Avengers: Infinity War

Wow!  Just…wow!

 

So much has gone through my mind in the last twenty-four hours, both during the movie and hours after leaving the theater, and I’m already planning a second viewing of this third chapter of the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes—Avengers: Infinity War.  The film is epic, both in running time and the scope of the story—where it goes and how it divides up the team of superheroes…this movie is immensely marvelous.

 

I’ve got to say, I had my doubts, yet had my expectations set pretty high, because that’s where this film had to go to impress me.  With the first teaming back in 2012, I had been let down a bit with the follow-up—Age of Ultron—and, to put it in James Cameron’s recent idiom, was starting to give audiences “Superhero Fatigue.”  But this new film certainly put that uneasiness to rest and shut down Cameron’s foolish projection, as we now have a bar set so high that any chapter of the Marvel Studios films is going to have a tough time reaching.

 

As each trailer was released—and even the leaked Comic Con footage—on the internet, I’ve indulged myself to those short vignettes multiple times just to satisfy my craving for the upcoming film.  As I was sitting in the theater yesterday, waiting through the few trailers they showed before the main feature, I wanted to scream out for the projectionist (Is there actually still a person up there in that little room?) to play the movie already!  But the time arrived, the lights dimmed, and the movie started.  About two hours and thirty minutes later, I sat awestruck and eager for more.

 

So, with all that expressed, let me give you the film’s breakdown from Marvel Studios…

 

As the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, a new danger has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos.  A despot of intergalactic infamy, his goal is to collect all six Infinity Stones, artifacts of unimaginable power, and use them to inflict his twisted will on all of reality.  Everything the Avengers have fought for has led up to this moment—the fate of Earth and existence itself has never been more uncertain.

 

Of course, I’m going to be very careful not to spoil the plot, the surprises, the ending, nor will I describe the after credits scene.  Full disclosure, however, I am a Marvel Comics fanboy and will gush over certain superheroes featured throughout this film.  If you still feel this may spoil the film for you, or if you want to go into this movie fresh without any info whatsoever (which I recommend), please stop reading and come on back after you see it.

 

With that out of the way, let’s talk about Avengers: Infinity War.

 

Written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (who have both teamed to write a few other Marvel Studios films in the last five or six years), these men gave us a fantastic story to follow along.  They must have an Infinity Stone of their own (the ‘Scribe Stone’ perhaps?) but they’ve given us a few wonderful stories out of the oeuvre of Marvel superhero films we’ve seen thus far. 

 

Many of you who have picked and chosen certain movies out of the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and have not seen every single movie from the litany of their superhero flicks may be asking yourselves if one would need to see all or any of the movies preceding this one.  I’d say that if you have an idea of which hero is which and know a semblance of their origins, you might be okay with going into this cold.  Probably the only confusion one may have is at the start of this film and how it kicks into gear.  Thinking about that, I may be inclined to say that you should at least watch the very entertaining Thor: Ragnarok, especially waiting until the first of the rolling credits to see what happens.  However, it’s probably best to experience all the movies—in order of release—before you go and see Avengers: Infinity War.  But if you just can’t manage to sit through around thirty-six hours of superhero cinema, you can watch a recap in about fifteen minutes right here.

 

As each Marvel film has shown, whether during its main story or as an after credits scene, something big was coming with some very high stakes involved.  Especially the scene that was featured after the credits rolled for Age of Ultron, we knew Thanos (voiced by Josh Brolin) was finally going to show and make it a gamechanger, and it was no secret that this film was going to feature him as the main antagonist.  From the previous films’ teasers to the trailers for this film, we all knew that Thanos was going to be a force the Avengers were going to have to reckon with…and boy, is he ever that force in this!

 

Although it’s not my favorite format to watch a film (I still think it’s a gimmick that has ran its course for far too long), the 3D wasn’t too bad and it didn’t induce a headache like most 3D films usually do.  In fact, I kind of liked the Marvel logo that slides in-and-out in the beginning of the film that finishes with Captain America flinging his shield toward the camera…that wasn’t too shabby.  But for the rest of the film, it really did nothing to make the movie better.  I found myself during some of the darker scenes wanting to take the glasses off so I could have a clearer and brighter view of what was going on, so you’re going to want to see this in standard viewing form.

 

The Avengers fanfare is back to start off this flick with Alan Silvestri back in the composer’s chair to give us a great soundtrack to back our heroes.  He was certainly missed in the previous entry of Age of Ultron where Danny Elfman and Brian Tyler took up that spot for some reason.  I’ve gushed over Silvestri many times before because of the memorable movies for which he’s composed music.  Films such as Back to the Future, Predator, Forrest Gump, and most recently, Ready Player One are some of his memorable ones.

 

As for screen time each actor is given within this story, one would think it’d be an impossibility to allot them all ample time, but it wasn’t.  Counting the main characters in the cast listing—and that’s the main heroes without counting their righthand guards, fellow sorcerers, significant others, etc.—was upwards of around thirty.  But if you want to include the rest of the characters that are noteworthy and substantial, you’re probably looking at around sixty.  No one is shortchanged and everybody has a role to play in this epic parable.

 

The directing team of Anthony and Joe Russo do a fantastic job of taking this huge task and giving us such a beautiful superhero flick.  It’s a comic book geek’s dream—I should know—and seeing how they took charge of the second and third Captain America films, you can see why this worked so well.  But it’s more than that…it surpassed my expectations, surprised the hell out of me in one scene as I think I left my jaw on the floor of that movie theater last night, and, at the end of the film, I haven’t felt this way since I saw The Empire Strikes Back way back in 1980.  What I mean by that is that I’ve never felt the need to see what comes next in any movie since.

 

As I spoke to some colleagues of mine who partook in this outing last night, we discussed what we saw for a few minutes after the film, standing in the lobby of the theater as the next batch of moviegoers were flowing in to see the next showing of the movie.  During the discussion, I couldn’t help comparing this film to its predecessor, Age of Ultron, noting how much down time that film had with a few lulls…especially the scenes featured in Hawkeye’s house.  But Avengers: Infinity War has no such breaks or screeching halts.  It may seem that way at times, but it always ends up with some action that helps out the plot.  And that’s the thing about this flick, as opposed to some of the other Marvel films, there are no action scenes for action scenes’ sake, only action that helps the plot move along.

 

Besides the serious tones in this film—and there are quite a bit—additionally, you’ll see some very funny moments at times.  Though it’s nothing like the laugh-a-minute romp that Thor: Ragnarok had been, this film has quite a few laughs that had the crowd cracking up.  I mean, ten years ago, would you have believed we’d see a film with a God of Thunder teaming up with a living tree and a talking raccoon?

 

Though every main character has their own introduction into certain points within this plot, there are a few that just caused everyone to clap and cheer as they were shown up on the screen.

 

I won’t get into the scene or spoil anything—as I’m nervously trying my best as I write this—but when Captain America (Chris Evans) is shown for the first time in this film, it is monumental, eliciting quite a bit of applause from the packed house.  Now sporting a beard and some longer locks, he’s now a gruffer Cap, without his shield (which you would’ve known if you’d seen Captain America: Civil War) but just as strong and agile as he’s ever been.    

 

Now I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Spider-Man and loved the fact that Sony finally came to their senses to allow the inclusion of the character to the rightful owners when he made his MCU debut in Captain America: Civil War. Though I’m iffy on his first MCU outing in Spider-Man: Homecoming, I felt that the character has finally come into his own and shined when he was on screen.  Tom Holland fully embodies the young hero and gets his due screen time in this extravaganza.  As with Captain America’s entrance, we get the same from Tom Holland’s arrival, which is seen in the movie’s trailer.  But he’s definitely more of a webslinger here, seemingly getting the hang of his powers and agility, and when he jumps into action at the start, it’s…amazing.

 

Another favorite of mine is Hulk.  Growing up, I’ve enjoyed some of the cartoons, positively loved the CBS series in the late 70s with Lou Ferrigno donning the green paint and shredded pants, and I still enjoy the 2003 film starring Eric Bana.  Since his appearance in the first Avengers film, his appearance—voiced and motion captured by Mark Ruffalo—has been the best adaptations of the character.  Once again, I won’t spoil the inclusion of his character to the story, but Hulk’s scenes are sure to shock you.

 

Without writing a book, you’ll have to believe me that they’re all here, all with equal or at least a meaningful amount of time in the film, giving it their all, battling like you’ve never seen them battle before.  The risks are deadly, the fights are felt, because these heroes are up against something that they’ve never been up against before in their life.  You’ll feel their pain, their aguish, their dilemmas.  At the same time, there is so much humor, unlikely comradery…it is so much fun and adventurous…this is an Avengers movie like you’ve never seen before.

 

Before I make a mistake and write something a little too revealing about the plot, let me give you my final “bit” on Avengers: Infinity War.

 

A great example of what a superhero film should be is what I’d watched last night.  I hate to compare Marvel Studios to Warner Bros., but the execs over there have got to be pulling their hair out as they try to understand how their rival comic book moviemakers are kicking ass at putting these superheroes up on the screens.  Any other studio should just pack it up and give up because Marvel Studios have got what it takes and must have the greatest moviemaking strategies ever conceived.  But besides all that, this movie is excellent and the Russo brothers have got a difficult task ahead of them in trying to top what they’ve accomplished so far.  Avengers: Infinity War is funny, action-packed, full of story, and will leave you wanting more when that screen goes black and the credits roll.  The good news is that we don’t have to wait the normal two- to three-year gap before they get the next movie released—the next one is coming out next year.  Not only that, but Ant-Man and the Wasp is set to arrive on July 6^th and Captain Marvel on March 8^th of 2019.  Also coming to theaters near you, though not exactly part of the MCU, is Deadpool 2 on May 17^th and Venom on October 5^th.  So, fear not, comic book fans, there are quite a few other films to satiate your appetite until next year.  For now, go out there, see this film, don’t let anybody spoil it for you, and thank me later.

 

However, I thank you for reading!

 

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The Belko Experiment

As always, searching through Netflix’s titles for something I’ve never seen before, I came across The Belko Experiment as it had a very high rating average from other members.  Seeing that it was categorized as being in the horror genre, it piqued my interest enough for me to look it up and to read up on it. 

 

The first name that caught my eye was the name of James Gunn.  Many of you may know that name of the man who brought a little-known Marvel Comics property to the screen in a film called Guardians of the Galaxy, but I also remember him as the director for a pretty good throwback horror flick—Slither.  Gunn has also been a very successful writer of screenplays, such as Scooby-Doo, Dawn of the Dead (2004), Super, as well as the two—soon to be three—Guardians of the Galaxy films.  After seeing him attached to this title, I figured it’d be somewhat entertaining.

 

Although Greg McLean’s name didn’t ring a bell when I saw his name attached as director, I soon found out he was the director of a couple of Aussie horror flicks that I thoroughly enjoyed—Wolf Creek and Wolf Creek 2.

 

Along with a few familiar names in the cast, I decided to have this disc sent to me to watch, and so I added The Belko Experiment to my queue and awaited its arrival.

 

Let me synopsize the film with the help of IMDb’s plot summary…

 

In a twisted social experiment, eighty Americans are locked in their high-rise corporate office in Bogotá, Colombia, and ordered by an unknown voice coming from the company’s intercom system to participate in a deadly game of kill or be killed.

 

From the start of this film, it had me interested, having all the characters introduced as exposition is given about how they all—as most of them are Americans—took this awesome job in South America, working for this American governmental building in the middle of nowhere.  But that’s when the uneasiness begins, especially when they notice there is a bit more security on this particular day as they’re all being checked in systematically upon entering the company’s grounds. 

 

Of course, this movie comes with the understanding that you’re going to need to suspend disbelief a bit—as most films of this caliber.  Certain features of the film might make you laugh at how absurd it is, but some aspects might make you ask yourself would you do the same if you were in the position of the characters on screen.  I’d give an example, but I really don’t want to ruin any of the surprises or shocks this movie will present to you upon first viewing.  All in all, as the synopsis above will tell you, this is a story about a deadly group test to see who has the best survival instinct.

 

So…what can I tell you?

 

Although most of the characters are cookie-cutter and run-of-the-mill clichés of your average good guy/bad guys, they still give you faces to root for and others to jeer.  Even though the subject matter is pretty serious, there’s always room for the comic relief which is brought forth in the shape of Sean Gunn as he plays Marty, the stoner employee of the Belko Corporation.  Some of the dialogue he delivers is pretty funny and alleviates the tension in some of the scenes.

 

Now the main character of Mike, John Gallagher Jr., was someone who I didn’t know at all and wondered why they’d have an unrecognizable actor in the lead.  When reading up on him, I realized that I did see him in a couple of other films—Hush and 10 Cloverfield Lane—but he really wasn’t the center of attention in any of those movies, so he never really left an impression on me.  But as the film went along, it became clear that the story needed him to be the regular-everyday-good-guy that felt a moral obligation to save whoever he can rather than taking the easy way out.

 

In watching this movie, it basically asks you a theoretical question: What would you do in this situation?  You’re stuck in this building, with no way out, and you’re given a choice to kill other people to save yourself.  It’s a tough dilemma, that’s for sure.

 

Now, Tony Goldwyn plays Barry, the manager of the employees and, at first, plays it as the protagonist, trying to have everybody remain calm and to reassure them that they’ll all make it through this.  Seeing him in this capacity surprised me as I can’t help but remember him as the antagonist in Ghost opposite Patrick Swayze.  Sure enough, however, after it’s apparent that the only means of escape is to do what the voice over the intercom tells them to do, he turns into the nemesis we all know he’s destined to be. Also along for the ride in the bad guy train is John C. McGinley as Wendell.  Both men are portrayed as former military and have an edge over everybody else in their experience with combat and taking the offensive.

 

You’ll see Michael Rooker in this as Bud the maintenance guy and although he really doesn’t play into the plot, it’s good to see a James Gunn alum involved here.

 

What’s my final “bit” on The Belko Experiment?

 

Overall, the movie is a lot of fun and will hold your interest throughout, especially to see what will be the outcome of all this.  I guess this film can be categorized as a thriller—not really a horror film, but it does have it’s bloody moments.  When the gore hits, it’s pretty wild and shocking, coming out of left field and upping the ante.  The few main characters go through quite a bit in this film and you can totally understand what they’re all going through, wondering if you’d have the audacity to do the unthinkable or the moral obligation to do what’s right.  The Belko Experiment will definitely make you think twice if you’re ever offered a government job in a country outside of the United States.  Check this one out, you’ll really enjoy it.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

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