The build to Marvel’s Avengers: Infinity War might be the biggest in Hollywood history. It’s the culmination of 18 movies over ten years, spanning countless characters and stories, all woven into one massive tapestry. And it’s almost here.
The film had its world premiere just days ahead of its full release, and while the first glowing reactions on social media were effusive in their praise, those lucky enough in attendance were limited in how much they could really tell us. But now that the review embargo has lifted we know just why they loved it. So with just days to go before we all get to see it, we rounded up some of our favorite spoiler-free reviews to remind us why we’ve waited ten years for it.
Drew McWeeny reviewed the film for Nerdist and says Infinity War is “The Empire Strikes Back of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”
First and foremost, this is the Empire Strikes Back of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If you treat everything they’ve made so far as one giant franchise, then this is the chapter where everything lands on our heroes with both feet. Everything has built to this, and they somehow make it still feel like a story, not a whole bunch of fan service thrown in front of a camera.
Angie Han at Mashable says the fact the movie is only the first half of the story “makes it feel like the less than the sum of its parts.”
“Given the sheer amount of elements in play here, it’s probably no shock that Infinity War feels, at times, more like a logistical puzzle than an organic narrative. You can occasionally feel the filmmakers straining for reasons to send this character to that planet, where they’ll meet up with that other character to hatch a plan to solve a problem currently unfolding on some other distant location with some other characters.”
At IndieWire Erik Kohn wrote that because of the film’s sheer size and ambition there has never been another movie like this.
“The resulting spectacle channels the best and worst attributes of Marvel’s movies, with a fascinating hodgepodge of circumstances designed to move the story forward with dramatic results while resolving it at the same time. “Avengers: Infinity War†is jumbled but never messy, speeding forward with fits and starts but plenty of calculation. In our cluttered information age, when online fan theories threaten to ruin every plot twist, “Infinity War†shows a marked determination to speed ahead of audience expectations; it’s so fast-paced that no single viewer could possibly anticipate the next move, even as individual sequences reek of familiarity.”
You might enjoy everything the movie accomplishes more if you leave your expectations at the door according to Meg Downey of CBR.
“That said, if your main concern was the movie’s ability to balance a truly massive and all-star cast of beloved characters evenly, you’re (mostly) in luck. The movie does an admirable job of trying to maintain a cohesive story as it’s spread across multiple planets, multiple teams and multiple heroes all meeting each other for the first time. There are clear winners in terms of screen time — and clear focuses as far as narrative is concerned — but, by and large, the balance could have been a lot worse than the finished product. (Thanos would be proud.)
Not only did Eric Eisenberg of CinemaBlend think the movie managed to deliver on its insane hype, he says Thanos did too.
“The real crazy thing, though, is that they actually succeeded. Thanos’ time to shine has finally come in the form of Joe and Anthony Russo’s The Avengers: Infinity War, and it’s every bit the epic that it needs to be. It’s a heart-stopping experience built on huge stakes, fantastic character interactions, pulse-pounding battles, and devastating surprises, but most importantly it marks the arrival of one of the most terrifying and fascinating villains in modern blockbuster filmmaking. The Mad Titan is in every way the overpowering foe for which audiences have been waiting, and his quest for the Infinity Stones to achieve the abilities of a god proves stunning fodder for big screen storytelling.”
Even though the film does a lot of things well, Josh Spiegel at SlashFilm says the movie is hurt from feeling like it is only half of one bigger story we can’t fully evaluate yet.
“The Marvel Cinematic Universe began 10 years ago — this film’s studio logo nods to that anniversary, too — and was built on the notion of an interconnected world full of heroes with shocking new powers. But a number of those films felt like stand-alone pictures, especially the recent run culminating with Ryan Coogler’s Black Panther. Infinity War, by design, feels like one half of a completed puzzle, with the other pieces strewn about waiting to be put together. Maybe once it’s whole, the puzzle will be wholly satisfying. For now, Infinity War suggests that Marvel is able to wrangle together a massive, charming cast, but not quite create a story that deserves their presence.”
Owen Gleiberman at Variety says the movie might be bloated, but that it still manages to be entertaining even if it gives up something important about why fans love the characters.
“So is the movie a jumbled, top-heavy mess of cynical franchise overkill? Sort of like the bloated and chaotic “Avengers: Age of Ultron†taken to the second power? Far from it. It’s a sleekly witty action opera that’s at once overstuffed and bedazzling. The directors, Anthony and Joe Russo, as they proved in the two “Captain America†sequels, are far more stylish and exacting filmmakers than Joss Whedon, who made the first two “Avengers†films. “Infinity War†is a brashly entertaining jamboree, structured to show off each hero or heroine and give them just enough to do, and to update their mythologies without making it all feel like homework. At the same time, you may begin to lose hold of what made each of these characters, you know, special.
Like many other who saw the movie Chris Nashawaty at Entertainment Weekly says the movie has issues, but the end sequence will be what sticks with many fans.”
“What saves Infinity War from being just another bloated supergroup tour – and what will end up being the thing that blows fans’ minds to dust – is the film’s final stretch….there is something thrilling about watching just how much fun the Russos and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely are having messing with the fans here. Even if, in the end, that little subversive act of freaking them out only lasts until the next sequel.”
Marvel has delivered on the promise it made fans 10 years ago according to Scott Collura at IGN.
“Making good on Nick Fury’s promise from 10 years ago in a manner that was nigh-unimaginable at the time, Avengers: Infinity War doesn’t just assemble Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, it brings together the Guardians of the Galaxy, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, Black Panther… and Thanos, who now must be ranked among the best villains of the MCU alongside Loki and Killmonger. That it does this while also being fun, thrilling, and emotional is perhaps something that not even Fury himself could have hoped for.”
Mara Reinstein at US Weekly said it might not be the best MCU movie ever, but it is still a massive success.
“It’s not the best MCU movie ever, not by a long shot. And thanks to Black Panther, it’s not even the best MCU movie of the first half of 2018. (For starters, Part 1 of a two-parter inevitably lacks closure). Still, what co-directors Joe and Anthony Russo have accomplished on the screen is astounding. All the fireworks of summer movie season have been crammed into April.”
Sounds like after waiting ten years for Infinity War we might have to wait another year for the second half of the story to know just how good it really is.
But what is your reaction to these reviews? Did you read any great ones we should have included? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below.
Images: Marvel
More about Infinity War!
- A chart showing how connected the MCU really is.
- 7 Thanos stories to read before Infinity War.
- Social media reactions to Infinity War.
