It’s a love/hate thing with myself and the superhero movie. The first movie I ever viewed as a kid was Superman III (which featured Richard Pryor falling off of a skyscraper with skis, not being saved by Superman, and landing unharmed due to said skis). I’ve lived through the cheesy-but-good Flash Gordon’s and the gothic noir of the Batman’s. The grim and grittiness of the Spawn’s and Blade’s, and the genre’s renaissance with the Dark Knight’s, Spiderman’s and Iron Man’s. It’s a genre coming off the peak of its powers and is now fully implementing the “team up era” that began with The Avengers and is now being put to the pace with DC’s Justice League and Marvel’s own films like Ragnarok and Civil War.
One of the drawbacks to the “team-up” superhero film can be a convoluted mess of backstory and continuity that can become a headache for some viewers unless executed properly. Well, I am happy to report that not only does Avengers 3 manage to keep the backstories from being a distraction, but it also succeeds in making every scene as epic as possible for maximum dramatic payoff. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and the rest of the Avengers (plus the Guardians of the Galaxy) unite to battle their most powerful enemy yet—the evil Thanos (Josh Brolin). Whether it’s watching the Hulk go to battle with Thanos, laughing at Star-Lord’s (Chris Pratt) inferiority complex, or following Thanos and Gomora’s (Zoe Saldana) quest for the Soul Stone, this film is filled to the brim with epic scenes that are paced perfectly and composed masterfully, each one leading us to the awesome conclusion.
Not only is this peak “team up”, this is peak Marvel cinematic universe. The co-directors, Anthony and Joe Russo, have been a huge benefactor from Marvel’s film machine. They seem to embrace the set pieces and galaxial sci-fi settings necessary for this film after giving us the more earth-bound thrills of Winter Soldier and Civil War. Not only has their trademark storytelling continued to evolve, but the humor in this film is timed very well (a nod to both Whedon’s work in the first Avengers film and Favreau’s Iron Man) and lets the movie avoid taking itself too seriously.
All-in-all, if I may be so bold to claim, Avengers: Infinity War could well be the biggest cinematic, pop-culture home run since The Empire Strikes Back. Marvel is alive and well and pulling the superhero genre along with it.
About the Pop Culturalist Contributor, Charles
Charles is an independent filmmaker based in New York City. His favorite films include 2001: A Space Odyssey, Husbands and Wives, Taxi Driver, El Topo, and The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.
Photo Credit: Marvel Studios
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