WHAT’S IT ABOUT: The penultimate story in the long running Marvel series is another epic tale of good versus evil as superheroes from far and wide face a singular enemy, one who has been steadily making his way to the forefront in his quest for Infinity Stones, gems that hold total control over the universe, including reality, time, space, soul, mind, and power. He looks to use them in wiping out half of all life while the Avengers come together in desperate hope to stop him.
This leads many to make staggering sacrifices as Thanos (Josh Brolin) grows increasingly stronger and determined to crush any who stand in his way. As defenders of the Earth and more, such as Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Captain America (Chris Evans) and many, many more take him on, all seems lost as the battle leads to a shocking end where we are meant to question everything. Could evil really win?
MINI REVIEW: Taking a far more serious tone, as all the core Avenger movies have slowly embraced, this film is all about loss with some truly surprising moments that genuinely break the mold as it were for what these superhero movies have long made tradition, that our heroes are invincible, even when they fight each other. That dark tone is set even before the opening credits as Thanos dispenses right away with a few key characters that had most watching wondering if what was happening could be real, at least in the context of the movie.
This bleak, edgy feel actually makes sense considering the outcome and the film manages to balance the lingering doom well with the usual action and playfulness inherent in the genre. That’s made all the more convincing by the cast once again committing so deeply to the story, admittedly a tough thing considering so much of these films have centered on humor. Further pulling us into the mix is the movie’s outstanding visuals, directors Anthony and James Russo putting together a well-paced, beautifully rendered universe that is fun (and emotionally moving) to explore.
With that said, there are a host of great moments in the film – with the finale probably the most memorable – that deserve some attention, but let’s steer things to the middle of the story where we see much of the film’s central themes best demonstrated. It’s about a father and daughter and the choices one makes in blind devotion.
THAT MOMENT IN: In the limited space of this post, it would sort of be impossible to recap all the backstories and complications of the Avengers movies, but for the sake of economy, let’s summarize in saying that while many numerous heroes and villains scattered about the stars (and mostly Earth) are introduced and squabble, in the distance has long sat Thanos, one of the most powerful supervillains in the universe, looking to make his move.
The big purple fellow is collecting the aforementioned Infinity Stones, and at the start of this story already has one, the Power Stone, though by the mid-point, where we want to pause for bit, has rounded up two more, the Space and Reality Stones. This has cost the Avengers (and others) greatly. The gem he’s after now is the Soul Stone, held on the planet Vormir and protected by none other than Red Skull (Ross Marquand), Captain America’s arch enemy. Red Skull tells Thanos, who has brought along his adopted daughter Gamora (Zoe Saldana) – a member of the Guardians of the Galaxy reluctantly working with her father only to save her sister Nebula (Karen Gillan) from torture (this is not a healthy family) – that retrieving the stone requires terrible sacrifice. He must lose that which he loves. You can see where this is going.
THE HUMANITY OF THANOS: On Vormir, standing on the carved stone precipice of a great abyss, Red Skull explains to Thanos how the Soul Stone demands a soul for a soul, making it unique among the stones.
When Thanos learns this, we see for the first time in the character a visible weakness. He slumps and his face draws in, for he knows, even if we and his daughter don’t, what it means. Gamora, in fact, thinks the moment a victory, smirking that at last, despite her father’s campaign of death and torture, he is now defeated because she knows – as all in the universe know – he has no love in him. There is nothing for him to give up. And therefore, after all he’s done, he is ended by his inability to care for anyone else.
Thanos turns to face her, listening to her cutting words, tears forming in his eyes, which she is convinced are feigned. “Tears?” she mocks. However, Red Skull, realizing the truth, tells her quite heavily, they are not for him. And BAM, we get it, too. Thanos isn’t crying because he’s lost, he cries for her because he has hidden something so deep, not even she could see. He does have one soul able to give in exchange for the Stone, one soul in all the universe he loves. One. And she is standing right in front of him.
WHY IT MATTERS: There is a streak of painful confusion in Gamora, in that moment realizing her father does love her but because so makes her key to his plan for destruction. Quickly realizing that she is the soul, Gamora makes a bold gesture on her own, attempting to trust a knife into her heart and thereby stopping his claim over the Soul Stone. However, Thanos is too powerful and dematerializes the blade before it can strike. He then grabs her by the arm and drags her to the edge. As she tries to break free, he weeps for what he must do, then tosses her over, believing his destiny lies in the loss of the one thing he truly loves.
It’s always very cool when we get to know more about the bad guy in movies mostly focused on the good ones. To this point, rightfully so, Thanos has been packaged and sold as the ultimate evil in the stars, coming to lay waste on all that is good, his brief scenes in the movies leading up to this featuring him entirely as a cruel and vindictive monster. Now however, we get a glimpse beyond that exterior to a being driven by a blinding passion that has convinced him his motivations are true. So much so he is willing to give up the only thing that has made him feel love, what we consider the most powerful force in nature.
And so it is. Love has broken Thanos and the loss of Gamora in gaining the Soul Stone deeply affects him, shifting his desire to accomplish his maddening quest to not only be for his own sake, but as fulfillment of a promise in his heart that his daughter’s death will not be without worth. He still has many battles ahead, and more Avengers to fight, but this choice on the steep slopes of Vormir will stay with him, and us, for it is the only death in Thanos’ crushing wave of many that means anything to him. He will not forget. Nor will we. It’s a great movie moment.