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Overanalyzing Anime
Blog Owner & Lead Writer
"There was an idea.."
For close to a decade, we’ve watched them. We've seen them from their beginnings, watching as they showed us just how extraordinary they each were; we watched as they learned painful lesson after lesson, as each of them dealt with losses so unimaginable that they would've crippled any ordinary person; we've seen them muster every ounce of their strength to stave off threats that we never could; we've watched them pool their collective powers together, to become something more, reaching heights once thought to be impossible; we've watched them as they've matured and grown into the heroes we've always known they were meant to be. We've seen it all..
So, it seems only appropriate that, now, we get to bear witness to their end.
Infinity War is a story about heroes. Heroes who, despite their differences, must come together to fight a threat unlike anything the universe has ever encountered before. The mad Titan, Thanos, is attempting to gather the six Infinity Stones - the most powerful objects in all the cosmos - in order to wipe out half of all life in the universe. With each new stone he gathers, he becomes exponentially more powerful and that much more of a threat. Which begs the question, is the combined strength of Earth's Mightiest Heroes and the Guardians of the Galaxy enough to stop the overwhelming power that Thanos posesses?
Where does one begin a review for a movie such as this? Eighteen films and ten years in the making, Infinity War is something wholly new, not only in the world of comic-book movies, but cinema as a whole. Never has a project such as this ever been attempted, let alone been as successful as this movie - as well as all previous movies - has been. Here we have a film that pulls from (at least) seven different individual heroes stories (not counting sequels) and combines them in a way that not only acknowledges and respects those stories, but also continues to build upon them in very satisfying ways. This is less of a sequel to Age of Ultron, and more so a sequel to the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole, as (practically) every story from every movie that preceded it comes into play in some shape or form.
"..to bring together a group of remarkable people; to see if they could become, something more.."
In all honesty, seeing all of the heroes of the MCU come together and occupy the same scenes would probably be enough to satisfy any number of fans. But, what I appreciate about Infinity War is that it gives us so much more - providing us with a story that is filled with emotion and depth; one that'll have you laughing one moment, and then bawling the next. I have to give credit to screenwriters Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus for developing a script that really manages to encompass the uniquely different aspects of each characters’ personalities.
It also goes without saying that Directors Joe and Anthony Russo deserve praise for their work in taking Mcfeely and Markus's screenplay and developing it into something so.. incredible, amazing, and any other adjective that precede a Marvel comic. Ever since joining the MCU back in 2014 for Captain America: The Winter Soldier they have done nothing but exceed my expectations; both Winter Soldier and Civil War are amongst my top five MCU movies to date, and it's no coincidence that their third film is no exception. They really know what they're doing as directors, and I give them kudos for that.
And of course, it would be amiss to not mention the incredible acting skill of everyone in this movie. I mean, my goodness. Everyone did such an excellent job with their performances; whether it was in the comedic moments, or in the more heart-wrenching scenes. They all seem to work so well together, and it's just a treat watching many of my favorite characters interact with one another, in some cases, for the first time. Every single actor did such a great job, and, at this point, I honestly can't imagine anyone else ever portraying these characters as well as these actors have.
"..so that when we needed them, they could fight the battles that we never could."
This is by far the most action-packed MCU entry to date. While many other MCU movies sacrifice extended fight scenes in lieu of focusing more on plot development, this movie gives us a clear understanding of what's happening early on. Thanos wants the stones, they’ve got to stop him. With the audience having a clear understanding of what needs to happen, there is no need to spend nearly as much time focusing on explaining the plot developments in the way they would in other movies. The movie does spend a great deal of time focusing on character relationships, as many characters (as well as their relationships) are fleshed out in substantial ways.
The action itself is very well done. I don't know whether it's the new powers and abilities introduced, the way in which certain characters combine their particular talents, the fact that the stakes are higher than they've ever been, or a combination of it all; whatever the case may be, this movie was intense. And that intensity was amplified every time Thanos joined the brawl, especially with the amount of stones in his glove constantly growing.
Speaking of which, Thanos is definitely one of the best villains to date. If you're reading this, then I imagine you've at least seen the trailers for this movie, so you know about the whole, "ever since I've known him he's only had one goal," quote from the second trailer. Well, his motivations really are that simple. But, what I appreciate about the character is that his goal isn't in any way, malicious. He says it himself in that same trailer, that he seeks balance, and the only way to obtain that balance is by, well, “snapping his fingers.” It may seem strange (or, evil) but in the context of the movie, it makes a lot of sense given who he is and what he's gone through. As such, he's definitely one of my favorite villains.
"But this.. this does put a smile on my face."
There’s a lot to be said of Infinity War, but, really, the best thing would be to just check it out for yourself, because nothing I say is going to properly depict just how awesome this movie is. Infinity War is an event that you don’t want to miss! Be sure to check it out before it leaves theaters (though, I imagine that won’t be for a while.)
My rating: 9/10
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