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Avengers: Infinity War
Back from conferencing, straight into the cinema. Basically: it was what I expected, a big sprawling crossover event that felt like part I of a tw two parter and juggled its gigantic cast as best it could, much set up. I enjoyed some of the character interaction enormously (which is the main reason for such a big crossover anyway), was surprised the movie made me care about some characters I was previously unattached to, and rolled my eyes only a few times.
Mind you: there are also characters I was unattached to whom I still don't care for, who were only sort of there, with about two lines of dialogue. Read: Bucky Barnes. (I've given up believing this will ever change, though.) Also, there's the inherent premise of all genre excursions painting an apocalyptic future where everyone (or almost everyone) dies - we the audience know it won't stick because part of the reason for the story is to have your cake and eat it in this regard - the task for the main characters is to prevent/undo this scenario and the audience still has a canon AU to play with. Which, otoh, makes the creative challenge to make the audience care about any of the deaths anyway. There are genre entries which work for me in this regard (Days of Future Past managed, for example, as did The Wish back in the Buffy day), but it doesn't always. Also, while you have in this particular case the certainty that, say, T'Challa as the hero of his own branch of the Marvel franchise who only just got his very successful debut movie will end Avengers 4 not only alive again but well, this does not necessarily apply to all the Asgardians killed by implication in the opening scene of this movie, and the citizens of Wakanda in the big climax, so there better be a montage showing they did not truly die as canon fodder, is all I'm saying.
Otoh Loki can stay dead. You know, I got over my initial dislike of Loki around Thor 2 (when I was finally sold on the sibling relationship) and actually care now, but it feels to me the franchise has done all it could with him, and you can only pull off so many deaths and resurrections before it gets old. I'm glad his commitment to Thor from the previous movie stuck, and that this movie, despite all its crowdedness, atually did something Thor: Ragnarök in its determined jokeyness studiously avoided, to wit, allow Thor to on screen feel the enormity of all his losses - his friends, his entire family, his people; see, it can be done without slowing down the narrative pace. But I do hope Thanos' "this time, there won't be a resurrection" was something Marvel meant.
Speaking of Thor - during Phase 1 of the Marvel movies, he was probably the central character I was the least bit invested in. This has now completely turned around, and he's among my favourites. I also thought Chris Hemsworth, in addition to his usual reliable good comic timing, pulled off the serious stuff completely (the "what will you do then?" scene with Rocket especially), and the movie found a way to incorporate the mythological grandeur with the lighter side in a way not many of the other Marvel movies got the balance of. The whole reigniting the heart of a star to forge a Thanos-killing weapon bit could have felt camp, but they played it straight and it really worked for me, and I loved that Peter Dinklage was the last surviving dwarf and master smith. As for the interaction with the Guardians, this was priceless, and the Thor-Rocket team-up gave me fond memories of Farscape. "Sweet rabbit" indeed.
Like Thor: Ragnarök, Guardians of the Galaxy had entertained me but had been too determinedly jokey and non-stop gag reliant for me to love, and I never saw Guardians 2, so imagine my surprise when the space lot were among those characters I had no previous attachment to whom I cared in this movie for. Gamora especially, but also the others. Which was good, because the entire standing of Thanos as a character instead of a plot device (as in previous movies) of a villain depended on Gamora's relationship with him. Zoe Saldana was excellent throughout, from the breakdown when she thinks she's killed him to the horror at the sight of Nebula to "no, this is not love". And I thought both the script and Josh Brolin's voice managed the balance of making it believable Thanos thinks he truly loves Gamora while making his monstrosity clear to the audience equality clear, and not just because he's covered in latex.
As to previous favourites whom the movie pleased me by giving them much to do: well, whom am I kidding? Of course I was delighted by all the Tony scenes, whether it was the reunion with Bruce, snark with Strange and Peter Quill or the not-really-mentor/protegé interaction with Peter. (Tom Holland continues to be my favourite on screen version of Peter Parker, more praise in a minute.) Both writing and acting also sold me on the fact that this movie is what Tony has been afraid would come ever since the end of Avengers and the sight of the space ship, amplified by the vision Wanda gave him in Age of Ultron and driving a lot of his actions, which is one reason why I think he'll die (or at least the RDJ played version of him will) in the next part. I loved all the character beats, from pointing out the nanites to Bruce mid fight scene to the mixture of defeat and respect in his face when Peter says "I can't be a friendly neigbourhood spider-man if there's no neighourhood" to the devastation at the end. (Peter's was the one known-to-me-as-temporary death that really left me wibbling precisely due to how both actors played it.) I also appreciated fact that while both Tony Stark and Stephen Strange are verbose egotists, they always knew when to cancel their snarkathon in favour of universe saving attempts, and that Tony is never shy of using someone else's idea if it's better than his (true for both Peters at different points).
Might as well speculate here: given the movie established that a) Strange checked out millions of posssible futures and saw precisely one where the universe was saved, and that one by his expression a terrifying one, b) he had no reason to save Tony's life for Tony's sake, and certainly not in favour of the stone of time, and c) his last line before dissolving is "I'm sorry, Stark, it was the only way", it seems to me pretty obvious the movie is saying that Strange (by surrendering the gem) enabling a Thanos victory somehow was the only way to ensure a later Thanos defeat and that he did set up something to do with Tony. As the movie took the trouble to re-equip Tony with an arc reactor on his person at the start, my current guess is that Strange somehow ensured the gem of time (and/or some of the others) will end up on Tony post-current Thanos victory and that this is how most of the events of Infinity Wars will be reversed, but also that Tony won't survive using these gems (see also: movie establishing that no one before Thanos did), which is what Strange's apology is about.
Incidentally, Stephen Strange is another of those characters I didn't get attached to in his own movie whom I now have a degree of attachment to. And wouldn't object to his showing up for a few scenes in future Spider-Man movies, seeing as they have a relationship in the comics and Peter's "oh, we're using invented names" reaction to "I'm Dr. Strange" was priceless, and of course he thinks all the wizard stuff is nifty. Plus they'll be able to empathize on the nightmarish experience of death and resurrection now, and presumably Peter will need someone who can once he's back in Queens.
Holland as Peter Parker: continues to bring on the geekiness, bravery, kindness, skill for clever improvisation in fights, quippiness, is both hilarious and touching, and did I mention he's my favourite screen Spidey and that "Mr. Stark, I don't feel so well" was a gut punch? Oh, Peter.
Meanwhile, on Earth: the character in Team Cap I'm really invested in is Natasha, so of course I wish she'd been given more to do, but what she did was good, and with so many characters temporarily dead, I'm assuming she'll get plenty of screen time as one of the few survivors. Plus I do hope the movies manage to make me care about Steve again. I lost some sympathy in Civil War and his relatively limited screen presence here wasn't enough for fondness regaining. But hey, I couldn't stand Loki after Thor I and Avengers and Thor 2 changed this, plus, see above, re: Guardians, so more spotlight on Steve in the next movie is probably going to get me reinvested. Speaking of Civil War, I'm a bit annoyed that Rhodey, who was firmly pro-Accords quite independently from Tony's stand, here gets the scene with Ross being obnoxious to indicate he's completely changed his mind and then all around hugs from Team Cap. I'd have much preferred if he'd worked with Steve & Co. because needs must in the dire situation but still isn't happy with Steve. But I do acknowledge there was no way, given all that happened in this movie, that they could do a credible slow reconnecting post Civil War.
Wanda/Vision per se leaves me indifferent, and Vision as a character continues to have the problem that Age of Ultron established him as really powerful and with a genuine alien, or rather, non-human perspective, and then Civil War already had to reduce his powers in order for the block to work and personality wise left him basically as an awkward human, while Infinity War has him as a powerless damsel in distress for the entire movie. Well, better him than Wanda because of gender implications, and this was certainly Wanda's best movie outing so far. "Killing someone you love for the greater good" was a challenge to several characters in the movie and Elizabeth Olsen completely sold her big scene; this is a far cry from the Wanda in Age of Ultron who was going along with the deaths of thousands in order to get revenge.
Wakanda characters: Shuri had one scene to establish she's the superior genius (re: Bruce and by implication Tony), but given her brother is one of the dissolved-by-Thanos characters, I hope we'll see something of her as temporary leader in the next movie. Although I wouldn't blame the Wakandans for wanting to abolish the monarchy after this (or in general); certainly bringing superheroes to Wakanda has resulted only in in loss and devastation so far. (Again, I hope we do get a montage at the end of the next movie showing T'Challa is far from the only Wakandan being back from the dead.)
Speculation as to whose deaths from this movie will actually stick: Loki, though I wouldn't exclude the possibility of the MCU doing the kid Loki thing from the comics, i.e. Hiddlestone's Loki stays dead but in the tag scene we see a child looking like the one from the Thor I teaser somewhere, waking up; Heimdall, because Idris Elba is getting more expensive and because the movie established that Thor's newly forged hammer can open the world travelling bridge all on its lonesome; possibly Gamora, but honestly I don't think so, because this could be one of these loopholes useable to defeat Thanos, i.e. if she's resurrected, he loses the soul gem, for example. The rest of the bunch will be back, while, like I said, I'm pretty sure Tony will die, in the action of restoring the universe via the stones. And it will probably be death by dissolving while everyone else comes back, which will leave Marvel the option of resurrecting the character some years later played by a younger actor. (I know how a money making franchise works.) Given he's currently living his ultimate nightmare scenario (minus the part where he's actually in space and stranded with Nebula whom his inner engineer must be thrilled b) and it can't get bigger than saving the universe, it does feel like the note to go (temporarily) out on, finishing this part of the story just as his own movie started the MCU.
Lastly: I'd like to ask Dr. Strange why the timeline where they destroy the gem of time and the one from Vision right at the start did not result in universe saving.
Mind you: there are also characters I was unattached to whom I still don't care for, who were only sort of there, with about two lines of dialogue. Read: Bucky Barnes. (I've given up believing this will ever change, though.) Also, there's the inherent premise of all genre excursions painting an apocalyptic future where everyone (or almost everyone) dies - we the audience know it won't stick because part of the reason for the story is to have your cake and eat it in this regard - the task for the main characters is to prevent/undo this scenario and the audience still has a canon AU to play with. Which, otoh, makes the creative challenge to make the audience care about any of the deaths anyway. There are genre entries which work for me in this regard (Days of Future Past managed, for example, as did The Wish back in the Buffy day), but it doesn't always. Also, while you have in this particular case the certainty that, say, T'Challa as the hero of his own branch of the Marvel franchise who only just got his very successful debut movie will end Avengers 4 not only alive again but well, this does not necessarily apply to all the Asgardians killed by implication in the opening scene of this movie, and the citizens of Wakanda in the big climax, so there better be a montage showing they did not truly die as canon fodder, is all I'm saying.
Otoh Loki can stay dead. You know, I got over my initial dislike of Loki around Thor 2 (when I was finally sold on the sibling relationship) and actually care now, but it feels to me the franchise has done all it could with him, and you can only pull off so many deaths and resurrections before it gets old. I'm glad his commitment to Thor from the previous movie stuck, and that this movie, despite all its crowdedness, atually did something Thor: Ragnarök in its determined jokeyness studiously avoided, to wit, allow Thor to on screen feel the enormity of all his losses - his friends, his entire family, his people; see, it can be done without slowing down the narrative pace. But I do hope Thanos' "this time, there won't be a resurrection" was something Marvel meant.
Speaking of Thor - during Phase 1 of the Marvel movies, he was probably the central character I was the least bit invested in. This has now completely turned around, and he's among my favourites. I also thought Chris Hemsworth, in addition to his usual reliable good comic timing, pulled off the serious stuff completely (the "what will you do then?" scene with Rocket especially), and the movie found a way to incorporate the mythological grandeur with the lighter side in a way not many of the other Marvel movies got the balance of. The whole reigniting the heart of a star to forge a Thanos-killing weapon bit could have felt camp, but they played it straight and it really worked for me, and I loved that Peter Dinklage was the last surviving dwarf and master smith. As for the interaction with the Guardians, this was priceless, and the Thor-Rocket team-up gave me fond memories of Farscape. "Sweet rabbit" indeed.
Like Thor: Ragnarök, Guardians of the Galaxy had entertained me but had been too determinedly jokey and non-stop gag reliant for me to love, and I never saw Guardians 2, so imagine my surprise when the space lot were among those characters I had no previous attachment to whom I cared in this movie for. Gamora especially, but also the others. Which was good, because the entire standing of Thanos as a character instead of a plot device (as in previous movies) of a villain depended on Gamora's relationship with him. Zoe Saldana was excellent throughout, from the breakdown when she thinks she's killed him to the horror at the sight of Nebula to "no, this is not love". And I thought both the script and Josh Brolin's voice managed the balance of making it believable Thanos thinks he truly loves Gamora while making his monstrosity clear to the audience equality clear, and not just because he's covered in latex.
As to previous favourites whom the movie pleased me by giving them much to do: well, whom am I kidding? Of course I was delighted by all the Tony scenes, whether it was the reunion with Bruce, snark with Strange and Peter Quill or the not-really-mentor/protegé interaction with Peter. (Tom Holland continues to be my favourite on screen version of Peter Parker, more praise in a minute.) Both writing and acting also sold me on the fact that this movie is what Tony has been afraid would come ever since the end of Avengers and the sight of the space ship, amplified by the vision Wanda gave him in Age of Ultron and driving a lot of his actions, which is one reason why I think he'll die (or at least the RDJ played version of him will) in the next part. I loved all the character beats, from pointing out the nanites to Bruce mid fight scene to the mixture of defeat and respect in his face when Peter says "I can't be a friendly neigbourhood spider-man if there's no neighourhood" to the devastation at the end. (Peter's was the one known-to-me-as-temporary death that really left me wibbling precisely due to how both actors played it.) I also appreciated fact that while both Tony Stark and Stephen Strange are verbose egotists, they always knew when to cancel their snarkathon in favour of universe saving attempts, and that Tony is never shy of using someone else's idea if it's better than his (true for both Peters at different points).
Might as well speculate here: given the movie established that a) Strange checked out millions of posssible futures and saw precisely one where the universe was saved, and that one by his expression a terrifying one, b) he had no reason to save Tony's life for Tony's sake, and certainly not in favour of the stone of time, and c) his last line before dissolving is "I'm sorry, Stark, it was the only way", it seems to me pretty obvious the movie is saying that Strange (by surrendering the gem) enabling a Thanos victory somehow was the only way to ensure a later Thanos defeat and that he did set up something to do with Tony. As the movie took the trouble to re-equip Tony with an arc reactor on his person at the start, my current guess is that Strange somehow ensured the gem of time (and/or some of the others) will end up on Tony post-current Thanos victory and that this is how most of the events of Infinity Wars will be reversed, but also that Tony won't survive using these gems (see also: movie establishing that no one before Thanos did), which is what Strange's apology is about.
Incidentally, Stephen Strange is another of those characters I didn't get attached to in his own movie whom I now have a degree of attachment to. And wouldn't object to his showing up for a few scenes in future Spider-Man movies, seeing as they have a relationship in the comics and Peter's "oh, we're using invented names" reaction to "I'm Dr. Strange" was priceless, and of course he thinks all the wizard stuff is nifty. Plus they'll be able to empathize on the nightmarish experience of death and resurrection now, and presumably Peter will need someone who can once he's back in Queens.
Holland as Peter Parker: continues to bring on the geekiness, bravery, kindness, skill for clever improvisation in fights, quippiness, is both hilarious and touching, and did I mention he's my favourite screen Spidey and that "Mr. Stark, I don't feel so well" was a gut punch? Oh, Peter.
Meanwhile, on Earth: the character in Team Cap I'm really invested in is Natasha, so of course I wish she'd been given more to do, but what she did was good, and with so many characters temporarily dead, I'm assuming she'll get plenty of screen time as one of the few survivors. Plus I do hope the movies manage to make me care about Steve again. I lost some sympathy in Civil War and his relatively limited screen presence here wasn't enough for fondness regaining. But hey, I couldn't stand Loki after Thor I and Avengers and Thor 2 changed this, plus, see above, re: Guardians, so more spotlight on Steve in the next movie is probably going to get me reinvested. Speaking of Civil War, I'm a bit annoyed that Rhodey, who was firmly pro-Accords quite independently from Tony's stand, here gets the scene with Ross being obnoxious to indicate he's completely changed his mind and then all around hugs from Team Cap. I'd have much preferred if he'd worked with Steve & Co. because needs must in the dire situation but still isn't happy with Steve. But I do acknowledge there was no way, given all that happened in this movie, that they could do a credible slow reconnecting post Civil War.
Wanda/Vision per se leaves me indifferent, and Vision as a character continues to have the problem that Age of Ultron established him as really powerful and with a genuine alien, or rather, non-human perspective, and then Civil War already had to reduce his powers in order for the block to work and personality wise left him basically as an awkward human, while Infinity War has him as a powerless damsel in distress for the entire movie. Well, better him than Wanda because of gender implications, and this was certainly Wanda's best movie outing so far. "Killing someone you love for the greater good" was a challenge to several characters in the movie and Elizabeth Olsen completely sold her big scene; this is a far cry from the Wanda in Age of Ultron who was going along with the deaths of thousands in order to get revenge.
Wakanda characters: Shuri had one scene to establish she's the superior genius (re: Bruce and by implication Tony), but given her brother is one of the dissolved-by-Thanos characters, I hope we'll see something of her as temporary leader in the next movie. Although I wouldn't blame the Wakandans for wanting to abolish the monarchy after this (or in general); certainly bringing superheroes to Wakanda has resulted only in in loss and devastation so far. (Again, I hope we do get a montage at the end of the next movie showing T'Challa is far from the only Wakandan being back from the dead.)
Speculation as to whose deaths from this movie will actually stick: Loki, though I wouldn't exclude the possibility of the MCU doing the kid Loki thing from the comics, i.e. Hiddlestone's Loki stays dead but in the tag scene we see a child looking like the one from the Thor I teaser somewhere, waking up; Heimdall, because Idris Elba is getting more expensive and because the movie established that Thor's newly forged hammer can open the world travelling bridge all on its lonesome; possibly Gamora, but honestly I don't think so, because this could be one of these loopholes useable to defeat Thanos, i.e. if she's resurrected, he loses the soul gem, for example. The rest of the bunch will be back, while, like I said, I'm pretty sure Tony will die, in the action of restoring the universe via the stones. And it will probably be death by dissolving while everyone else comes back, which will leave Marvel the option of resurrecting the character some years later played by a younger actor. (I know how a money making franchise works.) Given he's currently living his ultimate nightmare scenario (minus the part where he's actually in space and stranded with Nebula whom his inner engineer must be thrilled b) and it can't get bigger than saving the universe, it does feel like the note to go (temporarily) out on, finishing this part of the story just as his own movie started the MCU.
Lastly: I'd like to ask Dr. Strange why the timeline where they destroy the gem of time and the one from Vision right at the start did not result in universe saving.
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Personally, I cannot decide whether I'd love Sam or Bucky more as the new Cap. They'd both make great new Captain Americas.
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