‘Avengers: Infinity War’ an ambitious, albeit uneven, Marvel flick (review)

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Marvel spawned a sprawling universe beginning with 2008’s “Iron Man.” Kicking off what would blossom into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Tony Stark returned for “The Avengers” which in turn capped off what would be Marvel’s phase one. 2018’s “Avengers: Infinity War” arrives as a culmination of several previously-separate MCU series. “Infinity War” provides the ingredients for a fresh genre film, though the ultimate product tastes a bit stale.

After obtaining the Power Stone on Xandar, Thanos (Josh Brolin) along with his cronies Ebony Maw (Tom Vaughan-Lawlor), Proxima Midnight (Carrie Coon), Corvus Glaive (Michael James Shaw), and Cull Obsidian (Terry Notary), intercept the Asgardian ship carrying Asgard’s survivors. Onboard, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), his half-brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston), Hulk aka Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), and Heimdall (Idris Elba), are unable to prevent Thanos from stealing the Space Stone from the Tesseract. In a final effort to provide a semblance of hope in thwarting Thanos, Heimdall sends Hulk hurtling to Earth via the Bifrost where he crashes into the Sanctum Sanctorum.
There, Banner warns Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Wong (Benedict Wong) of Thanos’ imminent arrival and plan to wipe out half of all life in the universe. Strange calls upon Tony Stark, aka Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) to assist. But the situation takes an unexpected turn when Maw and Obsidian appear, prompting a battle reminiscent of the Chitauri invasion from “The Avengers.” Peter Parker (Tom Holland) escapes a school field trip, intent on aiding Stark and Strange.

Meanwhile, the Guardians of the Galaxy answer a distress call, and it’s not a warning signal sent from LV-426 “Alien” style. Rather, it’s an SOS call from the Asgardian ship. The Guardians rescue Thor, prompting a side-quest to obtain the Stormbreaker axe, a replacement for Thor’s now defunct hammer. RIP Mjölnir.

In Wakanda, Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) prepares for the arrival of Thanos. Steve Rogers, aka Captain America (Chris Evans), bushy-bearded and battle-hardened, joins Black Panther and long-time friend/mercenary Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). There, the Avengers unite, putting up a final stand against Thanos.

“Avengers: Infinity War” is easily Marvel Studios’ most ambitious film. Unfortunately, that doesn’t make it Marvel’s best MCU entry. “Infinity War” successfully unites the Avengers (Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Captain America) portion of the MCU with the “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchise, a previously separate entity within the MCU. While a few heroes such as Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) are notably absent, “Infinity War” packs in almost every superhero from Iron Man to Black Panther, and Spider-Man. Largely, characters benefit from adequate screen time. Mostly, this derives from grouping heroes together. There’s less individual attention, and more group shots. Despite the 149-minute runtime, “Avengers: Infinity War” doesn’t lag. A few moments, particularly when planet hopping, become a bit disorienting. But on the whole pacing works well.

Where “Infinity War” truly succeeds is in upending previous dynamics. Though “Age of Ultron” and “Civil War” both presented fighting amongst superheroes, and Ultron (James Spader) proved a powerful adversary, Thanos provides a menacing presence unseen thus far in the MCU. Similarly, Banner’s inability to transform into the Hulk is the reverse of his predicament in “Thor: Ragnarok” where Bruce was seemingly a perma-Hulk.

Technically, “Infinity War” uses CGI beautifully, with gorgeous, inventive rendering for its world building. The score, composed by Alan Silvestri, is ripe with a range of movements. These combine for pleasantly fitting auditory and visual backdrops.

Unfortunately, its ambition, like Thanos’s, doesn’t quite yield the ideal outcome. With the bevy of characters, some, including Barnes, have scant lines. Occasionally, there’s simply too much occurring on-screen and overall. Further plaguing “Infinity War,” the humorous and dark elements are woefully unbalanced. Thankfully, it’s not as awkwardly slapstick as “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2,” but certain running gags like Thor referring to Rocket (Bradley Cooper) as a rabbit become tiresome quickly. The true disappointment arrives in the third act with the fruition of Thanos’s plan. While intended as an emotional moment, the foreknowledge that many of the events from “Infinity War” will reset detracts from the would-be shock value.

Though in comic book films and sci-fi, characters are often miraculously resurrected, like Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) on “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” overuse of similar tactics eventually fosters a formulaic familiarity. Ultimately, “Infinity War” lacks the emotional gut punch of “Logan,” or the fresh take of MCU films such as “Captain America: The First Avenger” with its period piece setting, or the political thriller “Winter Soldier.” Simply, it’s not distinctive or well-balanced.

Nevertheless, “Avengers: Infinity War” is not without its surprises. An old foe returns, and a fairly major death occurs. It’s not the lowest point in the MCU, but “Infinity War” isn’t the epic comic book flick it could, and should, have been. Instead, it’s simply an entertaining conglomeration of heroes that’s occasionally fresh, though largely standard fare.