Avengers: Infinity War

Welcome to week 19 of the 39 week countdown to Avengers: Doomsday. I’m watching the MCU films in order of release, one per week, in the buildup to December 17, when Avengers: Doomsday hits theaters. This countdown will culminate the following day, with my thoughts on that film.

Avengers films are always a big deal upon release, and Avengers: Infinity War was no exception. Fans, both casual and rabid, were counting the days to this film’s release. I was no exception, and was in a seat for its Thursday night premier in April, 2018.

The Russo Brothers, who had previously delivered two terrific Captain America films, directed this film brilliantly. They made the wise choice to divide the heroes into four groups, which allows the characters room to breathe within their relative ensembles. The real key, however, to the film’s greatness lies in how the Russos paced and edited it. We get exactly the amount of story we need, when we need it. The film carefully draws on 10 years of storytelling, which means we are watching characters we care about, and what happens to them matters more than if we’d only just met them.

I recall the mixed response to the end of the film. I’m going to spoil that ending, so if you have somehow not yet watched this, consider waiting until you’ve done so to read this.

It seemed that most everyone expected the Avengers to win in the end. The hero always saves the day, right? I wasn’t so sure, as it had been announced that this was the first of two films that had been shot simultaneously, so I expected some sort of cliffhanger at the very least. What we got was so much better. Thanos wins. He kills half of all life in the Universe, including Spider-Man, Doctor Strange, Black Panther, most of the Guardians of the Galaxy, and many other heroes. My first thought after the eerie, powerful ending, where characters dissolve into dust amidst a spooky sonic atmosphere, was that we’d unwittingly been watching Thanos’ film all along. He was the clear protagonist, who had a quest, faced obstacles, nearly died, but in the end, accomplished his goal. He won. I knew, of course, that there would be a reckoning in the second film, but as a standalone film, this was the classic epic quest, fulfilled.

Marvel’s secret sauce of emotional moments, ensconced within epic action, and peppered with intellectual wit, is in full effect here. Iron Man’s quick quips give the perfect comic relief to the high stakes battle taking place as he makes them, as do the Guardians’ whimsical behavior, which the Russos somehow made work alongside Doctor Strange’s seriousness. That the two radically different behaviors never clash, and there’s never a jarring imbalance, is a remarkable accomplishment.

It’s excellent, and then some. Many consider this the finest MCU film of them all. I sometimes think it is, too, though based on this rewatch I ranked it lower than #1. It’s pretty much a perfect film.

The entire sequence on Nidavellir is such a remarkable piece of filmmaking, and the (literal) bridge into Wakanda from there is stunning. More on that below.

Avengers: Infinity War is a superb superhero movie that is also thought-provoking and deep. The effects are incredible, and look as real as any superhero film ever has. And most important of all, like the best genre films, it not only excels within its genre, but transcends it.

“I thought it was crazy how the Avengers finally had a movie where they lost. When I saw Thor attack Thanos with Stormbreaker, I thought they were about to win, but he should have gone for the head. Or at least the hand.”

I watched this at its Thursday night opening, on April 26, 2018. Letterboxd reminds me that I watched it again on July 10, 2024, and again this past Wednesday night. I saw it a second time in the theater during its initial run, and I watched it at least once more at home in the time between 2018 and 2024.

As with Thor: Ragnarok, I own this on a standard Blu-ray, not a 4k Blu-ray.

You can click the image below to buy yourself a copy, but the link will take you to the 4k version. You can always click to the cheaper, regular Blu-ray if you want the same one I have. (I get nothing if you do, so this isn’t a ploy to make money.)

There’s no mystery here. The best scene in this film is the best scene in any MCU film, and one of the greatest and most iconic moments in film history: Thor’s arrival in Wakanda.

I have to assume everyone reading this has seen the film, but if you haven’t, at this point in the movie, Thor is nearly dead, and the Avengers are on the verge of defeat. Things are bleak, to say the least. Thor needs his new axe, which Groot helps him obtain, and, well… seriously, see the movie.

In a lifetime spent watching movies, only once have I been witness to a movie theater turning into a sports arena, and that was opening night, when 300 or so people completely lost their minds and cheered and screamed when the Bifrost landed in Wakanda. Google “Thor arrives Wakanda reaction” to watch actual recorded footage from around the world, and you’ll see versions of what those of us who watched this film when it was new experienced. I still get chills remembering that moment!

I mean, it has to, right? This and Avengers: Endgame, are the the 3rd and 4th Avengers films, so they must set the stage for part 5 in some capacity. While I get the feeling that the events of Endgame will have a more direct effect on the plot of Avengers: Doomsday, you’ll need to have seen Infinity War to understand Endgame.

While contemplating this project my biggest question was whether or not I should rate the films. I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m terrible at assigning films a score. I either like ‘em or I don’t. However, I know readers like ratings, so I’ve come up with something close. I’m going to rank the films as I go along. This isn’t as easy as it sounds, and with each week it grows more difficult.

1. The Avengers

2. Spider-Man: Homecoming

3. Captain America: The Winter Soldier

4. Avengers: Infinity War

5. Thor: Ragnarok

6. Guardians of the Galaxy

7. Captain America: Civil War

8. Ant-Man

9. Iron Man 2

10. Iron Man

11. Avengers: Age of Ultron

12. Iron Man 3

13. Black Panther

14. Thor

15. Doctor Strange

16. Captain America: The First Avenger

17. The Incredible Hulk

18. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2

19. Thor: The Dark World

Next week I’ll write about the 20th installment in the MCU, Ant-Man and the Wasp.