Overall I quite liked it. I’m still processing how good it was in comparison to other Marvel movies but my reactions thus far are positive. More of my thoughts in the spoilers.
What I think was done right:
- Thanos. The directors explored far more of his motivation than I thought they would from the trailers, and I greatly appreciate that. Seeing him shed tears throughout the film gave him something that MCU villains usually lack.
- Wanda (and Vision). I would say the character I was most emotionally attached to in Infinity War was Wanda. The stakes were personal for her and I am glad her character is getting more development through her relationship with Vision.
- Tony and Peter. Once again we see Tony as a protective almost father-figure to Peter. I like that.
What I think was okay:
- The Black Order. Going in I knew nothing about their characters because I hadn’t seen them in any of the movies prior. The way of introducing them suddenly into the plot kind of worked for me but might have been improved. I ended up liking the characters Ebony Maw and Proxima Midnight but the other two felt bland to me.
- The weapon quest. I for one did not know Peter Dinklage was in this film before I saw it. That realization was extremely funny for me, along with the sight gag of him playing a “dwarf” species that was taller than Thor. The quest also brought us a couple of somewhat interesting interactions between Rocket and Thor. However, the time allotted to this subplot may have been better used elsewhere.
- Character interactions. Overall most of interactions and meetings between characters were good but I found some a tad too silly. For example, I did not really appreciate the meeting between Spider-Man and Doctor Strange. Star-Lord’s competition with Thor was almost to that point but it very much fit his character.
- The humor. Generally speaking I didn’t find many of the jokes quite funny. All of the Guardians/Drax jokes have been told before, and many of the other funny interactions were shown off before in trailers and clips. I agree humor is subjective but they could have kept more of it a surprise for the movie, or chosen a more serious overall tone for the film. I am not sure which would have been better.
- Red Skull. When he revealed himself I didn’t get much out of his presence.
What I think could have been improved:
- The introduction. Infinity War just jumps right in to the aftermath of an attack on the Asgardian ship. Then we go right to New York. There was little buildup before the action started. I guess the last 10 years of MCU has been buildup before the action, but still, it felt too sudden. The weapon quest could have been shortened to allow more rising action
- Sacrifices. Infinity War kills off about half of our heroes, so you know that they can’t stay dead for long. That took a bit of the emotion out of the ending for me. This also makes it pretty easy to predict some of the major plot elements for Avengers 4.
- It just doesn’t stand alone. This kind of goes with the intro being too sudden for me, but I have to consider how little sense this would make to those new to the MCU. You really need to know all of the film details and post credit scene details to understand and recognize what is happening in the film.
On a side note, with how well this flim is being received, I am concerned that Ant Man and the Wasp will be judged too harshly by viewers with significantly raised expectations. I for one am very much looking forward to seeing the Ant Man sequel as he was absent from Infinity War and I hope the movie fares well.
