The Avengers: Infinity War (Red Carpet Premiere)

[PsychedelicDiamond]

You're all aware that when Batman V Superman killed off Sups, people actually believed he was dead, right?

And he is. Justice League is not canon. The death of Superman is beautifully realized in BvS. There's a vague suggestion in the very last scene that he might someday rise again but it's not explicit. It's a great ending that deserves better than to be cheapened by a poor attempt at a continuation, especially the utter joke that was Justice League.

 

[Hawki]

And he is. Justice League is not canon. The death of Superman is beautifully realized in BvS. There's a vague suggestion in the very last scene that he might someday rise again but it's not explicit. It's a great ending that deserves better than to be cheapened by a poor attempt at a continuation, especially the utter joke that was Justice League.

I'm not going to defend Justice League (even if my assessment of BvS is even lower), but I can't call it anything but explicit. If they really wanted to leave it open, they'd not include the dust, just show the coffin.

TBH, I'd have preferred Supes to not be in JL - let the League win on their own terms rather than "we have Supes, cue god mode."

 

[Hawk of Battle]

It amazes me that people call the ending stupid or a fakeout or whatever other crap they're spouting. We KNEW this was how the movie was going to end, because it's the goddamn Infinity Saga. This is exactly how the comics did the same story decades ago; Thanos assembles the gauntlet, snaps his fingers, and wipes out half the universe, including a shit ton of heroes. There was really no other way they could have, or would have, gone with this. The fans wanted to see the Infinity Saga on the bigscreen, and they got it. If they'd have subverted it and gone a different route, after 10 years of build up, it would have been a massive let down.

Yes, we know it can be undone by the end, because that's the nature of the story and the powers used to wipe them out. Whoever has the gauntlet has omnipotence, so of cause there's a get-out clause, but that doesn't matter. People still died, those who didn't still had to watch them die, everyone still had to struggle and fight for survival. That shit has ramifications in itself. And not everyone is confirmed to be coming back. Those killed by the snap likely will, but anyone killed beforehand don't necessarily get a retcon, so seeing how/if they do bring those others back is interesting as well. And then theres still more that could die post-snap who might not come back, so there's still plenty of stakes, even if you don't buy the ones from the snap.

Personally, for someone who wanted to see the Infinity Saga, in all its glory brought to life, I think it was done extremely well and am satisfied we got to see it the way we did. I don't care if stuff can be reset, we know it's probably going to anyway, accept it and move on. Just because you know how a story is going to end, doesn't make it any less fun to watch.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Just because you know how a story is going to end, doesn't make it any less fun to watch.

It's not that we know how it's going to end so much as that there are no stakes. Just because you know a tragedy has a sad ending doesn't make the story any less interesting. But the MCU has cried wolf so many times that you kinda stop taking death seriously. As for this particular "dark" ending, it's ruined on 4 levels:

Spoiler

1. All of the "main" Avengers conveniently survive supposedly random death.
2. All those killed by the snap are secondary characters with little to no presence in the movie, except Quill, who's coming back for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (2020) anyway.
3. All those killed BEFORE the snap - say the ones closest to permanent death - are basically worthless with the exception of Gamora, who is already making post-mortem appearences. Also see above.
4. See every other MCU movie in the works.

Sure it's a surprisingly dark ending but who walks out of the theater buying it? It would've been darker if something other than resurrections had been set up for the sequel. Compare it to Empire Strikes Back (a lot of people are): we know Han is probably getting rescued, but Vader's reveal is a dramatic game-changer that changes our understanding (and Luke's) of the saga and raises the stakes for a final confrontation.

 

[Hawki]

It amazes me that people call the ending stupid or a fakeout or whatever other crap they're spouting. We KNEW this was how the movie was going to end, because it's the goddamn Infinity Saga.

I can guarantee you that the no. of people who watch the MCU films is many times the no. of people who've read the comics, let alone heard of an "Infinity Saga."

The fans wanted to see the Infinity Saga on the bigscreen, and they got it. If they'd have subverted it and gone a different route, after 10 years of build up, it would have been a massive let down.

I can also guarantee you that you don't make a cinematic universe just for fans of said comics.

 

[Johnlives]

Apart from Thanos's plan being silly as people enjoy the activities involved in repopulation, I would have liked to see some more deaths. Not the fading into nothingness that will be undone in the next film deaths but proper neck snap, skull crack etc. deaths. That would give more sense of permanence and consequence for what they go through. Maybe some will be giving their buck o'five in the next film to rescue the faded ones.

 

[McElroy]

A couple of pretty scenes. Drax got some humour. And Tyrion Dinklage as himself (but bigger). Three outta five.

Spoiler

Maw's look and confident, priestlike posture were cool, but too bad he got owned like a ball of trash. Iron Man against Thanos was the action highlight of the film.

I want Wong to save the day in part 2. He gets his sandwich and gets going.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I would have liked to see some more deaths. Not the fading into nothingness that will be undone in the next film deaths but proper neck snap, skull crack etc. deaths.

Not in a Disney movie.
Also DC did exactly in Man of Steel and people ***** about it to this day.

 

[Majestic Manatee_v1legacy]

Welcome to the majestic world of comic book plotlines. We could not have adapted it better ourselves.

 

[Hawki]

Not in a Disney movie.

I'd like to remind you that the Last Jedi came out not too long ago and featured an old guy being cut in half by a lightsaber.

I think the branding stuff is more down to the MCU than Disney in this scenario. The MCU has a formula, and by God is it gonna stick to that formula.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Not in a Disney movie.

I'd like to remind you that the Last Jedi came out not too long ago and featured an old guy being cut in half by a lightsaber.

Well, it wasn't "old guy" so much as "absolutely, irredeemably evil CG monster". No beloved superhero is gonna go like that.

Spoiler

I guess Vision's death was kinda grisly but he's a robot (?) which doubles the odds of his return in some form. On a separate note I laughed a bit at the death because of how much suffering the dude goes through (and for no good reason), which was getting borderline Kenny-from-South-Park-ish. All that effort for an incredibly slow, painful mercy kill and then Thanos just rewinds time and kills him AGAIN in an even more painful way.

 

[McElroy]

My only complaint about the movie was that it basically wrote-over any changes to the canon made by Ragnarok one-by-one.

Spoiler

the Asgard ship is destroyed at the beginning with everyone on it dead.

Thor mentions that

Spoiler

Thanos killed half of his people. Though it seemed to me too that it was the half that survived Ragnarok. Bringing the total to... Just Thor.

 

[TheVampwizimp_v1legacy]

I think a lot of people who've contributed to this thread are really overestimating the canniness of many moviegoers. I saw it with my wife and

Spoiler

my first thought at the end was, well, duh, everyone who got whooshed away by Thanos will have a way back by next summer. But I'm a particularly well-informed nerd who spends a lot of time thinking about movies, and am well-educated in the ways filmmaking works on both an in-universe and out-of-universe sense. My wife, also a big ole' nerd but not someone who consciously analyzes plot structure and has just your average person's sense of what you "can" and "can't" do in Disney/Marvel's real-world situation, was emotionally overwhelmed by so many deaths of likeable characters and spent the next hour trying to come to terms with all these dead heroes. She is an intelligent and insightful person, but without the jaded familiarity with the ins and outs of the companies making our super-profitable nerd properties.

I'm just saying that most people probably did have the intended reaction to the film, even if by the time they got home and checked their Twitters they came to realize it was all reversible. We are, like any (formerly) successful internet community, a kind of echo chamber of mostly like-minded folks with many overlapping experiences and expectations of something like this, but our few hundred active contributors are a drop in the bucket of the full population and not generalizable to them.

Personally, cynical a-hole though I am, I thought it was a terrific movie that did a great, great job with its plot and villain, and impressed me mightily by juggling so many characters and story segments effectively. I'd love to see it again.

 

[Godzillarich(aka tf2godz)]

Just saw the movie and... Why do I have a feeling that ant man's going to have a sudden Downer ending.

Compare it to Empire Strikes Back (a lot of people are): we know Han is probably getting rescued, but Vader's reveal is a dramatic game-changer that changes our understanding (and Luke's) of the saga and raises the stakes for a final confrontation.

Yeah I don't see the difference in the ending thematic level

Spoiler

most of the cast have lost a lot someone dear to them especially Tony Stark (who he had to see his surrogate son die in front of him begging for mercy) and Rocket Raccoon, (who have to finally gaining a family and a home has lost everything.) That's going to motion affect these characters. . You can say good just be undone but that would still fucking traumatize people and will probably stick in their heads for the rest of their lives even if they do reverse it

Welcome to the majestic world of comic book plotlines. We could not have adapted it better ourselves.

For good or for ill it's succeeded and being a big crossover comic book brought to life. My biggest problem with the movie is that it seems really disjointed, it felt like I was watching three or four other movies stitch together. But overall it was pretty good

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Just saw the movie and... Why do I have a feeling that ant man's going to have a sudden Downer ending.

Compare it to Empire Strikes Back (a lot of people are): we know Han is probably getting rescued, but Vader's reveal is a dramatic game-changer that changes our understanding (and Luke's) of the saga and raises the stakes for a final confrontation.

Yeah I don't see the difference in the ending thematic level

Spoiler

most of the cast have lost a lot someone dear to them especially Tony Stark (who he had to see his surrogate son die in front of him begging for mercy) and Rocket Raccoon, (who have to finally gaining a family and a home has lost everything.) That's going to motion affect these characters. . You can say good just be undone but that would still fucking traumatize people and will probably stick in their heads for the rest of their lives even if they do reverse it

Yes, of course everybody's very sad, what I mean is it doesn't change anything. They just gotta keep punching Thanos and trying to get that glove off him. Maybe get the other six Infinity Stones in another two-parter to defeat him. Who cares? Vader's reveal changed our perception of the saga, of everything that had come before and everything that would follow up. I'm not telling you why *you* shouldn't get emotional with the ending, I'm explaining why *I* didn't.

 

[Adam Jensen_v1legacy]

I'm bewildered that people are disappointed by the fact that it's obvious that the good guys are going to win in the next one and that these deaths don't matter. And I honestly think that people who are disappointed by that aren't the sharpest tools in the shed. What the fuck were people expecting?

As far as superhero movies go, this one is pretty great. All the buildup to it has payed off IMHO. I didn't think that they could fit so many characters in and still give everyone enough screen time, but they did. And more than that, they didn't just manage not to fuck up Thanos, they practically made him the star of the show. Not the easiest thing to do.

Just because you know how a story is going to end, doesn't make it any less fun to watch.

People just like to ***** about everything. It makes them feel smarter and edgier than everyone else.

Other than relying on humor too much there's nothing really wrong with Infinity War.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

I'm bewildered that people are disappointed by the fact that it's obvious that the good guys are going to win in the next one and that these deaths don't matter. And I honestly think that people who are disappointed by that aren't the sharpest tools in the shed. What the fuck were people expecting?

A movie, not a mid-season finale.

I didn't think that they could fit so many characters in and still give everyone enough screen time, but they did.

Yeah, I like the part where Black Widow... uh... does uh... and then Falcon... and uh War Machine... and how Black Panther did uh... Bucky said that one thing... I think... honestly half the cast was there for a group shot and to bulk up the ""death"" count.

And more than that, they didn't just manage not to fuck up Thanos, they practically made him the star of the show. Not the easiest thing to do.

He's alright, I like Brolin, but he doesn't make sense. He's got unlimited power and his way of figuring out overpopulation is killing half of everything? What kind of dumb logic is that? Does he kill half of everything again once life reaches the same level cap? By the third time he does that wouldn't he be killing more people than if he had just killed everybody from the start (killing half of Earth three times > kill all of Earth once)? He's got unlimited, reality-bending powers - why not just magically expand Earth, or regulate birth, or relocate the surplus to other uninhabited planets? And why assume that every planet/civilization has resource distribution problems? Maybe overpopulation isn't a problem everywhere? Why would it be at all in the limitless vacuum of space, which you can bend to your will? Why does he care anyway? Doing this benefits him how? Why not go back in time and save HIS planet?

And so on.

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

He's got unlimited power and his way of figuring out overpopulation is killing half of everything? What kind of dumb logic is that?

Because he's the villain in a comic book movie, whose original motivation for killing half the universe was wanting to fuck Death herself.

I mean, if we're going to start pulling the "if you have X why don't you just do Y?" in these comic book movies we're going to be here all night.

But it's not just X, is it? Here X is "CAN DO ANYTHING". Like if it were some bullshit contrivance in one scene then I'd let it slide, but this is the villain's motivation - arguably more of a protagonist than the Avengers, Thanos - and motivation should be the number one airtight thing in drama, I don't care if it's wearing silly superhero clothes or not.