Infinity War Changed Everything

A decade of super powered individuals, intergalactic and interdimensional battles, and Stan Lee cameos led up to one of the greatest cinematic events of the 21st century: Avengers: Infinity War. This entire journey began with the risky choice of selecting Robert Downey Jr. to play Tony Stark. Director Jon Favreau had a vision and that vision was laser focused. The transformation of genius, billionaire, playboy, and philanthropist Tony Stark into Iron Man in 2008 was Marvel Studios’ attempt to overcome financial hardship, but RDJ’s performance made it a massive hit and set the groundwork for The Avengers to assemble in The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger (never mind the inclusion of bonus scenes as though it were its own independent art form!) A connected, heroic universe had been established.

The universe continued to expand with films like Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant-Man, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Black Panther. From 2008 to 2018, eager Marvel fans closely followed the events of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as they slowly revealed the power of the Infinity Stones and the villain that seeked to claim them for himself. 10 years and 18 films later, Thanos was finally ready to make his move. “Fine, I’ll do it myself” was the first action in the great Infinity War. Although Infinity War is not the conclusion of the saga, it is the culmination of a decade of carefully connected stories, characters and conflicts. The fate of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe was at stake and all of the players had to come together to fight their shared enemy.

The gravity of the situation is made clear before the film even begins. As the MCU opening plays, we do not hear the regular fanfare, but instead a call for aid from the Asgardian refugee vessel Statesman, which we last saw in Thor: Ragnarok. The distant voice crying “the engines are dead, life support failing! Requesting aid from any vessel within range….” The ominous music sends a chill down your spine as you wonder about Thor, Loki, Hulk, Valkyrie, and the Asgardians fleeing ragnarok that were aboard that vessel. We next see the ship in pieces, Heimdall clutching his stomach in pain, and Loki facing his previous ally, Thanos, who is dragging Thor like a ragdoll as he says:

“I know what it's like to lose. To feel so desperately that you're right, yet to fail nonetheless. It's frightening. Turns the legs to jelly. But I ask you, to what end? Dread it, run from it, destiny arrives all the same. And now, it's here. Or should I say, I am.”

What a formidable and menacing introduction to a film. Our heroes, including the God Thor himself, have all failed and Thanos has already claimed one Infinity Stone. Moments later, Loki is killed by Thanos, The Hulk is effortlessly tossed around, and another Infinity Stone is claimed. This is far from what fans expected to see. The film has just started and a beloved character is dead and the happy memory that was the conclusion of Thor: Ragnarok is obliterated. This opening is an emotional reckoning that no fans were ready for and it not only set the tone early, but rather it slapped us with a warning of the chaos yet to come.

At this point in the MCU, there were a large number of heroes to keep track of, but one of the great successes of Infinity War is how they divide the key players into various “teams” with distinct missions in order to ensure that each member is highlighted and has a purpose. Iron Man, Spider-Man and Doctor Strange work with Star-Lord, Drax, and Mantis of the Guardians of the Galaxy to protect Strange’s Time Stone on Titan, Thor, Rocket, and Groot make a trio to create a new Titan-killing weapon, and the remaining Avengers unite in Wakanda to fight the Children of Thanos and prevent them from claiming the Mind Stone in Vision’s head. 

With such a large cast of characters, the momentum can easily be lost, but this is not the case with Infinity War. Instead, part of the movie’s strength is in its pacing - every team has a time and every time makes sense. As Thanos grows closer and closer to completing his Infinity Gauntlet, each team has their own opportunity to fight their foe: Star-Lord’s plan to remove and claim the Infinity Gauntlet, Wanda and Shuri’s endeavor to remove and destroy the Mind Stone before The Children of Thanos reach them, and Thor, Rocket, and Groot forging Stormbreaker and arriving in Wakanda to assist Captain America and the Avengers on the battlefield. Like any well organized military campaign, every battlefront matters and works to serve the overall plan of action.

With the connection of these cherished characters came many memorable moments that fans deeply loved. Although the stories were always linked, many characters had never met before the events of Infinity War. For example, Thor’s interaction with the Guardians of the Galaxy was hilarious. Peter’s instant jealousy when Gamora was eyeing Thor, Rocket and Thor connecting over their losses, and funniest of all, the fact that Thor speaks Groot because it was an elective in Asgard. Seeing the many different stories and characters we adore being able to finally talk and fight alongside each other was a wonderful gift despite the tragic circumstances.

Thanos is not only a petrifying villain, but one could argue that he is the true protagonist of the film. Thanos’ purpose of collecting the stones is to end half of all life in the universe as he believes that it will ameliorate the lives of the remaining half. After being raised on a planet led to ruin by overpopulation, Thanos truly believes that he is doing the right thing. He calmly explains his goals to Dr. Strange who views his aspirations as deranged and they begin to fight.

As many heroes do, Thanos must sacrifice to win. His sacrifice, which he does with great sorrow, is sacrificing his adopted daughter Gamora in order to claim the Soul Stone. When Star-Lord questions him about this decision, he tears up and reveals that it took “everything” in him to do it. This depth of emotion is something that is not seen in any other MCU villains or superhero films in general. He’s also a villain who, for a change, is working for what he sees as something greater - not just greed and desire. He’s a complicated villain in that he believes he is doing what’s best for others, no matter the cost to him. Despite Thanos’ seemingly irrational actions, you do understand his intentions. The entire film is directed by Thanos’ actions as the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy scramble to defend the Infinity Stones. They travel from place to place in order to keep ahead, but they are always one step behind. Despite their many abilities, they are no match for the combined power of the Infinity Stones.

Visually, Avengers: Infinity War is stunning. From the fields of Wakanda, to the light of the dying star Nidavellir, the special effects in this film are breathtaking. Thanos in particular stands out as it captures Josh Brolin’s performance with incredible accuracy and without it his villainous deeds would fall flat. All of the unique visual effects of each hero all on one screen on a primarily CG background was a daunting task for visual effect artists, but they were rewarded with an Academy Award nomination for their determination and execution.

The epic music to match the remarkable visual effects was created by the legendary composer, Alan Silvestri. Silvestri, who is known for his incredible work on the Back To The Future trilogy, Forrest Gump, and Ready Player One, once again excelled with his work in Infinity War. The action-packed battles are matched with intense, commanding music, the moments of fear as Thanos approaches are quiet and hair-raising, and the heart-rending times of loss are sorrowful and melancholic. Some iconic songs from the film are ‘Even For You,’ (when Thanos tells Iron Man about the devastating sacrifice of Gamora ) ‘Help Arrives,’ (When Captain America, Black Widow, and Falcon arrive in Wakanda) and  ‘Porch’ (The last song of the film, when Thanos admires his victory.)

“You should have gone for the head."

This was a line that echoed in the minds of Marvel fans for months and months after Infinity War was released. The critical moment where Thor finally reaches Thanos but fatally chooses the chest instead of the head, allowing Thanos to snap the completed Infinity Gauntlet. This changed everything for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. For the first time ever, at the end of the movie, the heroes had failed. Movie goers watched in horror as their favourite characters disintegrated before their eyes. Spider-Man’s “Mr. Stark, I don’t feel so good” moved many to tears. As Silvestri’s song ‘Porch’ played, and Thanos took his seat outside of his cabin, fans were gutted and in complete shock. This cliffhanger moment was unlike anything done before. No other franchise had created greater stakes than this. Ten years of build up for the Avengers to lose against their greatest adversary.

Avengers: Infinity War shattered box office records as Marvel fans sprinted to silver screens across the globe. The film grossed $2,048,359,754 worldwide and at the time, it was the highest opening weekend gross, the fastest to gross $1.5 billion, the highest grossing super-hero movie ever, the highest 3D opening weekend gross, and the highest grossing movie of 2018. The only film to beat these astonishing numbers was Avengers: Endgame, however Endgame would be nothing with the fantastic framework provided by Infinity War.

This was a cinematic event unlike any other. A burst of fireworks in the dark that we were blessed to witness. There was a vibration of energy in theatres that day. The happiness, excitement, and anticipation that made nerdy hearts race. Fans wore their handmade costumes, excitedly arrived at their seats, and made the theatre-going experience into something monumental. The film was bold, brutal, and brilliant, both exceeding and blowing away expectations. The shock and lasting impact of Infinity War laid the foundation for the victorious comeback in Endgame and set the stage for the great shift in the MCU after the Infinity Saga, in projects like WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, and Spider-Man: Far From Home.

The MCU now features nearly 40 films and more than 15 live-action and animated shows, but Infinity War is still a cut above the rest. Many franchises have built up to epic conclusions but none can ever quite match the exhilarating lead up and quality of Infinity War. Avengers: Infinity War is a marvelous and noteworthy star of the films of the 21st century.