Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo

Screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely

Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Josh Brolin, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Zoe Saldana, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista

I’m still shaking. Tears are dripping from my eyes as I write this. I’m fucking crying right now people. Actual, real tears of sadness and joy. My friends cried too. The entire theater wept. The kid in the back of the theater was gasping for breathe. The woman in the front row screamed. Multiple audience members shouted, “NO” at the film’s climax. Infinity War is everything I have asked for in a movie. It has undone all the prior films in the franchise’s mistakes and missteps, and has become one of the greatest movie going experiences of our time. This is what I have been waiting for. This is what we all have been waiting for. I shouldn’t have waited even this long to watch it. Everyone must see it. I will not go further being this vague, as it is impossible to talk about this movie without spoiling it. The entire movie is a spoiler. Read no further if you have not yet seen it, and instead log off all social media and make an effort to. This is the best Marvel movie ever made.

The impossible has happened. This movie should not have worked. It never should have been, not in the way that it was made. Not in our time, in 2018, when movies are no longer allowed to do anything with their characters and stories. Not with a cast of dozens and dozens of stars. Just like in Civil War, where nothing mattered and nothing happenend. But now in Infinity War everything matters and everything has happened.

From the film’s opening moments I knew it was different. The Marvel Logo played by in a noticeable starting silence. Then a dark score began to underlie it, and the film’s audio began tuning in. The opening scene of Infinity War accomplishes more in terms of drama and storytelling than almost all the superhero movies in the last 4 years. That was back when Winter Soldier came out, and I think everything has just about sucked or been pointless ever since. Alan Silvestri has returned as composer to the series. He did the music on the first Avengers, which has probably the only memorable theme in the entire franchise. The rest have devolved to repetitive temp music trash that you can’t remember even as you listen.

I cannot praise the soundtrack of this film enough. Silvestri’s score sounds as though it has been a decade in the making. Every little moment is perfectly enhanced with his musical cues. And they all hit home. And they all work magically. Music in films has been on a stark decline, and here comes Silvestri reminding us how transportive it all can be.

But back to the opening. The Hullk vs Thanos happens immediately, and Hulk is beaten like a joke. It works, I dunno how, but from Thanos’ first appearance his terrifying power took hold of me. I believed that he could beat the Hulk in a fist fight. And the movie never lets up, characters start dying, and they don’t stop. I almost thought I was watching a dream when Thanos broke Loki’s neck while Thor watched. It’s insane people. To see all the characters we have come to love for 10 years on the big screen meet their fates is indescribable. Everything I thought would happen in Civil War happens instead here. THIS is what should happen when cosmically powerful entities face off against each other. NO one should be walking away unscathed. FUCK CIVIL WAR HOLY SHIT

Okay I’m getting angry again. Let me stay on topic.

There is a lot of action in Infinity War. A lot of deaths, and surprisingly a lot of talking. But it’s there for a reason. The pathetic Hollywood lighting and awful color correction present in almost every blockbuster are all absent here. Infinity War is lit like a REAL movie. Dark and light when it needs to be, beautiful contrasting colors and shcemes for each scene. All the locations in this movie (and there are a ton) look and feel like their own places. They all look and feel like different films. This is all incredible to behold. Trent Opalach’s cinematographer had my eyes deeply rooted in these images. I never for a second felt anything wasn’t real. There is no shitty shaky cam nonsense like in Civil War, which was a rushed production. Here, everyone is given a chance to breath and work to their best of their talents. The Russo Brothers as directors, the entire cast and crew, the wonderful visuals, no one is phoning it in. It’s ten years in the making and it really feels as though it took ten years to film. Every single shot has a purpose or reason to be there. It is edited perfectly, to move at the pace that these character’s and moments deserve. And not one shitty out of place choice to take your mind out of the movie.

Like all the best stories in a series or franchise, Infinity War is dark and dramatic. Sure, there are a lot of Marvel joking moments throughout, but they mostly work, although at times they may drag for some. And like all the very best narratives the bad guys wins. The Joker won in The Dark Knight. The Empire won in Empire Strikes Back. And Thanos wins. And we understand why he wins. He is not some cookie cutter formulaic antagonist far too present these days. He is a real being with motivations and reasons. His plan to wipe out half of all life indiscriminately so that the other half can survive in a universe of finite resources is brilliant. Genocide is nothing new in the movies or as a pushing factor for amoral choices, but Thanos makes his unique. One of the reasons Infinity War is so long is because they take the time to delve out the desire of Thanos. How his home planet was destroyed because there were simply too many of them to survive on it. There’s even time to go into his and Gamora’s backstory. A flashback scene to kid Gamora where she first encounters Thanos? A recipe for disaster in any other movie. Not in Infinity War. Somehow it is so touching. And here it where we learn of Thanos’ obsession with balance in the world, as he gives little Gamora a double edged dagger that perfectly balances on her finger.

All of this is fascinating. Thanos considers himself to have the strongest will of the world to carry out such a task of genocide. Because he believes it to be necessary to save the universe. And we believe him because this movie is so good, and Thanos’ dialogue and story just make perfect sense for him. And Josh Brolin, who I had never liked as his voice prior to this, is PERFECT here and IS Thanos. The visual effects work for him is astonishing on top of it all. I believed I was looking at a real creature, a real thing of substance and value. And how fucking cool his gauntlet is. And how awesome all the Infinity Stones look as he gathers them. Little touches like how they magnetically attach to his hand are just so fucking magical.

And how we COMPLETELY believe him when he cries we he figures out that he must kill Gamora as a sacrifice to get the Soul Stone. The genius twist here is that Gamora (and us) think that Thanos is incapable of loving anything. So when he learns that he must sacrifice that which he loves most and then turns to her with tears streaming down his monster face our hearts break, because we fear Thanos, and because of all that has happened up to this point we know he is going to kill her. This movie does not shy away from these darker themes like all the others. We see Gamorra thrown off a towering cliff to her death, and yes, we do see her lifeless body strewn out with green blood after her fall. The characters in this film with deaths are not cut away from. We see them all in violent and sometimes gruesome detail. And we must, because this is what has to happen in a movie like this. This is the story we deserve as viewers who care. It would not have worked had Thanos just pushed her off and it cut away. Her death, like all the deaths, is given the time and patience and brutality that is needed.

It would be natural to think Thanos hunting for 6 Infinity Stones to wipe out half the world might be a boring checklist of , “Ok here we go, now he has to get the Reality Stone…” but trust me, it’s NOT like that at all. You’ll be too invested and in the moments of this film to think of it like that. Everything happens naturally and your mind does not wander. Because mine certainly didn’t. I was hooked from the opening scene alone. And at some point maybe halfway in I just stopped breathing and forgot I was watching a movie. It took hold of me in it’s final act and still hasn’t let go. I’ll be thinking about this movie for the rest of my life.

But really I am still shaking and emotionally drained from this experience. They did it, the sons of bitches did it. With so many onscreen characters, they took the right page from all the great epics like Lord of the Rings, or in the video game world like Final Fantasy 6: when you have a big party, you must split them up. But it is not random, it is not forced. Each group of Avengers that end of with one another is for a reason. And they work together to accomplish their side missions to get to the end game of Thanos together. And the team that ends up with Dr. Strange and how they battle Thanos is just remarkable. It’s not some dumb pointless action, but meticulously thought out and storyboarded. And how they almost stop him is just more heartbreak. And look at how Dr. Strange must make a crucial decision. He looks into the future and sees all the possible outcomes of their confrontation of Thanos (over 14 million) and notices only one where they “win”. It is not contrived how he willingly gives up the Time Stone to save Tony’s life. Even in that moment in the story, in the deep recesses of our minds we realize, oh no, they are going to lose. That twist, right there, that Strange knowingly gives up one of the last stones because he knows the only way to save everyone is to allow Thanos to kill half of them has left me destroyed. Holy fucking shit, actual REAL PALPABLE CONSEQUENCES FROM MORAL DECISIONS THAT TAKE US BY SURPRISE. IS THIS HOW THEY USED TO MAKE MOVIES?!?!

Over the years I’ve gotten a lot of shit from the fanboys. About how Age of Ultron was good, and that Civil War was some objective great time. But they were all fucking idiots and I was right. I was right because it can be done. You can always make a great movie out of anything. People always ask me when I criticize shit what I’m looking for in a movie then. Well people, HERE IT FUCKING IS. NOW you all finally understand what happens when talented people get together and are ALLOWED to express themselves fully. Age of Ultron was a pathetic joke. Civil War was a rushed production and a massive waste of all of our times. I don’t give a shit if your fanboy ass blew your load while watching. You made up your minds before you walked in the theater. I care nothing for the opinions of fools who don’t judge a movie on the movie itself. You can talk about comic lore afterwards, what matters is the movie.

Infinity War, I promise you, is the movie to silence everyone. It is at last an experience to bring us all back together and be excited for movies again. To talk about how things turned out and what can possibly be in store for the future. I have felt things tonight I haven’t felt in a movie in years. This goes beyond superhero flicks, Infinity War transcends all that and revealed itself to be a space epic tragedy. All the pristine shots of planets and the galaxy, it’s just all so real. The time was spent so well, this movie is so well made in every aspect.

Even Thanos’ underlings are not the weak fodder we usually see. They all have their own individual looks and are all powerful. One of them almost kills Vision early on by himself. And they can take on Scarlett Witch without much trouble. And during this fight is where Captain America reappears after having been in hiding since the events in Civil War. And how fucking cool he looks with his beard.

And you know, that wizard alien guy that battles Dr. Strange early on might have been dopey in another Marvel movie. But he works here. He’s got an interesting appearance and voice, and his telekinetic powers are super strong enough that he captures Dr. Strange, and even tortures him in a creepy way. All the villains are threats, because this is great storytelling. They all DO something. And all the transitions between these sequences are fucking mindblowing. They must have started storyboarding this movie when the first Iron Man came out.

This movie makes all the other 17 Marvel films better because it was all worth it. All the bad and underwhelming ones, the disappointing filler and trash, it all led to this. That contrived awful moment in Guardians 2 when Kurt Russell randomly reveals he killed Peter’s mom and THAT’s what sets off the events of the end was dumb. But that at least showed how Peter’s emotions took hold of him, and that plays its part when they almost have Thanos taken down. The father son relationship that Homecoming established with Tony and Peter Parker becomes so emperative to the end.

But it is because of these moments, these moments that could not have possibly existed without 17 other prior films to build to. That ten years of movie going has led us all to. Finally all the stakes are here and fully realized. Almost every scene in Infinity War has some kind of life changing moment. This movie is just that good. It’s all in here, everything you could hope or want to happen, and all that you thought never could. All the risks that Civil War never took are here. This movie takes all the leaps and lays it all out on the line for us, and takes apart all our expectations and pumps our very dreams onto the screen.

And yes, the Marvel humor is mostly always present. But again, it works better here than in other outings. Because the drama is present to match it, and the humor never exists here to undercut the tension like in all other 17 Marvel movies. It is because these characters are funny and funny situations happen. Look how Bruce Banner cannot turn into Hulk again because he’s too scared after being beaten by Thanos. Look how Bruce tries to talk him out while about to fight that wizard guy, and Tony, after just meeting Dr. Strange for the first time, says ,”You’re embarassing me in front of the wizards”. Would Tony Stark really have said anything else here?

You will find with the humor in this movie that is mostly does belong, if not only to misdirect us in a false sense of security before the hammer blow that is the final act of this film. Drax is back and still hilarious, “Do it! I can take it!!” He screams when Iron Man has him pinned at gun point with a gigantic canon. Wait for that moment, it’s fucking amazing comedy. Or how Peter Dinklage shows up as a GIANT DWARF. Yes, a dwarf that is a giant.

And with all the humor, there are epic moments to match it. The endless string of awesome aspects are too many to count. Thor taking on the power of a star to heat the metal that Dinklage needs to forge him a new hammer is as incredible as you think it could be. And teenage Groot cutting off his own arm so that it becomes a handle for Thor’s axe is ONE OF THE COOLEST THINGS I HAVE EVER FUCKING SEEN IN MY LIFE

I believed it all. Thanos was terrifying and real. He was like a villain that could exist in our lives. And always the threat of his presence was felt. His portaling around places is fantastic. And every fight in this movie is heart attack inducing because you don’t know who’s going to die next. Because it’s all real. And that Vision begs Wanda to end his life to destroy the Mind Stone in his forehead hurts. And that she does it hurts even more. And that Thanos uses the Reality Stone to turn back time to undo it hurts even more. And then when he rips it out of Vision’s head and we see his brain circuitry destroyed as he falls dead and blue on the ground I fucking lost it. And how Thor comes in and almost kills Thanos with his axe, driving it slowly in his chest, neglecting to stop his hand, so that when he snaps his fingers you scream.

It may be the best storytelling of all slowly seeing half the Avengers fade away to their deaths. And jesus fucking christ the camera tricking us into thinking the woman in red from Wakanda will die but actually T’Challa does. And as we saw the King of Wakanda’s arm begin to fade in the left side of the screen I couldn’t believe my eyes. And when Peter Parker begins fading in Tony’s arms, crying that he doesn’t want to go, before dying on the ground my eyes flooded as if I had lost my own son. Yes, it is that powerful. That decision, to kill off half the Avengers and superheroes, is legendary. It is what I hoped and begged for to happen, and to happen so well that I would feel something and be changed for it. I have been fortunate to live long enough to see a movie to finally do it. To make me believe in the power of the movies again. To have me excited to tell everyone that this is the movie they MUST see. I will return to the theater many times.

Over and over and over again Infinity War blew my mind. I screamed out loud in the theater multiple times. I applauded and cheered more times than any other movie I have ever seen. I shouted HOLY FUCKING SHIT again and again. This is not a movie for children, even the ones who have recently grown up with the Marvel fare. This is not a film I would suggest a kid younger than 9 or 10 to see. There is enough to scar the adults, save the kids while you can.

As I speak, Infinity War is on track to some $240 million + opening weekend. It is threatening The Force Awakens record of highest opening. It deserves it and so much more. It deserves to be seen many times. No one should have been talking about Civil War when it came out. Now I believe everyone will be talking about Infinity War. I’ve heard whispers that there is a decent portion of the movie going world that doesn’t like this movie. Fuck em. Those are probably the same moronic fanboys who will defend Civil War on deaf ears for the rest of their life. Let them figure out how wrong they are and go see Infinity War AGAIN.

That Thanos succeeds is a game changer. It is what we needed in these times of superhero fatigue. He really is the protagonist of Infinity War, and what an absolutely mindblowing take that is. What guts it took to have him take center stage and murder half the people we’ve come to care for. And after he has won, seeing him smile over a sunset of his new grateful world is perfect. And I thought to myself, there’s no way they’ll end it here because it would be too perfect. And they did, because this movie just keeps on giving. And seeing “Thanos will return” in the end credits broke my heart. We left the theater destroyed and crying, as did the entire audience. Walking out and looking at fellow movie goers in the same state as us was just some kind of rare experience these days. And looking at all the people in line for the next show having no clue what was about to happen to them. These kinds of things don’t happen much anymore. We have to cherish them while we can. A movie like this may never come out again in our lifetimes. I do hope I’m wrong about that as well though. 

You’ll recall I did love the first Avengers movie when it came out in theaters in 2012. That was because it did exactly what it had to, get the team together and fight Loki. Nothing more. After that so many of the phase 2 movies got lazy and did nothing more than the first Avengers movie. Now everything has been done and I genuinely have no idea what is going to happen next. And what an amazing thing that is these days. I’m so happy I’m crying.

Avengers 1 was the movie we wanted. Infinity War is the movie we deserve.