First thing's definitely first. After talking to a number of people who don't follow the future plans for the MCU as aggressively as I do and who didn't know that this movie is part one of a two movie storyline, let me manage your expectations appropriately right now.
This movie is part one of a two movie storyline.
I'm glad we got that cleared up. If you know that going in, you can kinda expect what I like to refer to as The Fellowship of the Ring syndrome, which means the movie will be engaging your attention and ramping up the conflict pretty much right until the credits roll, and it tends to result in what could be considered a downer ending simply because the main conflict hasn't been fully resolved. That definitely happens in Infinity War, and I'd say your enjoyment will prosper for simply expecting it to happen. In storytellers parlance this sort of ending is "not necessarily a bad thing," assuming you know for sure you will get to deliver the actual end to your audience at some point in the future. That's why Lord of the Rings got away with it; parts two and three were already done shooting by the time Fellowship hit theaters.
And to be clear, there's zero chance that we won't see Infinity War: Part 2 or whatever they decide to call the next Avengers movie. It's coming out next year. So really in storytelling terms there's nothing inherently wrong with the ending of Infinity War. It leaves a lot of unanswered questions that we'll be getting answers to next year.
But if you look back at my retrospective on The Avengers from a few weeks ago, you might know where I'm going next. This movie isn't a bad part 1 of a 2 part series; but the fact that it is part 1 of a 2 part series does mean it was almost guaranteed to fall short on at least one of the pillars of a good MCU film. Because MCU viewers want to see conflict, they want to see their heroes struggle, but they also want things tied up in a nice little bow at the end. They want the conflict resolved in a way that leaves them feeling positive.
And Infinity War, by no fault other than what's due naturally to the 2-part format, does not do that. That resolution, I suspect, will come at the end of the movie next year.
And that is, really, my only major complaint with the film. The movie told a good story in a compelling way, making every character we've come to know over the past decade of superhero movies feel included and important. It's fair to note that the only character in this film that gets actual characterizing moments is Thanos, the villain. As for the rest it's just expected that we, the audience, will know who they are and what they've been doing. You absolutely cannot jump into this movie without having digested the vast majority of the prior MCU films, or nothing will make sense. While that's maybe a little sad, I don't think they could have possibly done it any differently without making a five hour movie and leaving audiences bored out of their skulls.
There was a moment that was intended to be emotional that didn't really feel earned, but otherwise everything you expect from an MCU film was there and on point. The actors all turned up and were all excellent, as per usual. The dialogue was very MCU-esque, making light of the dangers our heroes faced without making light of the severity of the danger should they fail. The action sequences were excellent, fortunately drawing on the talent the Russo brothers displayed in The Winter Soldier instead of the shaky-cam they abused in Civil War. Everything looked good, sounded good, and overall the story worked quite well.
There were a few curve balls I didn't see coming at all, and some easter eggs that will leave you hard-core MCU fans carrying your jaw home in your popcorn bucket. All in all I have very little to find fault with in terms of the mechanics of the movie, and just the one major deviation from what I'd expect in an MCU film; how it ended. The honest truth is I can wait to see the actual ending next year. That feels right to me, and I feel like they've earned the chance to tell a story that way.
That doesn't mean I won't be ranking this movie for the time being, but it does mean I will reserve the right to change this ranking after I see the actual ending of this story next year. In the mean time... I'm really really excited for Ant-Man and the Wasp.
This movie is part one of a two movie storyline.
I'm glad we got that cleared up. If you know that going in, you can kinda expect what I like to refer to as The Fellowship of the Ring syndrome, which means the movie will be engaging your attention and ramping up the conflict pretty much right until the credits roll, and it tends to result in what could be considered a downer ending simply because the main conflict hasn't been fully resolved. That definitely happens in Infinity War, and I'd say your enjoyment will prosper for simply expecting it to happen. In storytellers parlance this sort of ending is "not necessarily a bad thing," assuming you know for sure you will get to deliver the actual end to your audience at some point in the future. That's why Lord of the Rings got away with it; parts two and three were already done shooting by the time Fellowship hit theaters.
And to be clear, there's zero chance that we won't see Infinity War: Part 2 or whatever they decide to call the next Avengers movie. It's coming out next year. So really in storytelling terms there's nothing inherently wrong with the ending of Infinity War. It leaves a lot of unanswered questions that we'll be getting answers to next year.
But if you look back at my retrospective on The Avengers from a few weeks ago, you might know where I'm going next. This movie isn't a bad part 1 of a 2 part series; but the fact that it is part 1 of a 2 part series does mean it was almost guaranteed to fall short on at least one of the pillars of a good MCU film. Because MCU viewers want to see conflict, they want to see their heroes struggle, but they also want things tied up in a nice little bow at the end. They want the conflict resolved in a way that leaves them feeling positive.
And Infinity War, by no fault other than what's due naturally to the 2-part format, does not do that. That resolution, I suspect, will come at the end of the movie next year.
And that is, really, my only major complaint with the film. The movie told a good story in a compelling way, making every character we've come to know over the past decade of superhero movies feel included and important. It's fair to note that the only character in this film that gets actual characterizing moments is Thanos, the villain. As for the rest it's just expected that we, the audience, will know who they are and what they've been doing. You absolutely cannot jump into this movie without having digested the vast majority of the prior MCU films, or nothing will make sense. While that's maybe a little sad, I don't think they could have possibly done it any differently without making a five hour movie and leaving audiences bored out of their skulls.
There was a moment that was intended to be emotional that didn't really feel earned, but otherwise everything you expect from an MCU film was there and on point. The actors all turned up and were all excellent, as per usual. The dialogue was very MCU-esque, making light of the dangers our heroes faced without making light of the severity of the danger should they fail. The action sequences were excellent, fortunately drawing on the talent the Russo brothers displayed in The Winter Soldier instead of the shaky-cam they abused in Civil War. Everything looked good, sounded good, and overall the story worked quite well.
There were a few curve balls I didn't see coming at all, and some easter eggs that will leave you hard-core MCU fans carrying your jaw home in your popcorn bucket. All in all I have very little to find fault with in terms of the mechanics of the movie, and just the one major deviation from what I'd expect in an MCU film; how it ended. The honest truth is I can wait to see the actual ending next year. That feels right to me, and I feel like they've earned the chance to tell a story that way.
That doesn't mean I won't be ranking this movie for the time being, but it does mean I will reserve the right to change this ranking after I see the actual ending of this story next year. In the mean time... I'm really really excited for Ant-Man and the Wasp.
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