Avengers: Infinity War

wogma rating: Add to 'must watch' list (?) - but who am I kidding? You're going to watch it anyway.

quick review:

The most awaited movie of this year, and most years that have passed before this, does not fail to disappoint… to a certain degree. There are definitely areas where it lacks, and some parts that were truly awesome. However, overall, I left the theatre not knowing what exactly what I thought of this one, and mildly irritated. Is that good?

Read more
Director: Anthony Russo , Joe Russo
Running time: 160 minutes
Genres: Action, Adventure, Comedy
More Movie Info

Avengers: Infinity War - Preview

Avengers: Infinity War is a movie ten years in the making. This is most obviously what it all has been leading up to since Iron Man ten years ago. This means Infinity War is one of the most anticipated movies ever, which has two possible outcomes: it’s going to be the best thing you’ve ever seen, or it’s going to be a disappointing mess. Nothing in between. Here’s why:

You see, even if this movie is slightly good, the expectations of the viewers have been built up to the point where fans will freak out and worship this movie. But if it’s an average movie, it will be ridiculed, and fans will metaphorically riot. People will not come out saying, “It’s OK.” Even if it is actually just OK. If this movie falls below the expectations even slightly, the fans will screw up their faces and writhe in disgust. But if this movie exceeds their expectations, the movie will be deemed a prospective classic. If Infinity War is a mediocre movie with some cool scenes, it will be the best movie ever made.

I however, am leaning to the other side. I think it will fall flat. There. I said it.

Please don’t come to my house. I’m only 16.

There are way too many characters. Way too many. 34 by my count. Thirty four main characters! Five main characters is too much, but thirty four?! All thirty four of these characters need something to do, leave alone a character arc. Just giving the characters some purpose in the movie would be enough to impress me, because thirty four!

And I hear you saying, “They handled it just fine in Avengers, and Age of Ultron, and Civil War.”

Sure. Avengers and Civil War were fine movies, and Ultron wasn’t but that’s quite beyond the point. Avengers had 7 main characters. Civil War had 14, and even then, Spiderman, and Ant-Man were just... there. They came in for one (admittedly awesome) scene, and then just disappeared for the finale. That isn’t going to work here. There’s nearly twice the number of main characters in this one. I feel it isn’t going to work.

There have to be at least five different storylines, and five different plots. All of them have to converge into the final scene.

I hope the directors can get this right, as they had with Civil War and Winter Soldier. I really do. But for now, I have a bad feeling about this.

This article is by guest author Arsh Kabra. He is an English and Creative Writing student at Ashoka University. This is really enabling his vindictive attitude towards movies. Arsh Kabra also blogs at http://abu.smritiweb.com/.

Basically: I enjoyed myself. I really did. It was fun. The action sequences were better than the usual Marvel fare. The “war” part of it was commonplace. There were some witty lines, and some really funny ones too. But even though I had a lot of fun during the movie, I left the screen unsure, and mildly annoyed.

The problem was the previous movies. Every single one before this have had the characters survive things that are absolutely un-survivable. Even when they died, they were fake deaths. The character revived only a few minutes later. Since death of a beloved character is an inevitability, I’m going to say, I wasn’t hit with the emotion that the music told me I should feel.

Everything about the scene tells me I should be bawling my eyes out. Acting, camera-work, music, lighting, dialogue. Everything. But I don’t feel it. All I feel is, “Nothing happened. They’ll just pop back in for the sequel. No harm done.”

Since most characters in the movie have died once before, ‘knowing’ that it is a fake death is inevitable. If they do come back from the dead, I’ll be really mad at the predictability, but if they don’t… well, the moment’s passed now, hasn’t it? I can’t feel the emotion again! It’s gone! That’s what leaves a sour taste in your mouth when you leave the cinema. The characters survive so much, that the emotional punch when they do die is lost. Other than that, though, the movie is delightful.

There are some REALLY cool parts, and some REALLY funny lines, the funniest being Spider-Man. Tom Holland shines as Peter Parker yet again, with his impeccable comic timing, and over-all dialogue delivery.

However, it must be said that sometimes the jokes become a little too much. Yes, they’re funny, but the time at which they’re said really doesn’t need a joke. It’s not just this film, it’s been done in a few movies before this one too. One department stays consistent through the franchise and thankfully so! The music. Alan Silvestri is truly one of the best around. There’s no point saying “Fans of the franchise will love it,” because everyone will watch it just to stay in the conversation. Having watched this movie, I can assure you, this will be the talk of the next few weeks. Also, it’s going to make ALL THE MONEY, and I can’t say I’m complaining.

This is a movie you ought to watch with your friends. Discuss it after you’re done. It has changed the franchise forever. If you do go, go with as many people as you can. This film is best when shared. Even if you go alone, like I did, go in a full theatre. It’s the theatre experience that elevates this one. And please, for goodness sake don’t watch it on your phone when it comes online. This one has some BEAUTIFUL shots. It’s probably best in IMAX, but (surprise, surprise) I couldn’t tell you because the IMAX show I could go to was all booked. The cinematography is GORGEOUS, though, and something you want to see on the big screen. You can watch it on a big screen T.V., too. Just please not on your phone. I couldn’t stay until the end of the credits, so I can’t tell you if there were any end-credit scenes, but I have it on good authority that there is one at the very end I can, however, tell you that, to the surprise of most people in the theatre with me, there is no mid-credit scene.Basically: I enjoyed myself. I really did. It was fun. The action sequences were better than the usual Marvel fare. The “war” part of it was commonplace. There were some witty lines, and some really funny ones too. But even though I had a lot of fun during the movie, I left the screen unsure, and mildly annoyed.

The problem was the previous movies. Every single one before this have had the characters survive things that are absolutely un-survivable. Even when they died, they were fake deaths. The character revived only a few minutes later. Since death of a beloved character is an inevitability, I’m going to say, I wasn’t hit with the emotion that the music told me I should feel.

Everything about the scene tells me I should be bawling my eyes out. Acting, camera-work, music, lighting, dialogue. Everything. But I don’t feel it. All I feel is, “Nothing happened. They’ll just pop back in for the sequel. No harm done.”

Since most characters in the movie have died once before, ‘knowing’ that it is a fake death is inevitable. If they do come back from the dead, I’ll be really mad at the predictability, but if they don’t… well, the moment’s passed now, hasn’t it? I can’t feel the emotion again! It’s gone! That’s what leaves a sour taste in your mouth when you leave the cinema. The characters survive so much, that the emotional punch when they do die is lost. Other than that, though, the movie is delightful.

There are some REALLY cool parts, and some REALLY funny lines, the funniest being Spider-Man. Tom Holland shines as Peter Parker yet again, with his impeccable comic timing, and over-all dialogue delivery.

However, it must be said that sometimes the jokes become a little too much. Yes, they’re funny, but the time at which they’re said really doesn’t need a joke. It’s not just this film, it’s been done in a few movies before this one too. One department stays consistent through the franchise and thankfully so! The music. Alan Silvestri is truly one of the best around. There’s no point saying “Fans of the franchise will love it,” because everyone will watch it just to stay in the conversation. Having watched this movie, I can assure you, this will be the talk of the next few weeks. Also, it’s going to make ALL THE MONEY, and I can’t say I’m complaining.

This is a movie you ought to watch with your friends. Discuss it after you’re done. It has changed the franchise forever. If you do go, go with as many people as you can. This film is best when shared. Even if you go alone, like I did, go in a full theatre. It’s the theatre experience that elevates this one. And please, for goodness sake don’t watch it on your phone when it comes online. This one has some BEAUTIFUL shots. It’s probably best in IMAX, but (surprise, surprise) I couldn’t tell you because the IMAX show I could go to was all booked. The cinematography is GORGEOUS, though, and something you want to see on the big screen. You can watch it on a big screen T.V., too. Just please not on your phone. I couldn’t stay until the end of the credits, so I can’t tell you if there were any end-credit scenes, but I have it on good authority that there is one at the very end I can, however, tell you that, to the surprise of most people in the theatre with me, there is no mid-credit scene.

This article is by guest author Arsh Kabra. He is an English and Creative Writing student at Ashoka University. This is really enabling his vindictive attitude towards movies. Arsh Kabra also blogs at http://abu.smritiweb.com/.

External reviews for this movie are not available

Twitter reviews for this movie are not available.

2 readers - 1 yays 0 so-so 1 nays

Yay! Thumbs Up, by Pobody's Nerfect : Twas good. but i not like arshy

Nay! Thumbs Down, by Fan

This page has additional observations, other than the ones noted in the main review.

Parental Guidance:

  • Violence: Quite a lot.
  • Language: Mild swearing, with the ‘f’- word being dropped once, and other less serious swearing littered all over the script.
  • Nudity & Sexual content: Not much. Shirtless men, but that’s it.
  • Concept: A God decides to bring balance to the universe by wiping out half of its population.
  • General Look and Feel: Not too bright, not too dark. Somewhere in between.

Detailed Ratings (out of 5):

Direction:
Story:
Lead Actors:
Character Artists:
Dialogues:
Screenplay:
Music Director:

Comments (1)

Click here for new comment

Fan

At the outset let me clarify that I am neither the sci-fi oriented nor the Avengers franchisee oriented.

I decided to give it a watch just as I had nothing to do, and the movie was breaking box office records.

What worked is the big screen. The film looks giant and magnificent.

What did not work: everything else.

I have never understood the success of such nonsensical franchisee as Star Wars or Avengers. In the name of story they never have anything. Bad guys v/s good guys, living in some unknown future year and unknown universe. Or is it galaxy? Does it really matter?? The good bad almost invariably fight over obtaining some gadget or some abstract matter. And then the film is made with laser fights and other heavy weight special effects based fights with characters going to various villages (or planets or galaxies) with unpronounceable and rarely used consonants!!!! Amidst all this hulla bulla you, as the audience, know fully well that at the end the good guys will triumph.

How does this stupid formula make such movies a commercial mega block buster has always left me confused. You watch one of them and all the others seem the same.

As regards my poorself in this film? Despite the heavy sound blasting off from every corner of the theatre due to the war scenes, I still managed to get a good half hour or more of sound sleep :-). I would have had dozed off further had I not made a conscient effort to forcefully keep my eyes open.

A yawn inducing special effects extravaganza that you have to pretend to enjoy if you don't want to get ridiculed in your social circle.

Leave a Comment