The Marvel Cinematic Universe has released, as of July 28th, 2022, 29 feature films with 14 more in development. Two of those 14 films are Avengers movies, both scheduled to be released in 2025. Despite some, admittedly valid, criticism of the films in this franchise as being formulaic, there are a few MCU movies that rise above this label. With so many films in their line-up, discussions will inevitably emerge over which film is the best or which one is the worst. This can be seen in virtually any franchise with sustained success like James Bond or Star Wars. So what is the MCU’s best film? 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War. Why is it the best? Keep reading to find out.
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Why Not Endgame?
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Avengers: Infinity War is the first part of the finale to the MCU’s “Infinity Saga,” with 2019’s Avengers: Endgame being the second part. However, Endgame is the weaker of the two, and a big reason for that is how Thanos is handled in both films. In Infinity War, Thanos is essentially the main character. It’s his journey we follow, as he tries to collect all the Infinity Stones; he’s the character with the strongest arc, and the movie ends with him looking off into the sunrise, basking in the success of his mission. All-in-all, Infinity War’s Thanos goes on a journey that is compelling, even if it is a journey to commit genocide on an unimaginable scale.
Endgame’s Thanos is far less compelling. Due to the heavy use of time travel in that film, the Thanos our heroes fight in the end is from the year 2014, meaning that the only Avengers he’s really fought with up to that point are Gamora and the Guardians of the Galaxy. Endgame kills off the Thanos that we saw in Infinity War very early on. When all the characters Thanos has killed are brought back for Endgame’s final battle, Scarlet Witch even tells him that “You took everything from me.” Thanos’ response? “I don’t even know who you are.” Infinity War’s Thanos would have, since he stole the Mind Stone from Vision right in front of her. It’s a perfect way to illustrate the lessened emotional impact of the final victory. The Thanos that gets defeated in Endgame isn’t the Thanos that we saw struggle to sacrifice Gamora to get the Soul Stone, fought the Guardians of the Galaxy and the Avengers on Titan, or almost get killed when Thor lodges Stormbreaker into his chest in Wakanda. If it had been the Thanos who had done all these actions, then the payoff would have been much better.
The Structure
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Avengers: Infinity War has a very good script and structure, a very difficult thing to pull off for a film juggling over a dozen heroes. We’ve seen films fail to juggle three, so to balance as many as they do here is quite a feat. Then again, it also helps that every hero had already been established in the Marvel films that came before it, meaning Infinity War doesn’t really need to dwell on backstories for everyone.
At first, the film feels like it has six or seven different storylines going on, with all our heroes separated, but then the film starts bringing them together, reducing those six or seven storylines down to four or five; then down even further just to the main one. The film pulls all of this off brilliantly. Not a second feels wasted. The storylines all come together in ways that feel natural. For a film on this scale and with this many characters, to be as immaculately structured is nothing short of incredible.
The Emotional Moments and Acting
You can expect a film that ends with the genocide of half the universe (and a good chunk of our heroes) to have some serious emotional moments to it. Marvel has gotten some flack for using humor to lessen its more impactful moments, but this film largely avoids that. Is there some humor? Of course. It’s a Marvel film, but no emotional moments are really ruined by an ill-timed quip. Speaking of emotional moments, this film has some truly great ones, most of which go to either Thanos or Thor. While the best ones in the film are heartbreaking, there are still some great ones that are more uplifting, such as when Thor, Rocket Raccoon, and Groot arrive in Wakanda to give the Avengers fighting there a much-needed assist against the Black Order’s invasion force. There’s no way anyone won’t cheer and pump their fist when Thor screams “Bring me Thanos!” and then proceeds to annihilate the invasion force single-handed.
Regarding the acting, the film is strong across the board. Since Thor and Thanos get the best emotional moments, it’s no surprise to see Josh Brolin and Chris Hemsworth as the film’s acting MVPs. Brolin, given a much better motivation for Thanos to work with than his comic book counterpart, perfectly encapsulates the Mad Titan’s worldview. He gets a great scene with Dr. Strange on Titan that sums up his character and his motivation, which is more aligned with eco-fascism. Even the scene where Thanos sacrifices Gamora is strong, as Brolin manages to convey that he truly regrets having to sacrifice her for his goal. Hemsworth, meanwhile, sees his Thor put through the wringer. The film opens with Thanos killing Loki right in front of him, and then being rescued by the Guardians of the Galaxy. Hemsworth gets an incredible scene where he is downright Oscar-worthy, as he recounts to Rocket Raccoon all the friends and family he’s lost over the previous movies. While the best stuff goes to Hemsworth and Brolin, all the other actors bring their A-game, too. Tom Holland in particular, is very powerful in the scene where he breaks down and begs not to turn into dust. Whenever this film needs an actor to step up, they deliver with flying colors.
With a brilliantly structured plot, some of the best acting in the MCU, and a good number of truly powerful emotional moments, it’s not hard to see why Avengers: Infinity War is Marvel’s best film. The action’s not bad, either.
