Tag Archives: Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Movies

A little more on Avengers: Infinity War

$258.1 million dollars.

That’s what the film made in its opening “week” (though its really a weekend), which means that the movie has had the strongest opening ever.

I’ve said it before and I’ll repeat it here: I’m certain the film is quite good, exciting, fun, etc. etc.

And I’ll repeat what I said before: I don’t care to see the film.

Every week new films/TV shows/books, etc. etc. are released and the fact of the matter is that one can’t see/read/hear ’em all.  Further, those you do spend some time on may wind up thrilling you while others might wind up seriously disappointing you.

It’s the nature of the beast.

With regard to Avengers: Infinity War, I feel like I’ve had my fill of Avengers films.  With the current film’s release, we’ve had four so far: Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Captain America: Civil War (though a “Captain America” film, it was essentially an Avengers film), and now Avengers: Infinity War.

I’ve seen the first three and I know I’m in the minority here (at least with two of them), but I didn’t think all that much of the three.

I felt the original Avengers film was “ok”.  Didn’t hate it, but didn’t understand the fangasms.  Avengers: Age of Ultron is the film that may get the least amount of love from the fans and I won’t dispute the fact.  The film did feel more than a little confusing (the whole Thor going away -even with the extra/cut scenes- made little sense).  Captain America: Civil War had a well realized fight scene at an airport and involving almost all the characters in the Marvel Universe… but the rest of the film was something of confusing mess as well, to me anyway.

So here’s the thing: If I didn’t really like the previous three Avengers movies all that much, what incentive do I have to see the latest one, especially given all the many, many spoilers which make me feel like the film is trying to create excitement/suspense/sadness out of something that is temporary at best?

I’ll repeat for the thousandth time: I know I’m in the very small minority here.

But it is what it is.

I’m glad people -and most critics!- seem to like the film and I’m glad you feel, at the very least, you’ve gotten your money’s worth seeing the film.

For me, its a pass, alas.

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Thoughts on the Avengers movie…

A quick warning…

Yeah, yeah… I’m feeling like a real old fuddy daddy here, but…

For much of my life I’ve understood and followed the philosophy that opinions regarding works of art are just that: Opinions.  What turns me on may well be crap to you and vice versa.  I won’t hold it against others just as I hope they don’t hold it against me.

So here’s the thing: Marvel’s latest “huge” movie, Avengers: Infinity War was just released to generally good reviews and will likely make a ton of money at the box office…

…and I really, really don’t care to see it.

What’s so peculiar is that I’ve enjoyed many previous Marvel movies.  I liked the first Iron Man film.  I felt Captain America: Winter Soldier was one of the very best superhero films ever made, right up there with the original Richard Donner directed/Christopher Reeve Superman.

But after the release of Winter Soldier, something happened.  Something I can’t quite explain.  The subsequent Marvel films, to me, simply haven’t been as exciting or engaging and I’m tiring of one film seeming to try to be another “chapter” in a never ending story.

Infinity War, for those who don’t know, will be followed next year by Infinity War Part 2 (actually, the title of the second film is a secret because it supposedly spoils things).  Speaking of spoilers, they’re already all over the internet and, because I happen to read a lot of things here and there, I’ve already learned more about the film than I probably should have and certainly enough to wonder just what the filmmakers expected with some of the… uh… stuff that happens at the tail end of this film.

I mean, is anyone in suspense about the things that happened?

Unfortunately, given the way the internet is filled with gossip and knowledge of which actor is going to appear or reappear as a certain character in which film, it is obvious some of the “big” stuff that happens at the end of this film is temporary at best.

Which brings up something that’s bothered me about long, continuous storytelling: There can never be an end.

Superman can be killed off in the comics but he will return.  Batman can be crippled but he will somehow come back.  Bucky Barnes, for so many years a victim in WWII, returned to Captain America’s side in both the comics and films.

Stories are fun for a while but there does come a point when they lose their luster and a sense of “been there, done that” starts to come over the whole thing and one loses interest.

I pointed out in a recent entry that this seems to be happening with me with Ash vs. Evil Dead, a series/show that I thought I’d never tire of.  Just a couple of hours ago my wife and I started to watch the first new episode of Archer, a cartoon series I absolutely love, but after watching about half the episode I found not a damn thing humorous about it.  We had to stop it at the halfway point to do some stuff, but I intend to watch the rest of the episode yet fear this too may be something that has overstayed its welcome.

To me.

Again, this is all my opinion and most certainly doesn’t have to be yours.

This newfound sense of… impatience?… within me is surprising.  Perhaps it is due to my age.  While I’m not ready for the retirement home, I’ve spent many years seeing/hearing/reading so many things and I find myself of late looking for something new and interesting, a fresher take on things, and simply don’t have the patience to see/hear/read the latest chapter of That-Story-That-Doesn’t-End.

I also wonder if maybe this is something unique to me because I happen to be on the tail end of my own book series, and am eager to get it finished.  Perhaps because I’m approaching closure on this individual work its somehow made me search for closure in other things in my life and made me less patient to circle back on past things and more eager to explore the unknown or new.

Either that or I’m becoming a grumpy old man.

Hey you… are you still on my f$#%&g lawn?!  😉