Can you say chills? What’s better is that they all defy the typical role female superheroes lead (the token heroine or the damsel in distress/love interest). For the first time ever we get Nebula, Gamora, Scarlet Witch, Black Widow, Shuri, Okoye, and Mantis all on the same screen. Black Panther introduced us to the badass women of Wakanda, and the new Avengers: Infinity War takes it one step further by bringing all of the female superheroes together. But things are changing in the Marvel Universe. So how does Marvel hold up? According to an article from 2017, only 56% pass the test. Do they talk about something other than a male character?.Do two (named) female characters talk to each other?.There were women in these films yes, but how many could pass the Bechdel test? For those of you who don’t know, the Bechdel test uncovers sexism in fiction by asking two questions: If you look back you’ll see Hulk, Logan, Deadpool, Spiderman, Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, and the list goes on. ![]() But here’s one simple measure of the film’s success: Despite my reservations, that cliffhanger worked, and I really, really want to know what happens next.The Marvel Cinematic Universe that I grew up with was completely male-dominated. I do think Infinity War falls a little short of Marvel’s best movies, like Black Panther and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (which, like Infinity War, was directed by Anthony and Joe Russo). I shouldn’t say too much about where that quest leads, but I will note that Infinity War feels very much like the first half of a two-part film, with an ending that sets up the still-untitled Avengers 4 (due May 3, 2019). Instead, he’s a weary soldier at the end of a long quest. And as portrayed by Josh Brolin (via voice acting and motion capture), he doesn’t come off as a cackling villain. Over the course of the film, Thanos emerges as a dangerous and powerful alien who’s absolutely devoted to his mission of destroying half the life in the universe - kind of a weird goal, but as Walter Sobchak once said, at least it’s an ethos. He even gets to kill off a surprisingly large number of those heroes (though I don’t expect all of those deaths to stick). His quest to acquire the super-powered Infinity Stones drives the story, as all of Marvel’s heroes scramble to stop him, giving the film a constant feeling of crisis and leading fairly quickly to spectacular fights on Earth and in space. In Infinity War, Thanos is at the center of the action. Previous films have reduced Thanos to a purple guy who utters a few threatening lines while sitting in his silly looking space throne. Instead, as in Black Panther (and virtually no other Marvel movie), Infinity War‘s most memorable character is actually the villain, Thanos. Luckily, the film’s real strength isn’t on the heroic side. ![]() That’s probably about as good as any filmmaker could do when trying to stuff the entire Marvel Universe into a single movie, but it’s still a little disappointing after the first Avengers film managed to give us five distinct and memorable heroes (sorry, Hawkeye), and it got so much mileage out of throwing those heroes together. But afterwards, they tend to fade into the background, becoming just another moving part in the big action set pieces (and yes, this includes Marvel’s new MVP Black Panther). Meanwhile, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) also get some good jokes in, recapturing the fun of their relationship in Spider-Man: Homecoming.Įveryone else? Well, they’re usually introduced with a nice quip or a bad-ass moment, designed to remind you of how much you liked them in their own movies. Screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely are more willing to spend time with them, even when they’re not involved in a giant battle, and that pays off with the movie’s funniest moments - as well as scenes with real weight and melancholy. For most of Infinity War, the “cosmic” side of the Marvel Cinematic Universe is well-represented by Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and the Guardians of the Galaxy (Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana and team), who end up working together. Some of those characters fare better than others. L to R: Spider-Man/Peter Parker (Tom Holland), Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Drax (Dave Bautista), Star-Lord/Peter Quill (Chris Pratt) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff).
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