Avengers: Infinity War

     How does one explain Avengers: Infinity War? They don't. I've tried to wrestle with how to write this movie review without giving anything away! However, I will do my best seeing as Endgame is just around the corner.

     So, to start off. As you watch the films, you'll begin to notice a theme with most of them. Stones. Beautifully lit and powerful gems that may seem to hold some modicum of power, but really don't seem that beg of a deal by the time the movie is done. These stones are found in the following films:

1.) The Tesseract/Space Stone - Captain America/Thor

2.)  The Aether/Reality Stone - Thor: The Dark World

3.) The Time Gem/Time Stone - Dr. Strange 

4.) Power Gem: Guardians of the Galaxy

5.) The Mind Gem - Avengers (Loki's staff)/Avengers: Age of Ultron (Vision's stone)

6.) The Soul Stone - Unknown. Either we've never seen it or it's been everywhere and we've never noticed it at all. Many people believe that it belonged to Heimdall, the Asgardian gatekeeper. 

     As the movies continue, these stones become more and more important and relevant to the overall storyline of the Avengers and they eventually bring everything and everyone together. When all of these Infinity stones are combined, they will make an incredible and unstoppable force of destruction and eventual recreation of the image of whoever controls them (not to different from the Mother Boxes in Justice League).

      In Guardians of the Galaxy, the primary antagonist is Thanos. An alien super-villain intent on destroying planets, killing and enslaving their people and somehow feel like he has done some good. However, Thanos wants more and he won't stop until he gets it. He's tired of taking over mere planets. Now he wants to take over the complete galaxy and knows that the only way he can do so is by finding the six legendary Infinity Stones. Once the stones are combined, Thanos is capable wiping out the whole galaxy, especially Earth and then proceed to recreate his own home, Titan, that was destroyed many years before. 

     When the movies begins, Thanos has gathered most of the stones. Which each gem, he grows more power hungry and maniacal. Soon he finds himself on board an Asgardian freighter ship, picking up right where Thor: Ragnarok left off. He wastes no time in torturing and killing to get his hands on the Tesseract, to create the space stone. Now, he sets his sights on Earth, but has to attempt to take on a powerful magician.

     Dr. Stephan Strange holds the Time Stone and it doesn't take long to realize that he has now become Thanos' number one target. While Stephan is powerful, he knows he cannot fight Thanos alone and he needs to recruit some former, but still famous, heavy hitters. 

     Meanwhile, after the events of Captain America: Civil War the Avengers are still separated. Tony Stark and his fiancee, Pepper Potts are planning a new life together. Yet, Stephan Strange comes to inform Tony that they may need to put their marriage plans on hold. The-Avenger-in-training, Peter Parker is restless in school and desperate to get back into fighting after his introductory breakout in Spiderman: Homecoming; and he manages to get that chance, much to Tony Stark's annoyance.

      Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Sam Wilson, Vision and Wanda Maximoff are scattered over different parts of the world. Some are fighting and others are trying to live their lives as normally as possible. Yet war, or threat of war has a strange was of uniting people and when they are threatened by otherworldly powers, they know that they can no longer stay in hiding. However, they must find a place where they can all stand together. 

     In Wakanda, the young Black Panther King T'Challa is ready to open his country's borders as well as preparing the White Wolf or Bucky Barnes for a new life. Bucky has had no sense of real happiness due to the events that were revealed in Captain America: The Winter Soldier and now he's ready to fight, just this time on the right side, which is next to his best friend.

     Finally, the Guardians of the Galaxy crew get a shock when Thor hits their ship and soon reveals to them about Thanos and how he plans to annihilate the entire galaxy. And if anyone is going to understand and want to fight, it's the Guardians. Through Thanos and his plan, the Avengers (T'Challa counts as an Avenger) and the Guardians team up together and try to take on Thanos, but there is a cost that is higher than anyone expected.

      And that's about all I can say! I was surprised that there was still a great amount of humor, primarily brought on by Tony Stark and Peter Parker. While there are three or four storylines going on at the same time, it wasn't too hard to keep up with each story. And there is loss. A great deal of loss, but that doesn't mean that they are gone forever. I mean if they were, what's the point of a fourth Avenger's movie? 

     The ability to unite so many storylines and bring together so many characters may have seemed impossible, but it was done very well. Between the early humor and the ending heartbreak, there was one story that has remained consistent, not just in this film, but all the films. The story of good v evil and sacrifice over selfishness. No matter what is thrown at the Avengers, they won't back down or compromise. Even if it meant having to sacrifice friendships and fame to do so. T'Challa opened his home and allowed an alien war to be fought for the sake of protecting humanity. Thor and the Guardians literally go to the ends of the earth to use any means necessary to end Thanos and his work.

     Now, we'll see what Endgame has to hold and if the sacrifices were worth it.