As comic book superhero movies go, this one seems like the ultimate (but probably isn’t; the next one, which will wrap up the Thanos thread, probably will be even bigger). Not only do we have the regular Avengers, but some ancillary characters, people we thought were dead and gone, plus the Guardians of the Galaxy! I thought I might need a scorecard in order to keep track of everybody. And then the ending comes . . .
Anthony Russo and Joe Russo’s film is episodic and nihilistic: the Avengers are basically disbanded and are not communicating, which allows Thanos (James Brolin) to raid Earth to collect the final Infinity Stones, which will give him the power to control time and reality and eliminate half the population of the planet to achieve “balance.” Meanwhile, Iron Man, Black Widow, Thor, Black Panther and all the other cool superheroes try to get their act together to slow him down.
While the plotting raises as many questions as it answers, I must admit that I do like Thanos as a character. He’s a thoughtful madman, a cruel man with a dastardly plan, and a sculpted chin from which I couldn’t look away. I don’t really understand why he cares so much about saving civilizations from overpopulation, but his methodology needs some tweaking.
Other superhero movies suffer from the sheer invincibility of their heroes; no matter what the foe or the necessary personal sacrifice, we believe they will triumph. That is simply not so in this movie, which adds considerable gravitas to its drama. I’m still not sold that so many of these characters won’t be coming back; if Thanos can control time and reality then the remaining Avengers will probably be able to do so in the next movie, too, when they eventually defeat him. But what a dramatic ride!
Despite my antipathy for this type of fantasy I found myself involved and engrossed. When Thor finally arrives on Earth and slams his hammer down in the midst of battle and the music roars triumphantly, I even felt a thrill or two. I laughed quite a bit, too, especially early on. And the protracted ending has a power that I would not have expected. Wow. ☆ ☆ ☆. 22 May 2018.