I watched The Avengers: Infinity War and... it was a lot. My daughter said I was going to "poop" when I saw it, and she was crying like a baby at the end (Groot, Spider-Man). I didn't, but I've been thinking about it most of last night and this morning (which sucks, because I have a presentation to do later this morning).
It was a lot. I know too much, in a sense, so I know some things have to change, but for the life of me I have no idea how they're going to get there.
I will say, Thanos is a better character than I thought he was going to be. I don't know if it's just because I'm surprised at how good the effects were, or the degree to which they developed his motivations (compared to his previous appearances) but it was solid. I haven't watched any of the movies a second time yet (except for the first two, just because I watched them so long ago) but this may be the first.
Infinity War is my favorite MCU film. Endgame is close. But Infinity War is SO good on so many levels. Endgame does quite a few things arguably even better, including huge emotional impact. The only small issue I have (no spoilers--don't worry), which others will likely agree with, is that it...let's just say it pushes the envelope a bit farther in terms of having to suspend belief. Not a huge issue. But it goes just far enough that it gets the #2 spot rather than the #1 (and Spiderman: Homecoming is my #3).
Yeah, it is "a lot." In many ways. In terms of plot alone, it does SO MUCH, and has so many characters and so many settings. And yet, it doesn't really feel rushed or feel like they shortchanged any of the storylines. Yes, it moves at a breakneck pace. But that pace serves the story rather than detracting from it. It feels like it needs to move at a breakneck pace because that is what Thanos would be doing under the circumstances.
And yeah, Thanos is a great character. Infinity War really is his movie. The only character that comes close in terms of character arc in this film alone is Thor. But everything centers on Thanos. And to me, it is fascinating that probably the best and most significant feeling relationships in this movie all seem to revolve around Thanos. The two biggest and perhaps most obvious are Thor's relationship with Thanos and Tony's relationship with Thanos. Both Thor and Tony are driven because of what Thanos has done and is doing. But to a lesser extent, that is true of a lot of other characters as well, even those who maybe didn't really even know about Thanos before the events of this film. Gamorrah, Starlord, Nebula, Drax, Vision, Wanda... All were driven, to a great extent, either by a direct past relationship with Thanos or by things he did in the past that they discovered him to be behind in this film. It was really done quite brilliantly.
I was most moved by the Thanos/Gamorrah scene. And while I didn't cry, it seemed the most... real. I have no real belief that Dr. Strange's (my favorite MCU character) fate is final, but maybe Gamorrah's is, so it felt more emotional. Don't tell me, but I'm still struggling with her asking Quill for a "favor", based on something SHE knew and Thanos didn't. I'm not sure I've sussed all that out yet.
Gamora was a real stand-out for me in IW, just as much as Thanos was. Their scenes were some of the most engaging in the film, both at Nowhere (RIP Collector) and at Vormir. And speaking of Vormir, what did you think of the return of the Red Skull? Sadly, he wasn't portrayed by Hugo Weaving, but Ross Marquand did a great job bringing the character back into the MCU. I hope he pops up again, maybe in a future Cap movie!
Given how un-busy my summer is going to be this year, I've planned out a massive MCU re-watch starting in late June, to coincide with the release of Black Widow. Assuming the film has Thursday night preview showings on July 8th, here's what my schedule will be for the MCU re-watch, featuring just the films at the Disney+ shows:
6/24 - Iron Man
6/25 - The Incredible Hulk
6/26 - Iron Man 2
6/27 - Thor
6/28 - Captain America: The First Avenger
6/29 - Avengers
6/30 - Iron Man 3
7/1 - Thor: The Dark World
7/2 - Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 1
7/3 - Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2
7/4 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Happy Independence Day!!!)
7/5 - Avengers: Age Of Ultron
7/6 - Ant-Man
7/7 - Captain America: Civil War
7/8 - Black Widow
7/9 - Black Panther
7/10 - Spider-Man: Homecoming
7/11 - Doctor Strange
7/12 - Thor: Ragnarok
7/13 - Avengers: Infinity War
7/14 - And-Man & The Wasp
7/15 - Captain Marvel
7/16 - Avengers: Endgame
7/17 - WandaVision (Episodes 1-5)
7/18 - WandaVision (Episodes 6-9)
7/19 - The Falcon And The Winter Soldier (Episodes 1-3)
7/20 - The Falcon And The Winter Soldier (Episodes 4-6)
7/21 - Spider-Man: Far From Home
And depending on the timeline of the show (which might be irrelevant), Loki might come before WandaVision, or after Spider-Man: FFH. Either way, it'll get a re-watch later this summer, definitely before What If...? starts airing, which is supposedly in August at some point.
It's been a couple of years since I've watched most of these films, back when I rewatched them all after Endgame came out, but before/during the release of Far From Home. I think I timed my rewatch schedule around the BD release of Endgame (which would've been around August 2019 I think). Of course, if I happened to have work or am busy otherwise, all dates are subject to change and shuffling, though I do want to try and catch up to Civil War by July 7th so I can be fresh for Black Widow that weekend. And if I am up for it, I'll be sure to post my thoughts on these films as I revisit them!
-Marc.