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Avengers - Infinity War

Started by Judgedreddrocks, 27 April, 2018, 10:54:04 AM

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Timothy

I enjoyed it, but thought it was a little too space-based. I know that destroying New York is a little overused in MCU, but more earth-based action would have allowed for more civilian involvement which I think would have been a bonus.

Also disappointed that there was only the one secret ending.

Mardroid

I really enjoyed it too, although I agree with previous comment that [spoiler]a few permanent deaths would be preferable to a multitude of temporary ones. It seems certain that someone is going to make use of that time stone and do a rewind, or some other such thing,[/spoiler]. Still, let's see how it pans out.

I think the only real issue I have with the film was that [spoiler]while it provided some genuinely amusing moments, Hulk is not a coward. Banner will fight but Hulk won't? I understand, Hulk is a powerhouse, and would probably beat each of Thanos's top warriors, so I guess they wanted him out of the picture for a while to raise the stakes, but I wish they'd found a way to do it that was in character. Sure, I can believe Thanos himself could beat him (which he did). But if he isn't rendered unconscious or killed outright, isn't he the type who would just keep coming?[/spoiler]

TordelBack

#32
I thought the idea of Thanos [spoiler]effortlessly kicking the ass of the Strongest One There Is and in the process reducing the bombastic Hulk to a frightened kid[/spoiler] was pretty inspired, leaving aside the plot advantages of holding back the big gun until the concluding part.  If the Hulk is driven by anger and passion and is essentially Banner's id given form, it makes sense that he could also be dominated by primal fear that Banner's superego is otherwise able to suppress.  I liked it!  Plus, y'know, performance issues/impotence jokes for the ladies.

As to civilian involvement, these were big parts of both Avengers 1 and 2, and even Civil War - I have no problem with this one shifting its focus fully to the vast and colourful spandex cast, apart from[spoiler] the end-credit scene[/spoiler].  Gotta make choices.  And again I suspect that there will be more attention paid to the impact of events on the ordinary joes of the universe next time, [spoiler]now the worst has actually happened[/spoiler].  Putting down a marker that the time gem [spoiler]will not be a big part of any solution, except possibly as part of the (now destroyed?) gauntlet itself[/spoiler].

Jim_Campbell

The spoilerific "Who will make it out alive after Avengers 4?" speculation sub-thread:

[spoiler]Cap: one way or another is a cert to go — obviously, since Evans has said he's not doing it any more. His contribution the MCU is so (rightly) well thought of that I think the character will have to stay dead for a while before they can wormhole/alternate dimension/whatever in a re-cast Steve Rogers.

Thor: it seems fairly obvious to me that Thor's story is over. Plus he's now (rightly — I'm not suggesting this is a mistake) the by far the most powerful hero in the MCU. Of all the characters they might kill off, Thor would provide the most rounded, complete arc. Since he's a god, it's not a huge stretch to imagine that he might be reborn (and thus recast) a few years down the line.

Banner/Hulk: I'd actually be surprised if they kill off Banner. Ruffalo is good value and the legal wrangles that keep Hulk as a guest star in other movies mean that a continuing presence in the MCU wouldn't be too onerous a burden on the actor, plus he's not required to maintain a punishing physical regimen to play the role. Also, we're on our third Banner, so Ruffalo is probably the easiest to recast if they had to.

Stark/Iron Man: despite some hints/foreshadowing, I think they'll probably keep Stark around to provide a link to the early MCU big hitters. It's not difficult to imagine a lower-key Stark guesting in future MCU films as a mover/fixer/handy plot advancer. And, again, it's a less physically demanding role than Cap or Thor, so less taxing on the actor.

I think they'll probably want a couple of extra scalps to round out the bodycount. I suspect Hawkeye won't make it — I like him, but they've always struggled to find stuff for him to do. I also think they may write out Black Widow. If they're not going to give Johannson a solo movie, it may be time. If they need an analogue further down the line, they can always draft another ass-kicking female character from the comics, or even just introduce another Black Widow from the same training programme.

I'd be sorry, but not surprised, if Vision stays dead. He's never really managed to be more than a plot point, and he's also insanely powerful, to the degree that writers will constantly have to find ways around him.[/spoiler]

Ooh. This is fun! :-)
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JOE SOAP

#34
Quote from: Mardroid on 30 April, 2018, 03:15:39 AMI think the only real issue I have with the film was that [spoiler]while it provided some genuinely amusing moments, Hulk is not a coward. Banner will fight but Hulk won't? I understand, Hulk is a powerhouse, and would probably beat each of Thanos's top warriors, so I guess they wanted him out of the picture for a while to raise the stakes, but I wish they'd found a way to do it that was in character. Sure, I can believe Thanos himself could beat him (which he did). But if he isn't rendered unconscious or killed outright, isn't he the type who would just keep coming?[/spoiler]

I think it's a spot-on turn for the juvenile Hulk portrayed in Ragnarok: Hulk at this point is like a big show-off teenager who just got a whuppin' and won't leave his bedroom to come out and play with his friends - I get the impression Hulk is almost a separately defined alter-ego who could be slowly aging and maturing inside Banner; so we can look forward to mid-life crisis Hulk in the future.


TordelBack

#35
Responding to the Jim's spoilerific actuarial tables:

[spoiler]Cap: I'd be sorry to see him go, since there's loads of mileage left in the character, but it does seem contractually inevitable. As long as they don't sub in the persistently dull Bucky I could live with it (maybe the marginally less dull Sam Wilson instead?).

Hulk: never happen, he's too perfect an iteration, and just too much fun to have around.

Hawkeye: could go either way.

Thor: I suspect Thor will retire from heroing to re-found Asgard in the fresh pastures post-Infinity War universe. Maybe we could have the divine Tessa Thompson's Valkyrie instead.  No idea what the deal is with Loki.

Iron Man: it would be entirely apt for Tony to go out with a bang, but I suspect a final retirement for Iron Man and happily ever after for Tony and Pepper might play better.  As noted above, the nanobot version of Iron Man is now basically Green Lantern, apparently capable of creating anything on the fly, which takes away from his engineering roots and I imagine makes him hard to write around - not one "power at 25% and falling, boss" this time out either, I note.

Black Widow: can Nat retire?  I think she needs to go on, we haven't seen enough from her yet, and her relationships with Hulk and Hawkeye give a bit of heart to the team.

Vision: don't care one way or t'other.  Seems like a reasonably apt casualty to leave dead. 

Wanda: much as I enjoy watching Olsen on screen, is there much more for her to do, beyond some kind of a post-Vision Dark Phoenix/No More Mutants type deal?

Gamorra: really hope the soul gem exchange works two ways, way too good a character to lose from the most fun team of the whole MCU. Thanos is really her story, so it would be appropriate for this to be her actual end, but more than any other death I would hate to see her go.[/spoiler]


JamesC

Whatever happens in the furture I think we need some sort of link to a higher authority / Earth government (be it SHIELD or whoever). Seems with Sam Jackson also at end of contract it has to be either Hawkeye, Black Widow, Rhodey, Sam Wilson or Captain Marvel.

Dandontdare

Saw this yesterday and need to see it again (and again, and again), my head's still spinning. They've managed to pull off the almost impossible task of successfully juggling so many characters and plot threads without acres of exposition or confusion. Mainstream critics' biggest issue seems to be a) if you haven't seen the other MCU films, you wouldn't know who anyone is or what's going on; and b) they're shamelessly milking the franchise by not giving us a conclusion - the correct response to both being "well, DUH!"

Too many cool bits to mention - [spoiler]"we've got a Hulk", the banter between Quill and Stark, teenage Groot (I 'd had more than enough of cutesy baby Groot), Red Skull, the post credit teaser (shame it'll be Carole Danvers rather than the original Mar-vell, but still cool)[/spoiler]

Prize for the most bizarre accent of the year has to go to Peter Dinklage trying to do posh-mystical.

I agree that [spoiler]Dr Strange has some timey-wimey plot up his (wizard's) sleeve and that the "disappeared" characters will all come back - Loki and Vision seem pretty conclusively dead though.[/spoiler]

What a decade it's been - THAT's how you do it, DC!

Jim_Campbell

Quote from: TordelBack on 30 April, 2018, 11:41:29 AM
Responding to the Jim's spoilerific actuarial tables:

[spoiler]
Gamorra: really hope the soul gem exchange works two ways, way too good a character to lose from the most fun team of the whole MCU. Thanos is really her story, so it would be appropriate for this to be her actual end, but more than any other death I would hate to see her go.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]Yeah. I think this is the one that worries me most, to my surprise. As you say, it's certainly appropriate to the story, but I'm not sure how GotG3 would play out without her.[/spoiler]
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JOE SOAP



Not that it bothers me but I think Marvel will want to reverse the inevitable comments about [spoiler]'fridging' Gamorra[/spoiler].


GordonR

Quote from: JamesC on 30 April, 2018, 11:54:40 AM
Whatever happens in the furture I think we need some sort of link to a higher authority / Earth government (be it SHIELD or whoever). Seems with Sam Jackson also at end of contract it has to be either Hawkeye, Black Widow, Rhodey, Sam Wilson or Captain Marvel.

I think the clue there might have been the Captain Marvel star emblem on the device's screen...

Although Hawkeye - aka The Most Useless Avenger - would certainly be the guy to call in to save half the universe.

radiator

I'm pretty confident that [spoiler]Gamora is dead dead. The will they/won't they situation with Star Lord and her pretty much got resolved in this movie, and having a grief-stricken, bitter, washed up Quill in GotG3 has a lot more dramatic potential than having them be together. Plus, with Nebula and Mantis joining, the Guardians lineup was getting a bit too big by the end of Vol 2 - I suspect they'll want to mix things up a bit for the next one.[/spoiler]

Time for full on spoiler thread?

matty_ae

According to BoxOfficeMojo, Avengers Infinity War made more money domestically in its first weekend than Justice League did in its entire run.

I think that is an astonishing feat that really shows how many more people wanted to see this movie rather than the DC equivalent.


TordelBack

#43
I didn't really see [spoiler]Gamorra's death as fridging in the classic sense, as it was her own actions (confronting Thanos, saving Nebula) and very much her own story of moral rebellion that brought her to her death - Peter's reactions were largely incidental, rather than being the point of her death (as they would be in classic fridging), and Thanos acted despite their relationship, even if it was his love for her that made the sacrifice possible[/spoiler].

I also think [spoiler]Gamorra is far more essential to the success of the GotG setup than any role as Peter's will-they-won't-they: she's the only sane one, despite her background, the rational foil for all the freaks and nutjobs around her - her frustration with her companions' buffoonery is what drives much of the humour, and much of the conflict. Seeing her gradually soften and even dance has been charming, and separate to her relationship with Peter, and I'd hate to see it end [/spoiler] I suppose Nebula could serve that function, but thus far her ongoing bitterness and endless snarling lumps her in with the rest. 

Mattofthespurs

Ant Man and Wasp and Captain Marvel (as hinted at) will, imo, add some deeper back story to all of this and provide a catalyst to the final Avengers movie.

It ain't over 'til it's over and it's at least 9 hours I reckon until it's over.

On the film itself...Too long. The editing between [spoiler]the two final battles[/spoiler] could, and possibly should, have been much tighter. Whilst I loved the opening 80 minutes I got a bit bored during the finale, or the finale to the finale.

The writing was way up there in the opening but lagged seriously at the end. I still enjoyed the film but I really think with a better editor (and less pandering to all the stars) it could have been much tighter. But that's just me (who thinks films are running far too long nowadays).

It was also quite jarring, and obvious, that this was a jigsaw film in the regards that we knew, from very early on, that some characters were filmed with others, and never the twain shall meet, which was a shame.

It did feel more like GotG 3 more than anything else, and that's not a bad thing as those were the best parts imo although I was disappointed they made Quill [spoiler]out to be the moron. Yeah, I know, but after taking the piss out of him for an hour it seemed churlish to have him fuck things up in that way[/spoiler]

All minor complaints I have to add. To see these characters over something like 15 films has been a joy I never thought I would see. 7/10 for me.