The Russo Brothers’ THE AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

A movie review by Dennis D. McDonald

This review is not written to appeal to the many Marvel fans who have made this movie such a huge success. I care little about Marvel's “back story“ and “canon” and have not over the years developed an emotional attachment to what will always will be to me second-string comic book characters. As a youth I preferred DC over Marvel and to this day have a fondness for graphic novels and graphic literature.

That said, I did enjoy this movie. About halfway through I did feel somewhat bored but that passed. I’m glad I stuck it out.

The movie making talent and craft on display here are truly grand and at times operatic. It’s obvious how devoted the actors are to making their characters real. My favorites here: Tony Stark and Bruce Banner.

The humor spread craftily throughout the film lightens the overall dark tone. As with other Avengers films, the emphasis on violence and destruction is massive but the Russo Brothers never let attention wander from close-up attention to the actions of the main characters.

One thing I really enjoyed is the time and effort put into making the evil Thanos’ character and motivations believable. Thanos has a lot to do with my decision to stick with this movie. I really wanted to see him succeed!

Another positive note: massive environments are on display. Some were a bit too dark for my tastes since I like bright images so I can see what is happening. But overall  the Russo Brothers succeed in bringing to life fantastic visions that for many years were the purview of the best of comic book art.

The environments created on screen by Peter Jackson may have finally been matched if not surpassed.

That said, I still lack an emotional connection to the characters. Yes, Tony Stark, the Hulk, and Thor have been imbued by their actors with distinct and hard to reproduce personalities. But the rest of them? Well, whether or not they return in another film is a little interest to me.

This movie is what it is. Fans love it and that’s fine. As a MoviePass subscriber I was satisfied with my experience. I also enjoyed Alan Silvestri's grand and effective music which is superior to what he created for Ready Player One.

But I think I want the next thing I watch to be more intimate and quirky. Or perhaps a fantastical anime like Rage of Bahamut: Virgin Soul. 

Movie review copyright 2018 by Dennis D. McDonald