5. Every character is great
In any film with an ensemble cast, there is the potential for certain characters to be weaker than others. Simply by the law of averages – not every character in a film with dozens of characters can be a fully formed and realised character can they? Well in Infinity War, yes they can!
Of course, it helps greatly that the audience already knows most of these characters and is invested in them. But even the newer characters each have their own set of characteristics and merits. Take for example, Eitri. This is the first time that the audience has been introduced to him but very quickly we are able to empathise with him and are given backstory to his character.
And in Infinity War, we not only have great heroes but we also have great villains. This is not only a rarity in the Marvel Cinematic Universe but it is rare for a superhero film to provide its audience with such an array of brilliant characters who cater to all types of emotions. There are characters who will make you laugh, characters who will make you angry and characters who will make you cry.
So whether you are Team Iron Man, Team Cap, a Rocket fan or a member of Loki’s Army – in Infinity War, all the characters bring their own unique and fantastic contributions to the film.
6. It is the ultimate crossover
A film which unites virtually every major Marvel character from across the shared universe. If you had uttered that sentence to a Marvel fan even just a few years ago -well they would probably have called you a mad titan. And yet that is what Infinity War is – the ultimate crossover.
Looking back, Marvel did try to prepare us. In the post credits scene from Iron man, Nick Fury visits Tony Stark to tell him about the Avengers Initiative. But to imagine this meeting of brilliant characters was only a pipe dream at the time.
And yet slowly and surely, Marvel built up this amazing idea of a crossover for the audience. But even with films such as Age of Ultron and Civil War, there were still multiple characters and storylines absent. And then finally with Infinity War, all these facets came together.
With many calling Infinity War ‘the most ambitious crossover event of all time,’ it remains to be seen whether a more formidable crossover film will ever compete with Infinity War or even be attempted.
7. It is one of the biggest films of all time
Infinity War was breaking records before it was even released with presales of tickets surpassing the last seven Marvel films combined. It has also broken a number of records and its box office dominance doesn’t look set to stop anytime soon.
The records that Infinity War has broken:
– Set the record for Thursday night previews for a Marvel film.
– Highest grossing Saturday of all time.
– Highest grossing Sunday of all time.
– Highest grossing opening weekend at the domestic box office.
– Highest grossing single Monday in April.
– Highest grossing Tuesday for a Marvel film.
– Tied with The Force Awakens to become the fastest film to earn $300 million domestically.
– Highest grossing Wednesday for a Marvel film.
– Broke the opening day record in Russia.
– Highest grossing second weekend for a Marvel film.
– Broke presale records in China.
And finally, Infinity War became the fastest film to gross $1 billion, doing it in eleven days and beating the previous record held by Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Not only is Infinity War big in terms of its box office prowess and record breaking, it is also one of the biggest films of all time based on its budget. The budget for Infinity War is estimated to be between $300 and $400 million which puts it in the top five most expensive films of all time.
Big at the box office, big in budget and monumental in scale – Infinity War is without a doubt not only one of the biggest superhero films of all time, but one of the biggest films of all time.
8. It is a culmination of ten years of moviemaking
“There was an idea to bring together a group of remarkable people, to see if they could become something more. So when they needed us, we could fight the battles that they never could.”
This line sums up everything the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been building up to, the ever growing and teased threat of Thanos the Avengers’ greatest foe and the point where everything will come full circle. Infinity War has been ten years in the making and follows eighteen previous films and thirty one hours of Marvel movies.
Marvel Studios has brought together all the characters that audiences have loved for ten years and a decade of cinema, in an almighty crescendo that is nearing its ultimate climax. This is an incredibly impressive feat in itself, made even more incredible by the records that Infinity War has broken and the fact that the film can be considered great even without considering all the above points.
But to have this fully realised and complex cinematic universe, where stories and characters intertwine, intersect and interact over a number of films – it is an unprecedented feat in filmmaking and is a brilliant and admirable thing to see in cinema. It is something audiences have never seen before and are unlikely to see again.