It was until the release of Iron Man when Marvel Studios first took a more active approach with their comic book properties. Prior to that the company would license various franchises out but had more of a hands-off approach it would seem when it came to what the theatrical vision was. While most of the films did well in terms of box office, fans argued that often it didn’t represent the characters they had grown up with. Iron Man saw Marvel not necessarily at the helm but rather taking a more active role, giving approval on scripts and asking for changes when the writers attempted to go a different direction with the characters.
Not only was Iron Man faithful for the most part to the character and comic despite having the origin story modernized, there was a twist that no one expected. Those final moments after the credits had ended where Tony Stark meets Nick Fury and The Avengers Initiative is mentioned foreshadowed what was to come. Later Thor and Captain America would be introduced into what would become known as the Marvel Cinematic Universe and eventually The Avengers would assemble but with yet another surprise that may have been unforeseen. Following their climactic battle in New York movie goers were given a brief glimpse of a shadowy figure, the one really searching for the Tesseract, and comic book fans already knew exactly who he was; Thanos. Over the years we’ve been teased with more, brief cameo’s by Thanos, had new characters introduced into the Cinematic Universe, and most have been more than aware that all of this has been leading up to a highly anticipated point in the history of the film franchise.
Avengers: Infinity War has been a movie event which has been a decade in the making. First, if you aren’t up to date with all the Marvel films thus far, it’s probably a great opportunity to do so or refresh yourself with everything which has happened. Infinity War wastes very little time in getting the story going, after all, we’ve been given films with each of the characters to some extent, we know their backgrounds, and we should be more than familiar with how all their events are interconnected and unfolding. The action immediately picks up on the spaceship that Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), and the survivors of Hela’s attack on Asgard were seen on at the end of Thor: Ragnarok, but things are far from well. The ship has been attacked by minions of Thanos who are searching for the Space Stone which is held within the Tesseract which Loki unfortunately still has possession of. Thanos (Josh Brolin) proves to be too powerful even for Thor but during the battle Heimdall (Idris Elba) manages to send Bruce Banner to Earth via the Biofrost to warn everyone of what is coming.
Banner lands inside the sanctum of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) but his warning comes too late. Thanos and his minions have already arrived on Earth and while the Sorcerer Supreme along with Iron Man and Spider-Man attempt to stop them, their combined powers simply aren’t enough. The heroes eventually are faced with Thanos’ underlings, either but a confrontation to obtain one of the Stones necessary for the Infinity Gauntlet, or simply by a chance encounter such as Thor meeting with the Guardians of the Galaxy who are on a course to Earth in hopes of stopping Thanos. The Mad Titan has a vision however which is to complete the Gauntlet and use its power to wipe out half of the universe in hopes of bringing about peace. Even the mightiest heroes of Earth seem unable to stop his insane quest.
The Avengers as well as the other heroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe have faced many threats but none have been nearly as dire as this encounter with Thanos. Infinity War does its best to bring the classic Marvel story line into live action cinema. Keep in mind however that at the time the film was written and produced, many of Marvels characters who should be a part of the story line are not. This all comes down to licensing which is what has kept the Avengers films from having Ultron be made of adamantium for example as the copyright for the word was held by Fox. Now that it seems the purchase of Fox by Disney is going to be completed, thing may very well change with the films in the coming future. What this means for Infinity War however is that characters like The X-Men and The Fantastic Four are sadly absent, but there are more than enough characters presented here. Too many may have been more detrimental to the story rather than advantageous. I believe at this point in the history of the Marvel Cinematic Universe fans have come to accept that while the films are going to do their best to accurately bring characters and their backgrounds into the world of live action cinema (or television for that matter) there is only so much which can be done. There are certainly differences but more or less, the films have tried to stay as faithful as they can whenever possible.
Thanos is done extremely well in the film. While all the characters in the film have fought various foes, separately as well as in a team environment, they have never contended with someone as powerful as Thanos. This is a villain who is strong enough by himself to kill gods and even his minions aren’t some minor underlings who lack in power. Thanos in fact is strong enough that even the Hulk seems to be in fear of him which results in Bruce Banner being unable to transform throughout the duration of the film. Instead he’s left with only being able to utilize Tony’s Hulk Buster as his alter-ego refuses to “come out” as Banner often says. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has brought many villains to life but Thanos in my opinion comes across as being a very even keel type of threat. He’s very upfront about what his intentions are, he states his reasons very plainly, and it becomes more of an issue where he intends to accomplish his goal and isn’t going to allow anyone to stop him. In fact, most of the heroes who end up facing him pale in comparison and the battles often are very quick leaving Thanos as the victor.
With all the build-up and teases over the last ten years those who aren’t familiar with the story line may be wondering what the importance of the various gems is. Once they are gathered and placed within the Infinity Gauntlet, it will make the one who wields it the most powerful being in the universe. Thanos believes that the universe itself is in danger for those which inhabit it and the only way to bring about order is to eliminate half of its population. Without spoiling too much of the outcome, just be forewarned that hopefully you’re not too attached to some of the characters as not all of them will make it to the end of the movie. This ends up being one of the most somber Marvel moves in terms of the ending, but this isn’t necessarily the overall end. This is merely the first part of the story and as many fans already were aware, there is a sequel due out next year which will remedy the outcome seem here. It’s also important to note that some of the actors have contracts which are coming up which may bring a close to their participation within the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I don’t foresee this as being “the end” for the characters but rather they will be replaced by other actors in the future much like James Bond, Batman, and several other characters.
To date I don’t recall ever being disappointed with any of the films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe in terms of visuals and Infinity War is no different. You have a battle which unfolds in various locations taking viewers to Earth, the depths of space, and within Thanos’ ship. The titan is also backed by an army of aliens, so you can expect an epic confrontation towards the final moments of Infinity War. There often can be a lot going on visually, but it’s never too much and often ends up being done in such a way that it merely emphasizes the current state. Infinity War seemed like it would have been impossible to transition to a live action film but honestly, this has gone beyond what most might have expected.
As most have come to expect, Infinity War is packed with bonus features as well as a digital copy of the film. As stated in the press release the blu-ray includes:
Audio Commentary by Anthony and Joe Russo, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.
Strange Alchemy
The Mad Titan
Beyond the Battle: Titan
Beyond the Battle: Wakanda
Deleted and Extended Scenes
Gag Reel
Digital Exclusive:
A Directors’ Roundtable
As most are aware, Infinity War is left open for a sequel which has already been filmed but fans will have to wait until next year to see how everything plays out. Before that however, there is yet another tie-in film, Captain Marvel, which will play a crucial role in the events to follow and may give a few clues as to the ending of the film for those who aren’t already aware of what it indicated. Avengers: Infinity War has been a long time in the making and this is a fantastic achievement. Those involved with the Marvel films have done an amazing job at tying everything together, even if it has been just minor things, to lead up to this one, crucial film. Infinity War is a bit like The Empire Strikes Back on the MCU. Nothing goes the way our heroes expect it to, the end leaves many questions as to the fate of many of the characters, and if the sequel is as good as this film, it these may prove to be some of the best moments in the history of the franchise which will be difficult to top.
Mike is the resident reviewer for Couponing to Disney and his own site Underland Online. He has a young daughter and is obsessed with Haunted Mansion and all things Disney. You can read Mike’s complete bio here.