Just Watched : Avengers - Infinity War

Yes, I have watched all 18 MCU movies before, and was eagerly waiting to watch Infinity War.  Am I a fan? Kind of. I love MCU movies, and have read a lot of Marvel comics before. I read blogs, reddit,articles and watch youtube videos after watching movies, to find any easter eggs I have missed or comics nerd analysis to get add on experience. Does that count as a fan? Maybe.

However, my wife and I did not want to watch it in a crowded theatre where our experience get obstructed by someone coming in late, or want to take a loo break, someone loudly chewing their popcorn, slurping their drink or a fanboy who cannot contain his excitement, so the opening weekend was out of question. We opted for a show on first Monday. Now, we had a different problem, To avoid looking at any posts, memes, videos or reviews for 4 days which could ruin even a bit of our experience. It was a challenge, but without dwelling much into it, I would say somehow we managed it.

 We amassed a lot of Regal rewards from our 4 months subscription of movie pass, and it was perfect time to use them. We just had to pay 3 bucks for 2 tickets as it was a new movie.  I don't like 3D movies, as putting 3D goggle on top of my glasses doesn't work for me. IMAX 2D was a better choice but for 40$ not wise one. Getting what you want for almost free makes the experience even better right?.

When we entered the theatre, the theatre was almost half full. Guess, a lot of people had the same idea as us. The few faces we noticed were intently looking at trailers, giving me hope that they want the same experience.

****MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD*****

There was a hush in the the theatre as the lights dim, and the lifeless asgardian bodies lying on destroyed asgardian ship showed up. After Thor and team saved asgardians from Hela and destruction of Asgard, it was kind of heartbreaking to see all of that going to waste. And then there was Thanos, who immediately established himself as the villain to beat, when he thrashed both Thor and Hulk without much effort. As two major characters die in the first scene, i realized there is lot more of it coming next. 

The movie has a serious plot but not dark or humorless like DC. Banner is puzzled that there is an ant-man and spider-man in Avengers during his long absence from earth, Hulk saying NO to come out during a fight, teenage Groot using cuss words, star lord making his voice deeper to match Thor, Thor calling rocket a "rabbit", Spiderman using "old" alien movie references, Spiderman meeting Dr. Strange and many many more.

The movie has so many characters, but somehow each character got enough screen time and role to show their importance in the role. I would say, Marvel has not made this movie for first time viewers. With $ 15 billion of revenue receipts from 18 movies, Marvel kind of expect you to already know the characters, which works well to fit all important bits in 2.5 hrs.

And the biggest achievement, THANOS. He is not a regular onenote villain (ala DC Steppenwolf). He is mad who actually believes that genocide is the only way to save the universe, However he has got heart too, which even his adopted daughter Gamora realizes very late. The purple guy is powerful than many avengers combined, his plans work (the way he captures Gamora) and he knows how to get the stones and how to use the gauntlet.

Now, let's talk about the big surprise other than the ending. Tyrin Lanister ! Yes, Peter Dinklage as a GIANT. A giant dwarf, who is almost double the size of Hulk. Dinklage plays Eitri, weaponsmith, who forged Thor's hammer and his new weapon  Stormbreaker. The next surprise followed immediately after, teen Groot picks up just moulded Stormbreaker and makes a handle with his wooden arm. So Groot is worthy of God's weapon.

Every scene after scene was just amazing, and every fight Thanos is in, is even more so. It is nail biting to watch him fight Iron man, spider man, Dr Strange and GoTG in Titan (StarLord seriously?), and even better fighting Captain America, Banner and rest of Avengers in Wakanda. 

Then there was the SNAP. The snap of Thanos' fingers. In the minutes between the snap and the credits, the whole theater went "WHAT?!!?!!?" followed by a silence. And as the credits roll and lights came back, I could see many faces still holding the WHAT expression. I am not going to tell you who died. And even though I know some of them will be back for sequel movies, it was still a shock.

MCU has made it a trend. Now people patiently wait for credits to finish. Gone were the days when they use to dash to take out their car out first as soon as the credits roll.  And the post-credit scene was a must-must watch. Now you know who is going to show up to save the world. 

So am i waiting for Part 2 next year? HELL YEAH ! Can they do better than this movie? I don't know but even then it's going to be AWESOME.