you think that Thanos is a completely computer-generated character. And Josh Brolin's performance, his deep, rumbling voice that makes all the hairs on your skin stand up, his body language that gives him an aura of the unconquerable - all of this contributes to the fact that a comic book villain has rarely looked as menacing as he does here.
Source: Marvel Studios
Thanos dominates every second he's in. At first you can hardly get enough of him, because the cosy shudder at the sight of Thanos is a welcome change from the rather pale Marvel villains. But then you start to dread the scenes to come. Because you realise that Marvel is not afraid to set events in motion that are more consistent and shocking than ever before in the Marvel universe.
The big reunion
Source: Marvel Studios
Fans can rest assured: The directing duo has mastered the seemingly impossible task of fitting the 67 named characters (according to official figures) into a single film with top marks. Practically every character gets the screen time they deserve, hardly any of them were neglected.
This works because the Russos have spread the action across various narrative threads, which always encompass a manageably large group of characters. The first few minutes of the film also serve primarily to put all the characters in the right position: This one goes into space, this one stays on earth, that one has to go, and the positions are set. It is truly astonishing how simply and elegantly the Russos have managed to steer the plot in the right direction right from the start: at no point does it seem forced or even rushed. Hats off.
Source: Marvel Studios
Keyword plot: there isn't actually much of one. But otherwise so many characters would hardly have found their place within the 149-minute running time. Thanos wants the stones. He could do a lot of evil with them. The Avengers want to stop him. By any means necessary. That's all that actually happens. "Avengers: Infinity War" is never carried by its story, but all the more by the characters that populate the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A luxury that Marvel can easily afford - and wants.
Because hardly any other film franchise can look back on 19 successful and critically acclaimed films. Characters like Tony Stark or Steve Rogers seem so vivid because we as viewers have accompanied them on their adventures for years. We know where they come from, who they were, what they have become and why. We have taken them to our hearts. Or not. But when a mad Titan appears on the scene and seriously threatens their existence, it doesn't leave us cold. Makes us fear for them. To sympathise. Grieve...
Conclusion - You'd be crazy not to see the film in the cinema
Source: Marvel Studios
With "Avengers: Infinity War", Marvel is writing another piece of cinema history. Ten years after the first "Iron Man" film, the comic giant can look back on a universe that is unrivalled. Often copied, but never equalled. And then producer Kevin Feige somehow managed to pack everything that has been created so far into a single film in a kind of "theory of everything".
The fact that this worked is not just down to the outstanding direction of the brothers Anthony and Joe Russo. After all, they were the ones who found a film structure in which practically all Marvel characters are worthily represented. No - it's mainly down to Josh Brolin's Thanos. He is the engine that keeps the insanely large vehicle called "Avengers: Infinity War" going. For every single, relentless second. Because he is cruel, unforgiving and all-powerful. Where Thanos was, nothing grows back.
Except in the cinema. Because that's where the almost unbearable curiosity for the next Avengers adventure grows, which is expected to sweep us off our cinema seats in May 2019.
Therefore: Go, see it!
I'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.»