I suppose it was in the title all along. Infinity War is not the beginning or the end of anything. This is not a phase; this is not a fad. It's the latest iteration of the Marvel enterprise. And it will continue. This is infinity.
The plot is both somewhat inconsequential and supremely intricate. After all, this has been billed "the most ambitious crossover event in history." If you've missed any or all of Marvel's prior 18 films, this movie will likely not make much sense. Or maybe it will. It really doesn't matter as much as you may think.
Thanos, the Big Bad who's been fleetingly hinted at for nearly a decade, is finally entering the fray. Set to annihilate half of the galaxy's population, Thanos seeks the six infinity stones: Mind, Power, Space, Reality, Time, and Soul. Once combined, the stones would give Thanos unlimited power. Naturally, the Avengers must stop him.
At this point, we've had 10 years and 18 movies to get acquainted with the heroes. This works well for the movie - each hero has about fifteen minutes of screen time, each delivers about a dozen lines, and the movie compartmentalizes them into separate groups. This keeps the story interesting while juggling what seems like sixty different characters. Indeed, it wouldn't be unfair to say the star of Infinity War is Thanos. For years, we've been led to believe he's a terribly frightening villain without given any real reason to fear him. This movie is essentially an elongated backstory for Thanos, and it's better for it. He's not only physically intimidating, but also psychologically developed enough to warrant this heightened level of fear.
I couldn't help but watch Infinity War and think of Justice League, another superhero crossover with a big villain. But that's pretty much where the similarities end. Justice League was such a gloomy, nonsensical mess that neither the heroes not the villain worked. It was the equivalent of throwing ingredients into a blender and hitting puree. In comparison, Infinity War at least attempts to juggle its numerous threads, of which there are far more than Justice League ever had. Marvel's heroes feel distinct and unique; and Thanos is appropriately weighted.
For as well-intentioned as Infinity War is, some flaws are still obvious. Armed with the infinity stones, Thanos can literally do anything he wants. At one point, a climactic emotional moment is undercut with Thanos simply reversing time to a few seconds prior. Other moments require our heroes to sacrifice, only for their altruism to be negated in a puff of bubbles, relegated to nothing more than an illusion. With unlimited power, what are the stakes? This is the Superman issue - a stacked deck rarely generates tension; it reeks of cheapness.
This is also why any deaths - and there are quite a few - in this movie are dubious at best, and outright trolling at worst. Given the fanboy scrutiny around all aspects of the movies now, it's laughable that we should believe Spider-Man or Doctor Strange or Star Lord would die given their already-scheduled sequels slated for the next couple years. With the faux threat of death hanging over each battle, one can't help but feel bamboozled by the movie, rickrolled by its feigning sincerity. This isn't dramatic filmmaking; it's moving chess pieces from point A to point B while CGI creatures shoot laser beams at each other. Mostly, it's numbing.
For me, superhero fatigue has begun in earnest. But judging by the box office records, the public's appetite for Marvel is far from over. This is where I point out how useless it is to complain about Marvel. It's bulletproof and unstoppable. Stay out of its way lest you get crushed by its avalanche of cash. But despite its slick execution and even slicker branding, Marvel movies increasingly ring hollow. There are no guts, no stakes, no point. It's rinse and repeat. Even its more unique outings (Thor Ragnarok, Black Panther) are celebrated more as outliers from the Marvel formula than the norm. Its a corporate machine that's meant to uphold maximum consent while masquerading as enthusiasm. Don't think too much about what it all means. There's not much there.
Midway through the movie, there's a subplot about the hidden Soul Stone. We're led to believe only one person knows its true location. And obtaining it comes at a great cost. With it finally within his grasp, Thanos begins to waver, contemplating the steep price of this gem. What is the true cost of finding the Soul? It's clear Infinity War has not found its soul, or even questioned its importance.
