INITY AND BEYOt
35
SAGA OF HEROES
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Review
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BY IAN VAN’ ORDEN
MANAGING EDITOR
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With the release of Iron Man on May
2, 2008, an era began. Serving as the first entry in
what would become known as the Marvel Cinematic
Universe, Iron Man served as the introduction to what
would become the most successful film franchise of
all tiijie. Over the next ten years, each entry in the
MCU would serve as a building block towards one
event: The Infinity War.
«Now, that event has arrived. Released on April
27, Avengers: Infinity War seeks to conclude a story
arc that has been built over the course of eighteen
film s, with two more on the way before we see the
conclusion of the Infinity War arc in the upcoming
Avengers film , set to Be released next year. It fs the
culmination of a decade’s wortfi Of hints, teases, and
end credits scenes, and the film displays its grand
ambitions from its very first moments.
Nearly every major character introduced thus
far appears in some form throughout the movie, with
the only notable omissions being Ant-M an, who is
set to‘appear in a standalone movie to be released
in July, and Hawkeye, though both are mentioned
briefly in the movie’s narrative. The movie focuses
specifically on just a few of these characters, though
nearly every hero has their moment in the spotlight.
During the buildup to the movies’ release, one
of the greatest points of speculation revolved ground
which characterswould not make it through the
events of the movie, and Infinity War proves early
on that it is going to be bloody. The fifst character
Seath happens within the first ten minutes (ri the
film and it doesn’f stop there.
Visually, Infinity War presents-exactly what the
audience has come to expect from Marvel movies.
From exotic locales to the truly epic battles this
Avengers seeks to be truly awesome. Some of the
most impressive moments revolve around Thanos
as he wields the might of. the Infinity Stones that
he has acquired. Other notable visual displays are
presented by Doctor Strange, Iron Man, and Tjjor.
Even the less fantastical fighting, highlighted by
heroes such as Captain America, Black Widow, and
the Winter Soldier, are perfectly choreographed,
properly imparting the impact of each punch or kick
as they weave throughout the battlefield.
Despite the inevitable darker tone set by the
movie, tjpe movie is not devoid of the humor that
audiences have come to exjf^ct from a Marvel movie.
Even in a war against the Avenger’ s greatest enemy,
there is still time for a quip from Starlord or a sarcastic
retort from Iron Man. For the most part, these lighter
moments are executed well, serving as moments of
levity in an otherwise bleak narrative. There is still
the occasional Easter egg to be found throughout the
movie as well, including the unexpected appearance,,
o f a blue painted character from a w ell-know n
comedy series (hint: pay close attention during the
scenes on Knowhere).
Building on the music introduced in the previous
Avengers movies, Irftinity War’s soundtrack is more
than adequate, always serving as that additional,
necessary element to properly convey the tone of a
scene. Though m uchof the movie’s music will sound
familiar to fans of the MCU, each track is tweaked to
fit each8 scene perfectly.
Possibly the only flaw presented by thejnovie
is its lack of decisive ending. in ste ad , writers
Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely chose to
end InfinftyW ar with a cliffhanger, waiting to end
the movie’ s story in the follow up film , Avengers 4.
This choice is more frustrating than purely negative,
as it forces viewers to wait over a year to discover the
fate of their favorite characters. Not even the two
upcoming Marvel projects set to be released before
then, Ant-M an and the Wasp and Captain Marvel,
will shed.light on the events following Infinity War,
as both are*set before the events of the movie.
For those that have become accustomed to
Marvel’ s signature end credits scenes,"’rest assured
this tradition is continued in Infinity W ar. The
scene itself presents interesting implications for
the upcoming sequel.
Coming into this film, Marvel had the incredibly
daunting task of wrapping up a generation of movies
before niovin^nto whatever comes next for the MCU.
Though audiences won’t truly be able to measure
their success until Avengers 4’s release next year,
Infinity War serves as an admirable-starting point,
making a solid case to be named the best of the
three existing Avengers movies. Despite it’s longer
runtime, the action will keep moviegoers on the edge
of their seats throughout, somehow avoiding feeling
overcrowded or rushed.
Now, the long wait for the conclusion begins.
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