"Fun isn't something one considers when balancing the Universe... but this does put a smile on my face"
Full Trailer Review & Breakdown 001 & Movie Preview 037
AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR
MARVEL
[25th of April, 2018]
over 90% for one hell of an entrance for the Mad Titan, a real threat to the Avengers.
"There was an idea ..."
"... To bring together a group of remarkable people ..."
Bruce Banner's eyes are wide with shock (whether from the impact or not knowing where he landed or even what propelled him over here in the first place) when he is awoken half naked from his forced slumber in a crater from the bottom of what revealed to be Sanctum Sanctorum's floor as we see Doctor Stephen Strange himself and Wong looking perplexed at what they saw caused the big hole through the roof and said floor. It is safe to deduce that he was in Hulk form when !! Thor Ragnarok spoiler !! the spaceship that he himself, Thor, Loki, Valkyrie, Korg (and Miek!) and the rest of the Asgardians that survived the Ragnarok was met with a colossal space ship in the after credit scene that was piloted than none other than Thanos. What transpired on that ship was not good for the heroes (as the following scenes from the trailer would indicate) and how the big green monster got got back onto Earth from literally in the middle of the space was probably because Thanos hit him so hard (just like he did to Iron Man) that he was forced out of the spaceship and the trajectory forced him to crash land straight at the heart of New York. !!
"... to see if we could become something more."
It's not a surprise to the comic book fans to see Scarlet Witch and the Vision finally be together since it was teased in the middle of Civil War, but the state of the latter is the most surprising as we see Vision in his human form (Paul Bettany), whether it is one of his side abilities that we've never seen before or it's all in the minds of the couple (if you count the former's mind-altering power) or it is just a dream sequence. A relationship built up properly that started to blossom just at the wrong time, their fate at the end of the film would depend on where the Mind Stone on his forehead would end up and how Scarlet would react to how the Vision is treated in the process (do you remember how she reacted when Quicksilver died in Age of Ultron?).
"So when they needed us ..."
"... we could fight the battles ..."
"... that they never could."
Bruce banner appeared to be in a better shape and fully clothed although his expression was not exactly happy, probably wondering of the impending threat to come. That Hulkbuster hand symbolizes Tony Stark's intention to help even though he's at the other side of the world and ironically would be handled by the sole reason it was created in the first place. A bittersweet reunion between the two 'monsters' (ever since the Bruce's counterpart's insistence for isolation after the robot fight) as we see Black Widow in a new getup as well as new hairdo, probably done for a covert secret mission or maybe just to hide her identity since the previous red colour stands out in the crowd and she was on the run after the fallout of Civil War. Oh, if you've seen how he reacted to her video on Quinjet in Ragnarok, you know there's still hope here. Where they are actually means a lot for the through line of the Russo Brothers' latest.
"In time ..."
Having !! Thor Ragnarok spoiler !! tracked down Thor and Loki right away when they landed on Earth because of the latter's prior infamous misdeed the last time he was here, it won't be far fetched that he already have the background knowledge of the Avengers as well !! hence how quick Tony Stark got there, with a spare wardrobe for Bruce to boot. Notice the old flip phone shining in his hands, no doubt the same one Steve Rogers gave him after the emotional and physical clash between them not too long ago. He could have just ended a conversation between them, Captain America letting him what have happened on his end. Oh, regarding how Bruce got here, there is another speculation that Thor sent him back to Earth to warn the others and since he's been in Doctor Strange's residence before, he decided this was the best place for him to land, giving him quick access to the rest of the Avengers. Desperate times call for desperate measures.
[Update edit: the Hulk crashing through Sanctum Santorum was a reference to the book whereby Silver Surfer crashed through Doctor Strange to warn him about Thanos.]
"... you will know what it's like to lose."
"... To feel so desperately that you're right yet to fail all the same."
Even though this is the 'first time' Spidey-Sense has been directly represented and visualized in the MCU, there was a subtle one sneaked in during the airport brawl when he sensed an incoming projectile from the Winter Soldier, "hey buddy, I think you lost this!" Nevertheless, it is because of a successful partnership with Sony with one of his signature trademarks shown clearly in this ensemble. Regarding the unidentified foreign object hovering over NYC, the surrounding streets were already on fire and with prior knowledge of what that round shape would entail usually in science fiction, it can actually be a giant portal Thanos has descended upon mankind that would let his minions cross over from Titan above right into New Yorker's doorstep. History repeating itself might not be that intriguing as we've seen the exact same thing in the inaugural ensemble film but that's purely speculation.
"Dread it ..."
Before this scene, we saw the floor littered with unconscious (maybe even dead) Asgardians and that pair of boots walking over them belonged to Ebony Maw, so at least we know one of Thanos' Black Order is on board. Black Order is basically Children of Thanos (Nebula?) or rather his lieutenants he brought with him to help him search for the Stones. Loki will always Loki ... but after the events in Ragnarok, he might have changed his tune a little bit. It's not a surprise seeing him back with the Tesseract as a visual callback to him messing around with it in Joss Whedon's flick but now under different circumstances as !! Thor Ragnarok spoiler !! he snatched it (after a not so subtle hint) from the vault right before Asgard was completely decimated by Surtur. Whether it is just for safekeeping or just in case if he needs it later, it was definitely the latter when Thanos descended upon their ship but is he presenting it to Thanos or as the God of Mischief, does he have something else up his sleeves? Is he trying to appeal to his former master or is he going to do a sleight of hands for the benefit of the fallen Asgardians or at least those who still survives? Remember that the Space Stone was in it and it was used to open up a portal for the Chitauri army to come through. Is it the same one that Thanos came out of below?! !!
"Run from it ..."
"Destiny still arrives."The one and only. Understandably his skin tone has been toned down from the bright indigo he fashioned the first time he appeared in the MCU and while there is always uncanny valley to be considered for a fully computer generated character, his first impression is believable at least and certainly menacing at best, and that's saying something for a CG humanoid alien since there's no viable way for the real actor (Josh Brolin) to portray him faithfully with just body paint and face prosthetic (remember X-Men's Apocalypse?). Oh, remember how he looks with all that ornate body armours when he's seated on the throne? Well, where is it now?! Why isn't he wearing it into battle where full body protection would certainly help?! Anyway, that's the logic everyone is using when they asked the same question but let's view it from his perspective. Maybe he just want to look his best when he was on the throne, just like kings always wear ornate wardrobe when they're on theirs and now he's taking matters into his own hands literally, his arrogant nature would view them as unnecessary and he would just be encumbered with them on. He believes he is just that powerful that nobody could even hurt him at all moreso with Infinity Gauntlet in hand or rather on his left wrist. Design wise, revealing what's inside those gold shells would make him a little more approachable, more relatable and more human if possible since this movie would revolves around his journey to do heists and steal all those gems. Another oh, he is most likely just arrived on Xandar, the home of the Nova Corps led by Glenn Close's Nova-Prime from Guardians of the Galaxy and also where they kept the Power Stone after the demise of Ronan the Accuser. That structure behind him certainly is not of Earth and seeing him with the aforementioned Stone in the first slot of the Gauntlet just cement this conclusion.
Here he is in all of the Iron Spider suit glory, the one that Peter Parker chose to turn down at the end of Homecoming but it's not really a choice to sit back when a looming threat is besieging your city and he needs all the help he can get. The mechanical sheen all over the suit reflect the Stark technology it is relying on and that glowing eyes certainly emphasized that even more. What abilities would the suit have? I'm not sure he would have a lot of chances to have a test drive when his first opponent is the Mad Titan himself ...
"Evacuate the city ..."
It's not clear where this actually takes place but it's clearly takes place in space hence tying it to the first encounter with Thanos as he trying her darnest to save his citizens, holding onto the structure for dear life ala Steve Rogers in the Winter Soldier.
"Engage all defenses ..."
" ... and get this man a shield."
Yes, the iconic Hulkbuster suit itself making a return after its debut in Age of Ultron, appearing here in the middle of Wakanda and judging by that rather awkward flying synonymous with Tony's first attempt to keep himself afloat in 2008's Iron Man (the one that started it all!), making the argument it's Banner himself in that suit all the more valid and appealing. The shot following closely of Black Widow putting more pressure possibly on her staff that was holding an unknown assailant just seals it. [Update edit: Oh, Banner get sent to Wakanda in the Hulkbuster suit to help out and when the suit was not enough, he turned to Hulk in the end.]
Action shots of the mystic art, the superpowered patriot and the agile king, one is holding up shields in anticipation in New York while the other two are fighting alongside Wakandan armies against four-armed extraterrestrial enemies that came out of those huge elongated ships that landed on the plains, a big screen reinterpretation of the Outriders. Another nondescript henchmen to dispose of ...
This was where the exact time where Spider-Man thought he might be biting off more than what he can chew, or at least unsuccessfully try to. Where they're exactly remains to be seen, are they still on Earth or have been transported to another dimension or planet at least?
With a subdued Vision laid helplessly on the street of (that stone looked European and if my assumption of that car's number plate is correct, they could be residing in ...) London, the one keeping watch was the aforementioned Proxima Midnight and the one holding down Witch's other half was Corvus Glaive. They must be on another level being able to keep him at bay like that. Oh, would he really lose his Mind Stone that Corvus was trying to extract here? And if he did, would he die because of it or could he be independent from the effect of the Gem? How it would affect Wanda Maximoff in tandem, losing another one she loves?
Looks like that Tesseract is no more as he broke it apart and grab the Space Stone inside it, putting it in the second slot just beside the Power Stone courtesy of Xandar, looking mighty pleased that two are down and four more to go. Would he catch'em all in the end?
That posture though! Compared to his usual straight confident stance with both his arms at the ready, he looks so defeated kneeling down there with one hand up trying to defend in futile which proven to be justified as that knockout right punch by the purple giant laid down the billionaire in high tech iron suit just like that, probably giving him a strong case of concussion, or maybe even worse.
Being woken up from his cryogenic slumber that he took at the end of Civil War, the Winter Soldier aka Bucky was being woken up now not for another mission but rather to defend the kingdom of Wakanda against an overwhelming odds and the king himself T'Challa believes he needs all the help he can get. Not afraid to get his hands dirty, this is a much more effective promotional material for his own solo flick coming first next February. The army with traditional garments in front of the modern buildings is a nice, perfect dichotomy.
After a strong debut in the Winter Soldier, a nice cameo in Ant-Man and a part of strong crew in Civil War, he is now in the heat of the battle utilizing his flying jet suit for what it is intended in the first place, with a couple of Uzis killing the enemies from above.
Yes, this is what war supposed to look like! Even though it's another faceless CG enemies to fight with, it is in the biggest scale yet with hundreds of thousands of aliens and human armies to fight hand to hand in a gorgeous green plains in T'Challa's kingdom.
It won't be the Avengers without the iconic heroic shot of the Avengers (and supporting characters as well) running with purpose in heroic pose towards action ... but to what end? Are they simply doing Black Panther a favour by helping him defend his country from foreign invasion? Why would Thanos even bother searching for this secret kingdom in the first place and send down a horde of his minions to invade it if he's not wanting something in return? Remember that Soul Stone is the only Gem that we do not know the location of and being the only film coming before the Infinity War, it's not unlikely that we would know it is actually in T'Challa's possession in Black Panther during the main storyline or in the after credits. It could be used for him to tap into the spirit plane but that might be too speculation for a day. Maybe they might keep the reveal for this movie instead? Nevertheless, the attack have a true motivation behind it and we would find out soon enough. Regarding the Avengers themselves, Bruce has turned into Hulk for more effective attacking prowess, the Iron Patriot fill in for Iron Man's absence and Danai Gurira's Okoye faithfully by the king's side fighting hand in hand. Speaking of which, that mechanical left hand Bucky left behind has been replaced by one with Wakandan technology and even though he couldn't get that same iconic shield he left behind as well as per request, he appeared to be wearing a pair of also Wakandan gloves that could materialized a shield when it's needed, maybe just like Agent Coulson's in Agents of SHIELD.
It won't be Marvel if they don't have a post-credit scene but how could they even have a post-trailer sting?! Thor certainly looked worse for wear after Thanos had a go with him but luckily for him, he just had landed in the right spaceship although judging by his tone, he still doesn't know yet. The inclusion of the Guardians would certainly add a little more natural levity that's much needed to balance the end of the world tone the Mad Titan has been bringing with him. Where they would fit in here, nobody knows yet although the group's tie with him from James Gunn's debut work could lead them straight to New York to face him himself with the God of Thunder in tow.
"Who the hell are you?"
Chance of Success =
over 90% with the right director(s) at the helm with ten years buildup for a hell of a clash!
a case for the mind-blowing trailer:
+ Highlights +
A nice callback to Nick Fury's initial reasoning for the assembly of the Avengers with the members reciting the quotes,
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(Almost?) All of the characters that have been established in the other movies in the Marvel's Cinematic Universe is finally in the same movie, all parts crossover with each other, being brought together to fight the Mad Titan himself and his Black Order i.e. Hulk with Doctor Strange and Thor with Guardians of the Galaxy,
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the more instrumental return of the main theme of the Avengers by Marc Silvestri, one of the few memorable scores in MCU,
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Spidey-Sense! Iron Spider suit! Glorious bearded Captain America! Hulkbuster is back! So is Bucky Barnes with a new robotic hand!
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Dead Asgardians is just a bleak foreshadowing of what's to come to Earth when Thanos is done with it ...
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Thanos looks better than ever, imposing in his demeanor and facial expressions, an action speak louder than words kind of guy: crushing Spider-Man into the ground and knocking out Iron Man just with one punch and that Infinity Gauntlet and Stones, man!
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The largest scale yet in the Universe with the amount of armies on screen at the same time, human and aliens fighting each other,
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Finally that hero shot and one hell of a stinger! I personally love Mantis' wave!
? Main contention ?
Tony Stark looking defeated, a tease of a more romantic relationship between Scarlet Witch and Vision. a possible rekindle of relationship between Bruce Banner and Black Widow, Illuminati allegory, a turncoat in Loki or a changed man with something up his sleeves? Would Vision lose his Mind Stone and would he die because of it?
- Lowlights -
Necessary evil in Outriders as another nondescript CG minions to dispose of. Is bigger always better in the end?
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With only two minutes and twenty four seconds, there is only so much time to include each and every Avengers from previous films ... the most noticeable absentee is Hawkeye and then Ant-Man and the Wasp and then Nebula. Looking through IMDb, Nick Fury could make an appearance as well as the Collector since Infinity Stones are pretty much heavily in play. Since Valkyrie is certainly on the ship with Thor, the scene of Thanos wreaking havoc on it could be shown as she trying to protect the citizens. Oh yeah, what about Korg and Miek?! Pepper Potts and Happy Hogan would be by Tony Stark's side while Cobie Smulders' Maria Hill is rumoured to be in as well. The one actor announced to be in the film but not stated whom he would play, could Peter Dinklage play MODOK or the Watcher or maybe even Pip the Troll?
- Synopsis -
The Avengers and their Super Hero allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.
Cast
Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner.Hulk, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Josh Brolin as Thanos, Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa as Black Panther, Tom Holland as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Chris Pratt as Peter Quill/Star-Lord, Benedict Cumberbatch as Stephen Strange/ Doctor Strange, Paul Bettany as Vision, Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch, Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier, Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson/Falcon, Don Cheadle as Iron Patriot, Benedict Wong as Wong, Pom Klementieff as Mantis, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye, Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Zoe Saldana as Gamora, Dave Bautista as Drax,Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, Karen Gillan as Nebula, Benicio del Toro as Taneleer Tivan/Collector, Peter Dinklage ...
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