?'Avengers: Infinity War' successfully balances sky-high expectations with its own creative integrity

Since October 2014, when Marvel Studios first announced its third Avengers installment, its community of fans and the rest of Hollywood has been anticipating this ambitious endeavor. With over 20 starring cast members, the film had the monumental task of satisfying fans with a momentary conclusion to the critically and financially successful universe.

“Avengers: Infinity War” delivers on all fronts, with a once again stellar cast of actors, a necessary villain who steals the film and twists that no fan theories could have predicted.

Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, the film is a culmination of the past ten years of Marvel Studios productions. First teased after the credits of 2012’s “The Avengers,” the mad titan Thanos aims to collect the infinity stones that will grant him enough power to wipe out half of the universe. Thus, the Avengers and the Guardians of the Galaxy must join forces to prevent the impending destruction of humanity.

The most interesting idea that the Russo Brothers bring to the table in their third directorial feature for Marvel Studios is constructing the film around Thanos. Dissimilar to other approaches for classic superhero team-up fare, this film focuses on the lethal villain’s drive to fulfill his purpose in life — destroy half of humanity — no matter the opposition.

With the past 10 years of Marvel films establishing the motivations and abilities of their heroes, “Infinity War” effectively develops a villain that has otherwise barely seen the light of day to audiences. In addition to the characterization that the script presents, Josh Brolin provides a surprising amount of charisma to the character under a heavy layer of special effects. Thanos provides this film and, more importantly, the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a villain worthy of the heroes that have captured audiences for years.

Marvel’s characters are the best asset that this cinematic universe has to offer. With so much time to develop their characters, all of the actors, and filmmakers have been able to dig deep into what makes each person unique and important in their own right. Even in the most serious of circumstances that Marvel has envisioned, the script still manages to include the classic one-liners and pop culture references that are now iconic to the franchise. Robert Downey Jr., Benedict Cumberbatch and Chris Hemsworth are given the most interesting story arcs of the film, while Guardians Chris Pratt and Zoe Saldana seamlessly transition into this new space of characters.

“Avengers: Infinity War” doesn’t necessarily provide adequate screen time to all of its characters. However, the choice to include or exclude certain characters is indicative of the story being told and serving the fans, but not at the film’s expense. If I searched to find a negative element of the film, I would have to say the film doesn’t necessarily attempt to catch anybody who hasn’t hopped on the Marvel bandwagon up. The relationships between characters are often left to the audience to remember and, while I didn’t have a problem, I’m not unaware of the exclusivity the film often presents.

Marvel Studios also managed to pack this film with as much shock and awe as they could. At certain points, the film transforms into an experience that is precisely what audiences want to see. From the expansive battle sequences taking place within the African nation of Wakanda, all the way to the middle of outer space, every succession of action felt immersive and remarkable to witness.

Along with their environments, the characters themselves are heavily upgraded for “Infinity War.” New powers, abilities and expensive toys are given to each character in an effort to shock the audience with their impressive nature. As gimmicking as this may sound, the science fiction elements of the franchise allow for these impressive leaps to be made and this, consequently, thrills the audience. Overall, Marvel promised consequences for its characters and, without spoiling anything for the mass of readers who will undoubtedly go see the film, they absolutely delivered.

Current fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe will be undeniably impressed with “Avengers: Infinity War.” While newer fans may not necessarily understand the inside jokes and complex relationships of its characters, they can still appreciate the impressive action sequences and charismatic villain, who will quickly find his place in ranks with the best bad guys of modern history. The future of the franchise is a complete mystery for fans and I expect Marvel to deliver nothing less than a stellar film once again in the next round.