‘Avengers: Infinity War’ First Reactions Praise Marvel’s ‘Astonishing’ Epic, Go Crazy for ‘Shocking’ and ‘Unpredictable’ Ending
Zack Sharf
Marvel has finally unveiled “Avengers: Infinity War” for the press, and the first reactions are overwhelmingly positive. Film critics call the Marvel tentpole “thrilling” and “an astonishing experience,” with IndieWire’s own Jamie Righetti raving that it’s “everything you go to the movies for: Action, romance, humor, heartbreak, it has it all.” The film’s ending, in particular, is eliciting major shock from the press, with everyone adamant that fans avoid all spoilers at every cost.
“Infinity War” brings together the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe after 18 films over the last decade. Heroes from the “Iron Man,” “Thor,” “Captain America,” “Doctor Strange,” “Spider-Man,” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” franchises all team up to defeat Thanos from wiping out half the universe’s population. Thanos is played by Josh Brolin in a motion-capture performance.
While some critics found the movie a bit uneven and “exhausting” (the film runs a giant 149 minutes), nearly everyone agrees the Russo brothers managed to achieve the impossible in bringing so many different film characters together for one climactic tentpole. Even the less-than-favorable first reactions still imply the “amazing ending” makes the blockbuster a must-see.
“I have never heard an audience react to the end of a film like the ‘Infinity War audience reacted tonight,” The Verge film editor Tasha Robinson writes. “It was an astonishing experience. And it’s another reason I want to see the film again in a packed house.”
“Avengers: Infinity War” opens nationwide April 27. Check out some of the first reactions below.
#AvengersInfinityWar is everything you go to the movies for. Action, romance, humor, heartbreak, it has it all. I laughed, I cried, I held my breath. I’m still shook. Moments I will NEVER forget. What a ride.
— Jamie Righetti (@JamieRighetti) April 24, 2018
AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR has like ten legit “chill down the spine” great moments. But it’s for sure the first half of a two part movie and I left a little unsatisfied/frustrated, maybe by design … at least that’s how I feel right now three hours later.
— Mike Ryan (@mikeryan) April 24, 2018
AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR is basically CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR times 20, except with less hero-on-hero fighting. I think people who loved the airport fight in CIVIL WAR like I did will go nuts for this film, and people who were bored will be 20 times as bored here. #InfinityWar
— Tasha Robinson (@TashaRobinson) April 24, 2018
Another thing: I’ve been reviewing films for decades now, and I have never heard an audience react to the end of a film like the #InfinityWar audience reacted tonight. It was an astonishing experience. (And it’s another reason I want to see the film again in a packed house.)
— Tasha Robinson (@TashaRobinson) April 24, 2018
Non-spoiler AVENGERS: #INFINITYWAR emotions:, in no particular order: 🔥🔥😬💔😱🕷💫🚀🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨🚨💥💥💥💥😭😳😳🔥🔥🔥💥💥💥💥👁😬🌏🍂🙈✨⚡⚡⚡🥃
Not saying ANYTHING else.
— Anthony Breznican (@Breznican) April 24, 2018
#AvengersInfinityWar: Despite some truly thrilling moments, feels like less than the sum of its parts. A definite step down after that epic run of GotGV2 / Spidey / Thor 3 / Black Panther, but what else did I expect?
— Angie J. Han (@ajhan) April 24, 2018
AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR: A movie version of a massive comic-book crossover, for better (fun character interactions) and worse (it’s pretty much all Infinity Stone shenanigans). YMMV. #avengersinfinitywar
— Matt Singer (@mattsinger) April 24, 2018
After 10 years of investment in this series & these characters, boy does #AvengersInfinityWar knock you on your ass. Humor, sky high stakes & a truly overwhelming amount of emotion in it. Russos did a great job spreading screen time for the ensemble but my MVPs – The Guardians.
— Perri Nemiroff (@PNemiroff) April 24, 2018
INFINITY WAR is exhausting. *Exhausting.* It all just turned into noise for me after a while. But the amazing ending almost made up for the rest of it. And Thanos is a good, sad villain.
— Bilge Ebiri (@BilgeEbiri) April 24, 2018
Jaw on ground. You are not ready for ‘Avengers: Infinity War’. All you have to know is AVOID ALL SPOILERS! Seriously. Go in knowing as little as possible. The @Russo_Brothers did the impossible. Wow. pic.twitter.com/noKZ5cQWdc
— Steven Weintraub (@colliderfrosty) April 24, 2018
#AvengersInfinityWar is my second fave @Marvel movie after #BlackPanther. The superhero interplay is hilarious and surprising at every turn. The action is monumental. And there are actual stakes this time around. Kevin Feige is not f-cking around with this one.
— Nigel M. Smith (@nigelmfs) April 24, 2018
“Perfectly balanced. As all things should be.”
AVENGERS INFINITY WAR is masterclass in balancing story & characters. What RUSSO BROTHERS did w/ this film is pure filmmaking. I am in awe @ how they juggled every aspect.
Perfectly clean action. Perfect tone. Brolin is INCREDIBLE. pic.twitter.com/cziE3Lllpw
— Kevin McCarthy (@KevinMcCarthyTV) April 24, 2018
Avengers Infinity War is a colossal high impact action movie with lots of great humor and a spectacularly unpredictable ending. Brolin is excellent. Avoid spoilers.
— Scott Derrickson (@scottderrickson) April 24, 2018
