SPOILERS: AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR - 6 Things That Worked And 4 Things That Didn't
Avengers: Infinity War may be breaking box office records right now but is it really a flawless masterpiece or is there room for improvement? Here, we take a look at what did and didn't work in the movie!
Avengers: Infinity War is an amazing movie and one which definitely doesn't disappoint. However, as undeniably great as the epic Marvel Studios ensemble is, there's at least some room for improvement and a few minor issues which hurt the movie to a certain extent. For everything that didn't quite work, though, there are two things that did and we're going to be looking at all of those in this feature.
From the characters who perhaps didn't get the screentime they deserve to moments which failed to land the way the Russo Brothers probably intended, we're delving into the good and bad points here.
So, regardless of whether or not you've seen Avengers: Infinity War, you're going to want to keep reading for all the spoilery details on what the movie did right and what it could have improved on. For the full list, click on either one of the buttons below and then share your thoughts in the usual place.
Didn't Work: Not Enough Captain America
Well, this was disappointing. While Captain America kicks a serious amount of ass in Avengers: Infinity War, he's not really given the chance to shine. While Chris Evans' superb performance makes it clear that Steve Rogers has gone through a lot of changes since the last time we saw him, it would have been nice to get a greater level of insight into where he views himself in this world without the shield.
However, with so many characters taken off the board in this movie, there's a very good chance Captain America will be given a greater share of the spotlight in Avengers 4 and you can't really blame the Russos for wanting to spend time with other heroes after spending so much of their past with Cap.
Did Work: Everything About Thanos
Over the past couple of years, Marvel Studios has really upped its game and delivered some A-Class villains. Erik Killmonger was fantastic but the Mad Titan is even better and everything about the villain works in Avengers: Infinity War. Like any great bad guy, his plan is horrific but it actually makes sense and the Russos weren't lying when they said that he's the lead of the epic Marvel ensemble.
The special effects used to bring Thanos to life on the big screen are flawless and Josh Brolin's performance is both compelling and one of the best of his career. There's no way his work as Cable in Deadpool 2 is topping this and it'll be interesting seeing what the future holds in store for the villain.
Didn't Work: The Black Order
The Black Order certainly served a purpose in Avengers: Infinity War but none of the motion-capture characters really delivered on the potential of their comic book counterparts. The cunning Corvus Glaive become little more than a goon, Proxima Midnight was only good for a handful of action scenes, I've already forgotten almost everything about Cull Obsidian, and, well, Ebony Maw was good while he lasted (which wasn't particularly long but he did at least manage to make an impact unlike the rest).
The presence of these four was probably the only time when the movie special effects were a little less than perfect because they looked like mo-cap characters and that's a shame when they could have so easily been brought to life with practical effects and been given a whole lot more to do here.
Did Work: Four Or Five Movies In One
Avengers: Infinity War has a lot of characters to deal with so it was obvious they'd have to be split up for the story to make any sort of sense. In the movie, we get Captain America's squad, Iron Man's squad, and then Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Many of these heroes ultimately end up coming together in the final act but we have a fourth storyline following the machinations of the Mad Titan.
All these different plot threads feel like they're essentially four or five different movies but they all work together to deliver an almost flawless series of storylines which merge together to tell one epic tale that fires on all cylinders. That just goes to show how good the Russos are at what they do.
Did Work: Character Deaths
Common sense says that the deaths of characters like Spider-Man, Star-Lord, and The Winter Soldier will be somehow undone in Avengers 4, especially as the former has a movie coming out just months after that hits theaters! Despite that, each of their respective demises at the end of Avengers: Infinity War still came as a massive shock and it was hard not to tear up when many of them died!
Then, there are the seemingly more permanent deaths like Gamora and Loki. It's hard to imagine how those two, for example, could be brought back and you have to believe that while there will be plenty of resurrections in the sequel, some of these will be permanent and it's going to hurt seeing which stick. Regardless, it's fair to say that Marvel dealt us a hard blow by taking out so many fan-favourites.
Didn't Work: Peter Dinklage's Performance
I'm a huge Game of Thrones fan and love Peter Dinklage but what exactly was the actor trying to do here? His performance came over as stiff and uncharismatic and it was almost as if he didn't want to be here and was just going through the motions. He was basically just playing a slightly gruffer version of Tyrion Lannister and there was sadly nothing memorable about any of his work in this movie.
I've seen worse in superhero movies and he was by no means bad but as soon as we learned that Dinklage would appear in Avengers: Infinity War, I think we all expected better than this.
Did Work: The Final Battle
If Justice League proved anything, it's that the final battles in a superhero movie aren't always great (also see: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Green Lantern). Avengers: Infinity War doesn't disappoint, though, and the battles between Iron Man's team and Thanos and then The Avengers and him and his Black Order in Wakanda are nothing short of spectacular. This is superhero movie-ing done right!
Even though Marvel chose to spoil Captain America's confrontation with the Mad Titan in the movie's trailers, it still works spectacularly as does everything from Thor's arrival in the fictional African nation to Spider-Man taking the fight to the villain and Steve Rogers and Black Panther teaming up.
Didn't Work: Missing Characters
There was no way that every character from the Marvel Cinematic Universe would receive the chance to shine in Avengers: Infinity War but the absence of Ant-Man and Hawkeye being explained away by Black Widow saying that they made a deal with the government was not remotely satisfying.
Marvel didn't really help themselves by promising that Clint Barton would play a key role in this movie and the fact that breakout characters like Valkyrie and Korg from Thor: Ragnarok were M.I.A. is pretty disappointing, especially as we're having to fill in the gaps ourselves and just assume that they escaped with the Asgardians Thanos didn't kill. Here's hoping we get a resolution to this in Avengers 4.
Did Work: Big Surprises
I'm not going to lie; a big part of me expected Avengers: Infinity War to end with the death of Thanos and the unexpected arrival of a character like Galactus. Ridiculous naivety or wishful thinking? I'll let you decide but there's no denying that Marvel delivered plenty of big surprises here, many of which no doubt left your jaw on the floor for a good while (and I'm not just talking about all those deaths).
The Red Skull's return was probably the biggest shocker as that's something we had no inkling of beforehand and while the plot was laid out in the trailers to some extent, this movie was far from predictable and definitely delivered a lot of shocks that not a single fan saw coming before its release.
Did Work: Meeting Fan Expectations
Everyone had very different expectations heading into Avengers: Infinity War but the fact Marvel Studios managed to both meet and exceed them is admirable and downright mind-blowing. Everything works here. The score, the acting, the special effects, the action...it's like seeing your favourite comic book come to life in the form of a kick-ass movie which is better than anyone ever imagined.
There's no getting around the fact that Joe and Anthony Russo have singled themselves out as the best superhero filmmakers out there because they've now jumped through three very different releases and proved themselves to be more than capable of handling the material each and every time.
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