Josh Brolin Tom Holland Chris Pratt Chris Evans Chris Hemsworth Robert Downey, Jr. Zoe Saldana
Tom Hiddleston Benedict Cumberbatch Chadwick Boseman Letitia Wright Danai Gurira
Mark Ruffalo Peter Dinklage Bradley Cooper Vin Diesel Don Cheadle
Marvel Comics has gone all out in seeing to it that this rendition of the Avengers franchise thrills, chills, and awes. Surprising plot turns and awesome special effects while keeping the well-known players’ characters doing their thing, are sure to seize audience attention and keep it spellbound. It’s always best to be familiar with the comic book stories, but for those who have only a foggy notion about them and haven’t kept up, there is still much to entertain.
The essential conflict in this story is Thanos’ (Brolin) attempt to collect all the Infinity Stones so he can rule the world. He has an agenda; and it’s another case of someone thinking they know what’s best for all mankind. Thanos has decided that there are too many people in the world relative to the number of resources, so his simple solution is to destroy half of them. That way, the world’s limited resources won’t be depleted. Keep in mind that he is utterly convinced that this is the only solution.
It’s rather fun to see all the Marvel superheroes uniting together in their commitment to save the universe from a seemingly invincible monster. And Brolin plays Thanos with just the right mix of power-hungry deluded, admiration of strength and bravery, and slight vulnerability to love and affection. He is an ideologue who has supreme confidence in his belief of what is good for all mankind. One of the creative twists of the writers (Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely), is in showing his deep emotional attachment to Gamora (Saldana), his adoptive daughter, whom he rescued from poverty when he was destroying her world. His love for her and subsequent disillusionment is one of the few emotional pulls in the film, which is mainly concerned with the battles among super-heroes.
Disillusionment is shown once again when Thanos’ forces are attacking Wakanda, the pristine realm of Black Panther (Boseman). At one point, the Panthers’ warrior in command, Okoye (Gurira), states, “When we opened up Wakanda, this is not what I imagined”, to which Panther asks, “What did you imagine?” Her reply: “The Olympics, maybe a Starbucks…” illustrating the movie’s subtle references to practical and more lofty ideals.
This is a film for action movie aficionados, and it delivers all to be expected in that sense. The story, special effects, and cinematography meet these expectations. But for those who prefer a more subtle, nuanced plot and refreshing character development, it will come up short.
Action? Adventure? Exciting fantasy? You got it with this film. There are other choices if action and extended battle scenes are not for you.
Grade: B By Donna R. Copeland
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