Skip to main content

Movie Review: Avengers: Infinity War (2018) *Spoiler Free*

Ten years in the making and Marvel finally releases part one of the Avengers versus Thanos, A.K.A. Avengers: Infinity War.

After seeing all 18 films in the MCU prior to this, and liking most of them, I was pretty confident this movie would not disappoint.

Other than a few minor issues - that are all my personal taste and in no way reflect on the quality of the film - it really delivers. Thanos is indeed the big, bad villain of the MCU that we've been antcipating.


The Good Stuff


This movie really goes out of its way to explain and even show Thanos's motivation and backstory. I've read some reviews that say his motivation in this film doesn't make a lot of sense, that his motivation in the comics, that this film draws inspiration from, is better, but I disagree.

In the comics Thanos is trying to kill half the population of the universe to impress a girl (a character called 'Death'). Totally boring, somewhat selfish, typical, non-caring, evil villain.

Infinity War has him trying to solve the problem of an unsustainable universe through population control (not really a spoiler). That's a cause, you as an audience member can at least understand, even if you can't get behind his solution. Essentially he thinks he's doing the right thing for unselfish reasons that he believes are necessary.

Way better than killing people to impress a girl. You may even start to care about him a little because of it.

The balance of screen time with all the characters is a master class of storytelling. It's hard to believe people initially had concerns about balancing the storylines of all the characters in the first Avengers movie.

What's even better is the different pairings of characters and how they interact. For example, you get to see more of Peter Parker and Tony Stark but then you throw Doctor Strange, Starlord, Drax, and Mantis into the mix and it's becomes an even more fun dynamic as everybody tries to figure each other out.

The special effects and CGI are outstanding. At no point in this film did I notice any seams between what was real and what was CGI. Thor Ragnarock and Black Panther both had a few dodgy CGI moments but Infinity War is stunning. Particularly with so many CGI characters, this thing is more animated cartoon than live action much of the time but all the CGI characters seem very real.

I enjoyed all the humor in this film. Sometimes it's used to take the edge off really dramatic moments, which some reviewers have said can be a little jarring but I didn't find that to be so.

As most people anticipated the stakes in this movie are real. Several major characters do indeed die throughout the course of the story. It's sad but it's great at the same time... and we know these are comic book movies. No one is ever truly dead.

Minor Issues


With almost every major superhero character from past MCU movies in this film it's inevitable the ones you really want to see probably won't get nearly enough screen time for you.

That isn't a bad thing in terms of the movie. Both the writers (Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely), and the directors ( Anthony Russo, Joe Russo) have done a stellar job of balancing all the characters so that the time they do have on screen isn't wasted. They either move the story along or provide a great action beat (or both). It's just that, no matter which character is your favorite, you're going to wish they had a bit more screen time (bring on Part 2).

My next, really, really minor issue is a joke with Drax that doesn't really pay off. It's such a fun moment, that I think it was probably a flip of the coin as to whether it should stay or end up as a deleted scene. I'm kind of glad it's in there but there's no pay off later. Maybe the pay off ended up being cut?

I only mention it because the scene stuck in my head as such an odd, awkward, but funny sequence. You'll probably spot it when you see it. It's not really a spoiler since it's a joke that goes nowhere later, and even if it did, it would only be to provide an additional joke.

Last issue, the ending. Don't worry, no spoilers here. Obviously, with a Part 2 coming out in May 2019 this film was destined to not tie everything up in a nice neat bow. Thankfully it's not just one movie split in two. It has a proper end with a set up for part 2 but all the same, I really don't like the year wait to find out what happens next.

To Sum Up


Overall, I enjoyed Avengers: Infinity War. It really does deliver a great Marvel villain, along with a well told story, filled with trademark humor and comic book action brought to life. This movie really is Marvel Studios at the top of their game.

Definitely see it on a big screen if you can. It looks amazing and you'll have a great time seeing your favorite characters doing their thing.

Comments

Buy Gifts and Apparel featuring art by TET.

Popular posts from this blog

How to Transfer Any Line Art to Your Griptape - Easy Skateboard Griptape Art Tutorial

Dog Star Griptape Art by TET Griptape art is once again gaining popularity amongst modern skateboarders. For those of us who have tried to create our own griptape art, using paint pens, you'll know reproducing your design onto the grip, without making any mistakes is incredibly challenging. Mostly because you just have to go for it and draw the design freehand, with paint pens, directly onto the griptape. You can make the odd mistake here or there but if you get the proportions of the design completely wrong, it can be very difficult to fix. Often you just have to live with the mistake. To address the problem I've come up with an easy way anyone can transfer a line art design to their griptape, removing almost all the anxiety of getting the proportions wrong. In fact, you could do this with any line art design, even if you have no drawing skill at all. Watch the video below to see my technique in action and/or skip past the video where I highlight the basic steps to get your de

Guest Post: New Novel - Alias Jeannie Delaney - Book 2 - The Outlaw's Return

A lmost a year ago I featured Go West Girl , Book 1 of author, Kit Mackenzie's Alias Jeannie Delaney series. Now, the next book in the series,  Alias Jeannie Delaney - Book 2 - The Outlaw's Return , is soon to be released in August, and is available for pre-order on Amazon. If you love a powerful female lead in a traditional western packed with action and adventure, this is the novel for you. The story centers on Cowgirl Jeannie Morgan who grew up in Coyote Creek, Wyoming, where she became persecuted for her lethal gun and a sexuality that swings both ways. Tomboy beautiful and tough as the nails in a miner's boots, she is on the run with a bunch of boys who would die for her. Her snake strike gun, soul-slicing gaze and dangerous magnetism leaves a trail of intense emotions, killings and would-be death threats in her wake. Heading south, she finds herself becoming a legend. She's in deep trouble, but her home town demands her return and they pin a badge on her. It'

Skateboard Trick Tips: Two Ways to Ollie North (Ollie One foot)

You have to be quick to see my Ollie Norths! Ollie One Foots, otherwise known as the Ollie North, is one of those skateboard tricks you learn and then tend not to do very much as more interesting trick challenges grab your attention. However it does look really cool if you learn how to kick your front foot well past the nose of your skateboard. Still shot from Braille Skateboarding's Ollie North tutorial. I was inspired to make my video below, showing two different techniques to achieve a successful Ollie One Foot, when I not only saw that Braille Skateboarding's Tutorial used a different method to the one I had learned but also, when I looked at various other video tutorials, I discovered yet another technique, with no one using the method I had originally learned. Braille's method is to simply Ollie and drag your front foot past the front of your board. The second method I came across in several video tutorials is to Ollie, drag your front foot and tap your

I'm Joining the Illuminati Brotherhood By Personal Invitation of Hiltom Rothschild... Wait, What?

How special am I to have finally come of age (53 years young) and am now eligible to participate in building the world alongside other members of the Illuminati Brotherhood... Yes I've received the call by way of an email, which I'm sure is real because I had to translate it from the Dutch language and it was personally written by Hiltom Rothschild, one of the non-existent members of the Rothschild family (or perhaps deep undercover because Google has never heard of them?). A Transcript of the email below: To: etourist From: Illuminati Brotherhood  Subject: Illuminati Broederschap (Illuminati Brotherhood) I am Hiltom Rothschild, a member of the Rothschild family, one of the 13 families of the Illuminati brotherhood. I'm here to let you know that you've come of age and are eligible to participate in building the 🌎 world. It is a calling and a privilege to honor him with pride and gratitude as not everyone will ever be chosen by the LIGHT, many are called but few are ch

Robot Uprising Update: Robot Waiter, Fasta Pasta, South Terrace, Adelaide CBD, South Australia

On the second evening of my partner, Enigma, and I's weekend stay in Adelaide we decided to have dinner at Fasta Pasta . Strangely enough our hotel staff, at the Alba, had not mentioned Fasta Pasta as an option for an evening meal while their restaurant is closed for refurbishment, even though it is literally next door on the corner of South Terrace and Pultney Street. You may be aware that Fasta Pasta is an upmarket Italian restaurant franchise with its beginnings in Adelaide. Currently they have 19 restaurants Australia wide (with the majority in South Australia - we even have one in Gawler, our home town). I've never had bad food at a Fasta Pasta, and their food never looks like a franchise meal. You always feel you're at a restaurant that's a little bit more quality than your typical hotel/motel meal. Maybe it's because you don't see as much pasta based meals on an Aussie pub menu. Despite the name, it's not all pasta. I went with a basic plate of fish a

Four Years into a Post Pandemic World and Secondary COVID-19 Might be a Thing?

Social distancing 2020 style. A fter not being too far from COVID-19, potentially patient zero in Australia back in 2020. Four years later my partner finally tested positive for the virus. Then I inevitably caught it as well. You might think, so what, but I'm honestly surprised we've lasted this long. My partner works at an aged care facility that has fought off numerous outbreaks over the years, and continues to do so. Workers at her facility take RAT tests daily so you know pretty quick if you test positive. Workers then have to isolate at home for at least seven days until they're clear. COVID-19 symptoms can vary in intensity and you may not get the full range (at least to my knowledge and experience). My partner seemed to get it fairly bad with tiredness, aching joints, loss of taste and smell, along with cold and flu like symptoms (sore throat, congestion etc). While we did try to social distance, keeping our distance, hand washing, and not sleeping in the same room

The First US Presidential Debate 2024 - America You're Standing In It

M ost of the time I get my fill of American political news from clips of The Daily Show , which I know many people accuse of being more political left leaning than balanced with its humour. As such it was my first port of call when looking for commentary on the recent, first US Presidential debate for 2024. I say first because I don't know if they'll do another one. I'd strongly advise they don't. Getting your news from a comedy show isn't ideal, even one as arguably intelligent as The Daily Show, because they're focussed on what can be laughed at, more than serious analysis. As such their coverage very well could be making both candidates look more foolish than they may actually be. As such I decided to watch the full replay of the debate so I could get more of a sense of who both candidates are and how they come across in, what should be, their ideal platform - debating the opposition. Before Donald Trump became President I was a fan. I watched every season o