When Marvel Studios first acquired the rights to produce the first Iron Man movie in 2006, few could have foreseen the multi-billion dollar industry that would grow from it. Marvel Studios was purchased by Disney in 2009 and has since produced 16 other films, earning billions of dollars in box office revenue and attracting a cult following through their super heroes. The most recent entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) was Avengers: Infinity War and naturally, the film had a lot to live up to. Finally bringing together heroes from the Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, Black Panther and Avengers movies, fans had high expectations. But did it live up to all the hype?
Infinity War picks up right where the Thor: Ragnarok mid-credits scene left us: Thanos’s monstrous ship looming over Thor and Loki’s (comparatively) puny ship. Thanos, in his mission to destroy half of all life in the universe, must acquire all six infinity stones to activate his infinity gauntlet in order carry out his malevolent plan. He boards the ship and steals the space stone from the Asgardian Gods. From the very beginning there is action and a meaningful fight scene, setting the tone for the rest of the film, where there is rarely a dull moment. Hulk battles Thanos and for the first time, we truly get to see how powerful Thanos is. He easily takes down the Hulk with just two of the infinity stones, leaving fans dreading the thought of the villain gathering all six. Loki dies a necessary but well-deserved death, as he and his mischief were becoming stale to audiences. This opening scene also gives us a look at Thanos’s cruelty right from the start.
Back on Earth, Tony Stark and Doctor Strange meet for the first time after the Hulk is blasted down to the surface of New York City. After a brilliant fight scene with Thanos’s children Maw and Obsidian, Doctor Strange and the time stone are captured and brought aboard their ship, with Peter Parker and Stark sneaking on with them. This sets up one of the best relationships in the film, which showcases Iron Man and the tough love he gives to Spiderman. The Hulk’s absence was felt throughout the entire film, after he was permanently reverted back to Bruce Banner upon being bested by Thanos at the beginning. However, this sets up Hulk to make a hopefully epic return in the next Avengers film, something that fans will look forward to.
Personally, my least favorite fight scene was the sequence in Scotland, in which Midnight and Glaive ambush Vision in an attempt to get the mind stone from his forehead. It feels repetitive and is somewhat boring; however, it plays an important part in setting up other parts of the film. Captain America makes an epic entrance, and upon defeating Thanos’s children, he decides they must go to Wakanda, where the mind stone can be safely removed from Vision’s forehead. This also gives us our first look at Wanda and Vision’s love interest, which has an influence on thierr actions throughout the film.
The Guardians of the Galaxy films had always taken on a more light-hearted tone than the other films in the MCU, causing fans to wonder how directors Anthony and John Russo would implement the differing tones into the same film. However, it is done perfectly. The humor suits both worlds, and Thor’s first meeting with the Guardians is one of the funniest scenes in the movie.
After Thanos acquires the reality stone on the planet Knowhere, he kidnaps his rebellious daughter Gamora and travels to Vormir in search of the Soul Stone. Gamora and Thanos’s relationship gives us a look at a side of Thanos that we have never seen before. He ultimately has good intentions, because he simply believes that the universe has become overpopulated and the lack of resources causes suffering. While this does not justify his goal to the Avengers, it shows the audience that unlike the stereotypical villain, he does not seek a place as the ruler of the universe.
On Vormir, the duo encounters the keeper of the Soul Stone: The Red Skull. He takes off his hood in an epic reveal, sending chills down viewers’ spines as their eyes are drawn towards his bright crimson demonic face for the first time since 2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger. It is here where Thanos learns he must sacrifice something he loves in order to acquire the soul stone. After several minutes of reflection, tears begin to flow down the titan’s face. Gamora celebrates, believing her father has acknowledged he is not strong enough to possess the stone. However, The Red Skull then drops the now infamous lines, “they’re not for you,” as Thanos shoves his daughter off a cliff and into a lake below, proving he is worthy of the soul stone.
A great part about the film is that every piece of dialogue has its own significance to the story. Abord Thanos’s ship, Doctor Strange says that if he had to choose whether to save the time stone or Tony Stark, he would not hesitate to pick the time stone. Later on Doctor Strange is faced with that exact choice, but instead he chooses to surrender the stone and spare Stark’s life. The reason for this is because when Doctor Strange later used the stone to look into the future, he sees 14 million scenarios in which Thanos is victorious and just one in which he is not. Doctor Strange understood that Stark will play a crucial role in Thanos’s eventual defeat.
Every character has his or her place in the story as well. Groot, who was up until this point posing as a pre-teen tree glued to his video game, sacrifices his arm to give Thor a new axe, an important tool in the fight against Thanos. The Norse God of Thunder then makes his grand entrance into the battle of Wakanda, plunging down from space and striking his axe into the ground, sending lightning through the air and ground. This scene will make even the most uninterested of viewers look up from their phones and make the hardcore Marvel fans want to jump out of their seats and scream at the top of their lungs.
What follows next is the greatest battle in the history of the MCU, as all of our heroes minus Spiderman, Doctor Strange and Iron Man face off against Thanos and his army. In a race against time, Shuri tries to remove the mind stone from Vision’s forehead. She fails, and Vision is thrown into the middle of the fight.
However, just as things were looking up for Earth’s mightiest heroes, Thanos enters the battle, now wielding the power of five infinity stones. He brushes aside attacks from Captain America, Rocket and Falcon, and Thor as he marches toward Vision.
Now only Wanda stands between Thanos and the final infinity stone, and she is left with a choice: destroy Vision, her lover, or let Thanos get the mind stone and destroy half the universe. She correctly decides to do the former, and destroys Vision and the stone just before Thanos can reach him. Fans, mourn the loss of Vision, however, celebrate the fact that Thanos’s plan has been foiled. That is until Thanos, through his use of the other infinity stones, brings Vision back to life, strips the mind stone from his forehead, kills Vision again for cruelty’s sake, and is able to put the final piece in his puzzle. Thor, however, shakes off his injuries and charges at Thanos, managing to strike him in the heart with his axe. Finally, fans can breathe a sigh of relief as Thanos is defeated once and for all. Right? Wrong. Seconds after Thor impales the Titan, Thanos mutters the words, “You should have aimed for the head,” and launches Thor across the Wakandan plain. He activates the infinity gauntlet and with the snap of his finger, he destroys half of all life in the universe.
Quite possibly the most heart-wrenching scene in any film in the MCU follows, as we see half of our heroes disintegrate and turn to dust. The others stand powerless, watching as Black Panther, Groot, Quill, Doctor Strange and many more disappear into nothingness. However, indubitably the most tear-jerking moment in the entire film is young Peter Parker looking down at his arms and legs, realizing that he too has fallen victim to Thanos’s plan. Who can forget Tony Stark, Peter Parker’s mentor throughout this entire planet hopping adventure, holding the high schooler in his hands as he evaporates before his eyes?
It is always difficult for a highly anticipated film to satisfy the expectations of its fans, and Avengers: Infinity War is no exception. In what was destined to be a crowded and action-packed film, the directors hit the nail right on the head and produced one of the greatest superhero films in history. Every scene, encounter and word of dialogue is significant to the film’s overall plot, and the humor is perfectly toned. There also exist several specific scenes that no Marvel fan will ever forget, including Thor’s return to Earth, and Thanos and Captain America’s fist fight, among others. The film’s ending brings a much needed defeat to our heroes in the MCU, as they ultimately fall short of stopping Thanos after getting so close so many times. A thrilling tale of action, hope and ultimately heartbreak, Infinity War has raised the bar for superhero movies so high that others can only dream of reaching it.
