Day 117 of the challenge! The day finally arrived! After years of waiting for it, we all finally got to see Avengers: Infinity War, and it miraculously manages to live up to all the hype. Infinity War is one of those movies that (on paper) shouldn't work. It's a movie that assumes you're familiar with 18 prior movies, features dozens of different characters from those other 18 movies, and has the burden of somehow connecting those plot threads into (part 1 of) one giant finale.
It all works here. Infinity War manages to fit all of that into a brisk (but not at all rushed) story that lets you savor all the character moments scattered throughout while building on (and in some cases, concluding) past character arcs. The most surprising aspect of Infinity War though, has to be the attention given to Thanos, the big (BIG) bad that's been built up since we first saw him at the end of The Avengers. With the exception of Loki and Killmonger, Marvel has had difficulty developing interesting villains (remember Malekith? It's ok...most people don't either). Rest assured though, there's no quest for power just for the sake of power here.
Infinity War is just as much Thanos's movie as it is an Avengers one, giving him a well developed backstory and emotional motivation that (on some dark level) makes you feel there might be some sense to his madness. This is how Infinity War manages to shine so brightly. Every aspect of the film is fueled by Thanos's relation to or affect on the other characters, making you really feel what's at stake. And make no mistake, the stakes are real this time.
People that complain about Marvel movies being too jokey or happy are in for a surprise here. This film isn't afraid to go dark, and boy does it go dark (children were ugly crying in my particular showtime by the time the credits rolled). When a beloved character dies (yes, plenty of heroes die in this one), you feel the gravity of it, and the film doesn't let you forget it so easily. But I feel I'm starting to get a little to spoilery. I'll go ahead and just wrap up by saying Infinity War is a one of a kind superhero movie that may or may not be your cup of tea. If you've been invested in the MCU since the first Iron Man in 2008, you're in for a helluva ride. If not, you should still have a good time. Don't forget the tissues.