Avengers: Infinity War

“Avengers: Infinity War” takes place immediately following the events of “Thor: Ragnarok.” Following the destruction of Asgard, the powerful Thanos is seen interrogating Thor as to the whereabouts of the Power Stone. Thanos’ mission? To acquire all six Infinity Stones and wipe out half of humanity, so only the proper half of humanity remains, in order to provide a proper “balance” to the galaxy. Naturally, Thor is unwilling to give away the location. Loki, however, is more than willing. As Thanos leaves, he launches Bruce Banner to Earth (no longer The Hulk due to, for various reasons, the inability to change into The Hulk anymore.)

Banner arrives on Earth in Dr. Strange’s New York City mansion with a warning: Thanos is arriving to retrieve the remaining Infinity Stones at any cost. Dr. Strange and Banner proceed to recruit the other Avengers in an effort to stop Thanos before it’s too late. Will Earth’s mightiest heroes be successful? Or will the task prove too great for even the Avengers to handle?

It’s been 10 years since Disney acquired the Marvel Studios franchise and over the course of 19 films based on a variety of superheroes that one might think have nothing in common with each other, all has been leading up to this latest installment… “Infinity War.”

When Disney created their first Marvel film, “Captain America: The First Avenger,” I thought to myself, “There is NO way I want to go anywhere near this franchise! It’s run by Disney?” But then they surprised me in ways I truly wasn’t expecting. They made the impossible possible, as only Disney does in cinema. They took the time and patience to make sure every aspect of their transition from comic book to film was right, and what they created was something spectacular. It was as if Disney had created a living-breathing comic book on screen. In my opinion, all of the 19 films that have made their way into the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) pale in comparison to the triumph of “Avengers: Infinity War.”

To be fair, “Avengers: Infinity War” (and this is from someone who has seen all the Avengers films) is different than its predecessors and even from some of the other films in the MCU. Contrary to it’s title, “Infinity War” is not so much about the WAR as it is about character and plot development leading up to the war. As such, fans of the MCU franchise will need to be VERY patient with the first 90 minutes of the film, as there is a lot of dialog involved, with only moderate moments of action thrown in to break it up. It is during the final act, however, where the pacing REALLY speeds full steam ahead, and there is virtually non-stop action-a-minute sequences that eventually lead to the ultimate battle taking place in Wakanda.

I commend the directors for providing each character with an appropriate amount of time for development from their previous films. This is not an easy accomplishment considering there are over 12+ main characters in the film! The plot, overall, is strong. My only issue is that because the Avengers split up into different groups and travel to different parts of the galaxy, it becomes difficult to remember who is doing what task and how that task relates to defeating Thanos. As I said, the pacing, while not overly slow, did drag in a couple areas.

Content of concern

VIOLENCE: My biggest issue with the film is the violence. You’re thinking, “It’s an action film! There’s violence!” Yes, of course. But, in “Infinity War” it occurs FAR more frequently than in the previous films, and some of it is WAY more graphic. For example, main characters are seen being impaled straight through the chest with spears. We watch Thanos order his children to execute the citizens of Titan (off-screen) in the presence of a young Gamora (she does not see it, just hears it). In another scene, Thanos throws someone off a cliff, and we watch that person fall to their death and see their corpse at the bottom. We watch Thanos pulling on Nebula’s robotic parts as she screams in pain. Dr. Strange is tortured by sharp needles (thankfully very brief and not too graphic). We witness dead corpses, and bodies are seen disintegrating.

LANGUAGE: The profanity count is up compared to previous films: “Swear to G*d,” “My G*d”, “Oh my G*d” (5), “Oh G*d” (2) “G*d” (4), “h*ll” (7), “d*mn” (5). Vulgar/crude language includes: “m*ther-f…” (incomplete), “Chill the F out” (“F” representing the f-word), “F-er” (short for the f-word), character raises middle finger to villain, “a**hole,” “d**che-bag,” d-hole [combination of douche bag (d-bag) and a**hole), “junk” (referring to male genitals), “acorns” (again, referring to male genitalia), “nut-sack,” “booty call,” “b*stards,” “sc*ew,” “scr*wed,” “p**sed,” “dip-sh*t” (4), “bull-sh*t,” “cr*p” (2), “sucks.”

NUDITY: Some cleavage bearing outfits are worn by female characters, and there are some shirtless males.

SEX: Three scenes include brief kissing.

In the film, Thanos states his motive for acquiring the Infinity Stones is to provide proper balance to the galaxy. In essence, he wishes that only those should survive who are deemed good enough to exist—based on his personal opinion or that of the universe or whatever higher being he believes in. This is a very dangerous mindset—one that, if we look at history books, has led the world into some very DARK times.

If Thanos knew anything about how the universe is truly run, he would know that God loves all of humanity, even those Thanos believes are “flawed.” The truth is, we humans are all flawed.

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” —Romans 3:23

But remember, true children of God…

“But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” —1 Corinthians 6:11

“…God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” —Genesis 1:27

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” —Ephesians 2:8-9

At the conclusion of “Infinity War,” many in the theater fell silent… speechless. Some were waiting for the very famous, post-Marvel-movie extra scene at the end of the film which, YES, there is one at the END of the credits. As for myself, I just sat there stunned for an entire minute. “Avengers: Infinity War” is a spectacle to behold, a film that honors its predecessors and is worthy of the fans that will flock to see it. If you haven’t seen the previous 18 films and want to see this one, my suggestion—apart from re-watching all 18—is to find short summaries on-line before viewing “Infinity War,” as you may not be able to fully enjoy this film otherwise.

Bear in mind that there is a LOT more violence to contend with this time around, and the bad language count is a lot higher than last time, so, parents, please consider this when deciding whether to expose your children to this movie. Overall, I think this film is relatively safe for young adults and possibly older teens (at the discretion of the parents).

• Violence: Very Heavy
• Profane language: Moderately Heavy
• Vulgar/Crude language: Moderately Heavy
• Nudity: Mild
• Sex: Mild
• Occult: Dr. Strange’s magical powers

• Positive
• Neutral
• Negative
• Young people
• Critics
• Non-viewer comments