Based upon the Marvel Comics series created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Screenplay Written by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely
Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo
**** (four stars)
RATED PG 13
"The Uncanny X-Men #137."
To the familiar regarding comic book lore, that specific issue of "The Uncanny X-Men" referenced above, the double issue finale of what is now regarded as "The Dark Phoenix Saga," was not simply a culmination of a storyline but also a game changer to the comic book genre itself, one so powerfully moving, seismic and possessing an air of such finality and permanence that it truly felt as if readers had experienced the end of a series rather than the next installment with another to follow in just a mere 30 days.
When that issue was released in 1980, I was 11 years old. After having read and having been obsessed with comic and superheros for so much of my then young life, The X-Men soon became my favorite series as there was a certain maturity and sophistication in the writing from Chris Claremont and the superb illustrations from John Byrne, that felt to be the next wave or at the very least, several steps up from the heroes and villains that I had long been used to from both Marvel and DC. Reading that issue in particular left me with emotions that I had never experienced reading a comic book. Feelings of sorrow, intense loss and that inexplicable hollowness that just left me sitting in silence. That was the moment when I realized that comic books could hold the same power, depth, complexity of emotions, themes and concepts as the finest literature.
And then...I read it all over again.
Dear readers, my complicated feelings concerning the sheer amount of comic book related movies over these last ten years has been more than documented upon this site as my complaints have more been geared towards the sheer amount and frequency of these types of films being released at the expense of non-superhero/big-budget related features, than concerning any sense of quality. With the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) now having reached its own 10th anniversary this year, I have long remarked that despite a couple of features, I have been mostly pleased as the films have carried a strong consistency in quality control, occasionally touching greatness as with my personal favorites, Joss Whedon's "Avengers" (2012), Peyton Reed's high flying surprise "Ant-Man" (2015) and of course, the MCU's greatest achievement, and already one of 2018's best films, Ryan Coogler's majestic, magnificent "Black Panther."
Now with its 19th film, "Avengers: Infinity War," from Directors Anthony and Joe Russo, who have already heroically helmed "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" (2014) and "Captain America: Civil War" (2016), our on-going series has now reached a pinnacle so creatively and stupendously high that it would not have been a surprise whatsoever if the film itself imploded under its own immense weight. Even greater of a surprise is how deftly and confidently the Russo brothers have kept all of the pieces in place and play, like a collection of spinning plates magically held aloft, not ever threatening to fall to the ground.
I have no idea whatsoever of how the Russo brothers accomplished what had to have often felt to be an insurmountable task but man, did they do it and with a superior flair, zest, verve, storytelling heft, imagination and undeniable risk taking that blended the triumph and the apocalyptic masterfully. In fact, by film's end, and with the sounds of gasps and tears in the audience all fading into a stunned silence, I was transported back to that time when I first read that devastating X-Men comic book for the first time. With "Avengers: Infinity War," the proverbial line in the sand has not only been crossed, it has been obliterated altogether, making for a motion picture experience that more than lives up to its own hype, legacy and sources of inspiration.
So as not to produce any potential spoilers, I will keep the plot description to its basics. The intergalactic nihilist Thanos (played brilliantly by Josh Brolin), first glimpsed in "Avengers," is on the hunt for the six Infinity Stones (Mind, Time, Soul, Power, Space, and Reality) in his efforts to "re-balance" the universe...by randomly wiping half of the universe from existence.
Attempting to stop Thanos are all of the MCU heroes we have come to know and love over these past 10 years. We have the reconstituted and renegade members of the Avengers of course, from Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie), James Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle), and yes, the man who began this entire MCU odyssey, Mr. Tony Stark otherwise known as Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.).
Joining them in this battle to end all battles, we also have Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Vision (Paul Bettany), all five members of the Guardians of the Galaxy (Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper) and T'Challa/Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and the kingdom of Wakanda.
For some of our heroes, the fight against Thanos is deeply personal, especially for two members of the Guardians of the Galaxy, plus Thor and Tony Stark. Yet, for everyone, it is a fight for the fate of existence itself, a fate that grows more dire with each Infinity Stone Thanos retrieves.
Anthony and Joe Russo's "Avengers: Infinity War," like the very best films in this series, conjured up distinct and loving memories of the days when I poured over my comic books so intensely that the still frames often felt to vibrate with movement and sound. It is a film that also conjured with equal intensity the excitement I felt whenever the heroes in the comic books joined forces with each other, blending worlds and universes in ways that had previously felt to be inconceivable. The Russo brothers' have created a truly interstellar work that merges so many various comic book character universes plus physical and meta-physical locales that, again, I am stunned they were able to keep all of the parts in place as seamlessly as they did, and the result is a film that races far beyond the kaleidoscopic.
Thankfully, the Russo brothers understand tremendously that all of the special effects in the world (even those as beautifully rendered as they are in this film) are meaningless without the greatest special effects of story, character and performance at work. For "Avengers: Infinity War," every single performance is in lockstep with all of the previous adventures, both combined and solo, a d sometimes to even better effect than ever before.
I know this may surprise some of you that are fans, but for my money the Russo brothers have created a better "Guardians of the Galaxy" film than the two that Writer/Director James Gunn has already helmed, as the balance of humor, pathos and character are handled much more cleanly and creatively than previously seen. And furthermore, Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper and Zoe Saldana each have been given opportunities to broaden, strengthen and deepen their characters in ways that have only enhanced all of their performances. Yes, some of this can be attributed to the story of this particular film, but even so, I found myself caring and being interested in them to a level at which I never connected in their solo outings.
For all of the copious, breathless action and bombast, I was also surprised at the level of humor throughout, mostly devised through the unlikely team-ups that occur through the film. Thor and Rocket the Raccoon, for instance, really made for some great moments as did the seething animosity between Tony Stark and Doctor Strange. But again, with this film serving as the simultaneous culmination of 10 years worth of cinematic storytelling with a plot that is indeed marching towards annihilation, The Russo brothers' "Avengers: Infinity War" is unquestionably the series' darkest and most doom filled installment, all of which leads to a conclusion that is brutally effective in its rampant desolation.
Once again, NO SPOILERS here, but when it is all said and done, "Avengers: Infinity War" to me felt like a cross between Peter Jackson's "The Lord Of The Rings:The Return Of The King" (2003), J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (2007), HBO's "The Leftovers" (2014-2017) and even Rian Johnson's "Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi" (2017) in terms of its own sense of conceptual risk and audacity in breaking apart what had already been so meticulously built upwards.
Yes, beloved characters meet their respective fates and the reach is wide, the body count is quite high and again, filled with a level of surprise and dread with who stays and who goes. Now, we all know that the next installment has been filmed and will be released next year, and possibly some of what has occurred will be reversed somehow but regardless, the film's final image is unquestionably one of horrific solitude and disturbing calmness. Josh Brolin, who is essentially the star of this film, deserves tremendous credit for his performance, which could have drowned in a morass of villainous cliches. But, Brolin performed with a measured malevolence, a slow moving mountain of inevitability and execution, that climaxes to shattering effect, making for a villain that is as riveting as it is memorable.
So...where do we go from here? How will the MCU even continue? For that matter, I am even unsure as to how this summer's release of Peyton Reed's "Ant-Man and the Wasp" can even fight into the scheme of things after what occurs in this film. But, that, in and of itself, is the magic of great storytelling and filmmaking. To keep us on the edges of our collective seats in anticipation, excitement, awe, and wonder as to what could possibly happen next. What Anthony and Joe Russo created is a rare achievement. To be able to envision and deliver a stunning, simultaneous conclusion and cliffhanger? As the iconic Stan Lee himself might say, "EXCELSIOR!!!!"
Anthony and Joe Russo's "Avengers: Infinity War" is one of my favorite films of 2018.
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