Avengers: Infinity War (****)

It is with no subtlety that I express a "meh" attitude regarding the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The ambition of the studios seems so bold, so risky, to interweave countless stories into one centralized superhero universe. We then realize that no matter the film, the studio invariably rakes in the box office returns, and we discover that these films all build to the Infinity War (part 1), which for all its complexities and characters, impressed me as a movie that ultimately took some much-needed risk.

The story is set up fairly simply: an evil alien being (or whatever he is) named Thanos (Josh Brolin) seeks the Infinity Stones. They have been introduced in past MCU films, here and there, their importance often glanced over. To own one stone is to be a master of a particular aspect of the universe. To own all 6 stones entitles the user to ultimate domination and evil leadership for all time, or whatever. We meet Thanos, this beastly 8-foot being already in possession of 2 stones. Against him are Thor, brother Loki, Hulk, and an assortment of other heroes. The next 2 stones are on earth, so Hulk must warn the group about the impending danger.

On earth, we meet (or reunite) with the likes of Dr. Strange, Tony Stark, Spider-Man, and then 10 minutes later we will meet more of the disassembled Avenger crew (a result of previous movies, I would assume). These introductions last what seems like an hour, as the plot begins to thicken and the heroes are literally united to fight Thanos across all reaches of the galaxy. The pairings of these characters is quite remarkable as well: to see Dr Strange and Iron Man babysit Spider-Man, while Thor works with the Guardians of the Galaxy and who he believes to be the ship's captain - "the rabbit."

While most might groan at the running time (2.5 hours on the dot), I must admit the film clicks by at an enjoyable rate an culminates in what is quite a clever little battle on Wakanda alongside Black Panther, Scarlet Witch, Vision, War Machine, Captain America, and so on and so forth. I groaned that we never see the entire cast united in one grand scene, where all characters can mix and mingle like some social hour the likes of which we have never seen. What we do get, though, is quite an eye-opening ensemble that must rank among the most impressive casts in recent memory. It's shining jewel, though, is Josh Brolin as Thanos. He's a menacing presence, dwarfing all the Avengers by several heads. We learn his background (including the relationship between him and his adoptive daughter, Gamora) and the reasons he seeks the stones. Like all great villains, he is humanized to the point where we almost understand why he wants to eliminate half of all living beings, and menacing enough that his physical presence had me question "how the hell can they beat this guy?" While the CGI of Thanos oftentimes hints at the uncanny valley, I nevertheless was in awe of a superhero movie getting the bad guy so right.

The ending (especially for all those die-hard fans) might seem dark, but then we remember that this is the lowest point for our heroes. It's "The Empire Strikes Back" or more similarly "Harry Potter 7.1" I admired the filmmakers for taking the story to such an extreme, though we realize that the good guys must win in the end, and that the rest of the story seems to have very little room to move forward. Like last year's "Last Jedi," the end made me wonder what else is left to do?? For all that I dislike Marvel for it's one-liners, quips, and overall light-hearted comedic chops (aren't I a downer?), Infinity War concluded in a way that genuinely felt substantive, not something Tony Stark can mock over a fresh shawarma. Unlike the previously mentioned Star Wars installment, I must admit that I am genuinely excited to see what next year's conclusion will bring. Despite this film's density (and boy is it dense), this is a job well done.