AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

Nobody was around when the big bang happened and the Universe came into
being. With the arguable exception of those who have been living under a rock for
the last decade, virtually everybody knows when the big bang in cinematic space
happened that brought Marvel Cinematic Universe into being.

It was in 2008 with the release of Iron Man. That movie launched the ever
expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe and not only introduced us to arguably its
most iconic eponymous super hero but also gave redemption to the career of the
inimitable Robert Downey, Jr.

In the course of a decade, the big bang that launched the MCU expanded rapidly
with 18 movies that laid down the expansive canvass of cinema’s most ambitious
overarching project ever.

Avengers: Infinity War is the 19th release from MCU and with it; we are heading
towards the decade-long denouement of MCU’s hydra-headed (pun intended)
storyline arch.

Having had a decade and 18 movies to lay out its storyline background with
sufficient bricks and mortar, Infinity War pretty much skipped foundational
niceties and launched straight into the throes of the titular war. It opened with
Thanos’ decimation of the Asgardian Fleet conveying the surviving Asgardians
following the events of Ragnarok.

For the first time, we are introduced to the purple behemoth that is Thanos in full
shot and he wastes no time in confirming the intergalactic apprehension that has
attended news of his quest for the six infinity stones preparatory to decimating half
of the universe.

The opening scene’s shock and awe literally sucks you into the Bifrost and
teleports you along with its green SOS cargo to Earth to warn the Avengers that
Thanos was on his way.

Fast paced and instantly engaging, Infinity War deftly weaves its intricate storyline
web teleporting you to galactic worlds, introducing you to MCU’s expansive
repertoire of heroes and villains as well as introducing said heroes and villains to
each other with blink-and-you-will- miss-it repartees and dimension bending duels
ensuing.

With a decade head-start in super hero film making, Marvel Studios has got the
formula so finely honed, it is almost as effortless as Thor stretching his hand out to
catch Mjolnir .

The obligatory Stan Lee cameo happened pretty much in the beginning leaving you
with a wistful feeling of how future MCU releases will lack that certain je ne sais
quoi when he eventually passes on. Those Stan Lee cameos have become as pop
culture iconic as easter eggs in MCU movies.

With multiple franchises in the MCU, cross appearances and end credit cameos
have allowed only limited interactions between characters. But in Infinity War, we
are afforded the near-orgasmic pleasure of long-anticipated interactions between
iconic characters.

Both noted for their egotistical self-centeredness, the long-awaited one-on-one

interaction between Tony Stark/Iron Man and Dr. Strange delivered way more than
the equally long-awaited one-on-one interaction between Al Pacino and Robert De
Niro did in Michael Mann’s seminal cops v. robbers heist movie, Heat.

Tony Stark and Dr. Strange both had the gravitas to imbue their encounter with the
aura of the immovable object meeting the irresistible force. Stark had transformed
from Playboy Billionaire to soon-to-be-married jaded super hero. Dr. Strange had
transformed from Rock star surgeon to dedicated sanctum protector wizard.

Seeing them face-to-face for the first time ever in Infinity War, one could not help
but geek out. Their tight-lipped ego-driven exchanges were very much as engaging
as I had imagined it would be and provided some of Infinity War’s finest and geek
out moments.

Away from serious and ego-driven alpha male encounters, Thor’s and Peter
Quill/Star Lord’s encounter provided the expected comic relief. The Thor and
Guardians of the Galaxy franchises have always represented the softer and comical
side of MCU.
However, unlike the Stark/Dr. Strange encounter where neither side had an upper
hand over the other, Thor had a decidedly upper hand over Star Lord in their
encounter as Thor was more domineering.

The battle/fight scenes also provided some of Infinity War’s finest moments. From
the opening scene where Thanos beat Hulk black and blue until his green turned
yellow to the ensemble final battle scene in Wakanda. From the fight scene outside
the New York Sanctum where Iron Man debuted his new nano-technology suit to
the fight scene in Scotland when a bearded Steve Rogers/ Captain America
emerged from the shadows to a woot woot jubilation in the cinema hall.

Marvel Studios turned up the ante in Infinity War with well-spaced out action
sequences spliced with brain-tingling smart quips and dialogue propped up against
a galaxy-wide spectacular visual cinematography all deftly choreographed to the
pulsating symphony of Alan Silvestri’s energized score.

It is to the credit of Directors, Anthony and Joe Russo, that having helmed 2 of the
best releases in MCU (Winter Soldier and Civil War), with Infinity War, they have
literally made lighting strike a 3rd time with the resounding game changer impact of
Thor landing in Wakanda during the final battle wielding the Storm Breaker like a
God!

The release of Black Panther was foreshadowed by unarguably the most elaborate
and sustained publicity blitzkrieg in cinema history. Even when Black Panther
ended with euphoric jubilation from the audience, there was no denying the fact
that it never lived up to its hype.

The release of Infinity War, on the other hand, was barely attended by the kind of
publicity Black Panther enjoyed other than a ten-year build up. But in exiting the
cinema hall after the credits finished rolling with the audience stunned to a
stupefied silence, you not only recognize the brilliance of the movie you have just
seen but you also understand why prestige car brands like Rolls Royce, Bently and
Ferrari do not advertise their products like other car brands. When you know, you
know! 8/10