All of the souped up super heroes from ten years of Marvel magic unite to share 2.5 hours of slightly tedious exposition and some hard kicking to defeat Thanos.
That formidable enemy with a righteous thirst for universal domination has only to injure the one closest to each stone keeper for them to give it up.
Kudos to Marvel writers for balancing so many plot lines and sticking to the story Bibles from a decade of character re-creating. Inventing action with matching one-liners for comic relief is no small task. Every character gets one-line comic glory. Here are a few of my favorites:
“That was gross.”
“An hour.”
“That’s what killing is.”
Despite the gaggle of famous faces, they somehow leave room for a few surprise guests: Voldemort as dementor, Tyrion as oxymoronic giant dwarf, purple Hellboy, Loki’s CG twin sister, an Iron Hulk, and the Demogorgon.
Don’t worry. Thor is still the thunder god, Cap the hot moralist, Scarlett’s Black Widow kicks the crew into action, and Tony Stark boasts ever newer and better tech. Wakandans, Bruce Banner, and all of the Guardians of the Galaxy run madly toward battle fronts covered in Orc-like goblin goons and the godlike children of Thanos.
It’s a little like those charity performances that combine all of the chart-topping vocalists to help heal the world. Rod Stewart and Sting get their stand-out moments next to Aretha. All maintain personal style, but you hope that together they won’t make a cacophony. Infinity War meets the challenge in vignettes with unique groupings combining efforts and quirks. 
Back in NYC, over African countrysides, and across the universe, backstory runs a long legato strain under moments of humor and triumph. All Avenge, though not all are present. Ant Man, Hawkeye, and others wait in the wings for the next star-studded film experience.
Thematically sparing one life at a time, they sacrifice all in the process to show Marvel’s minion fans that they too can suffer long. After an Empire Strikes Back-esque cliffhanger, part 2 with Brie Larson as Captain Marvel won’t appear for yet another year. Just remember that this is a comic series and that the Gauntlet, covered in stones, now controls space, mind, time, reality, power, and soul. All is not lost.
Only the Captain believes there is good in his friend, and Cap can keep his fists up all day.
The world demands accountability for the collateral toll taken during city battles. As long as there are Avengers, there will be conflicts challenging them. Circular reasoning, but the stats back it up. Unfortunately, a few bad guys with vengeful vendettas know that the best way to break up a team is from within.
Make them fight themselves, and as it says in scripture, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.”
The team, indeed, divides over political issues and faces off only after acquiring a few more helpful fighters on each side. They recruit Ant Man, the beautiful Black Panther, and a fresh new Spider-Man for the front lines. 
They seem to put civility back into Civil War, as it begins in a glass meeting room with kind conversations between our two power houses. It builds to what seems like a fight for fun, a wits-to-fists stand-off until it gets personal.
Knowing it can’t end well if they keep it up, Widow walks the fence to bring peace.
The action to exposition ratio feels even and seamless in this the best Avengers series franchise film yet. It’s well written as characters continue their own arcs in character development, and remain consistent in both dialogue and story. This film is also shot beautifully, often putting viewers at hip and fist level so we step into the shoes of different Avengers as they fight. 
This empathy may help maintain viewership for what is already being called the biggest film in the world. Perhaps the world will seek, as the each of the Avengers eventually do, redemption and reconciliation too.
Paul Rudd delights audiences with comedic ease, promising character depth, and physical agility. He knows himself well by now and despite his crass comic tendencies, the director of Ant Man holds him back and allows the penchant for quick wit to help audiences settle in for a ride that’s basically a Honey I Shrunk revival for the Marvel generation.
Splatter: on FILM 