Sunday, May 6, 2018

Marvel Universe Assemble!...Thanos Commands It: “Avengers: Infinity War Part 1” Fan Event


This is the spot where the customary SPOILER ALERT comes in any Marvel blog/article.  I saw this on the night of April 26th, 2018, and have taken a week to process what I have seen.  Some on social media are probably experiencing the same feeling of shock and awe as I did when the movie had ended. It is hard not to tell too much about what happens in this film…but that is what this blog will attempt to do.


Allow me to journey back to 1 Week earlier…Thursday April 26th, 2018 to be precise.  The place was the New Roc City Regal Cinemas in New Rochelle, NY. Marvel fans assembled in the theater for a 6:00pm Fan Event screening. They were given a collectible coin to commemorate the occasion, and offered a deal at the concession stand. The seats were assigned and the excited people entered ready for the movie; one even came in for the occasion dressed as Captain America-complete with the shield!

At 6:00pm, the preliminary content started.  The trailers started to roll, including the ones for Fox’s “Deadpool 2”, Lucasfilms Ltd’s “Solo: A Star Wars Story” and Marvel Studio’s “Antman & The Wasp”. After the previews, a featurette honoring the 10 years of Marvel Studios movies followed that showed how far the film series has come. 

Following the featurette, “Avengers: Infinity War Part 1” started. The audience was deeply engaged in the film as it kicked off where “Thor: Ragnarok” left off.  Thanos and his army appear in all their glory and continue their quest to possess the 6 Infinity Stones.  The galaxy’s biggest threat really does seem as imposing as he looks, creating chaos where he goes.  His agenda is evident in the desire for power reliant upon obtaining the stones capable of manipulating Reality, Soul, Space, Power, Time, and the Mind.

In Thano’s way are the heroes that have been introduced over the course of 10 years. While the presence of Thanos is the clear threat, the Avengers are a team divided by now. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) are planning their future.  Sam Wilson/Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson), and Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) have been fugitives after the Sokovia Accord was enacted; they went rogue instead of signing the document.  Newest entrant to the Marvel Universe T’Challa /Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) is now King of Wakanda and has granted sanctuary to a de-programmed Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sabastian Stan)…And of course, there’s your friendly neighborhood Spiderman/Peter Parker (Tom Holland).

Thanos will need to get through the Avengers to achieve his conquest. Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) has been in his New York residence protecting his Time Stone from those who would seek to take it from him. Vision (Paul Bettany) - created with the Mind Stone-has been off the grid in Europe with Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). Amongst the Guardians of The Galaxy, Gamora (Zoe Saldana) and Drax(Dave Bautista) have deep grudges and scores to settle with Thanos.

The battlefields are set across the universe and are well-crafted.  In the theater I was in, the crowd reacted enthusiastically during the amusing interactions between characters.  Plotlines intertwined in such a way that promised a well-developed confrontation.  All the chaos on the screen created a wide range of reactions in the theater. The audience was fully drawn into the film.

Now, I will not divulge any further information about “Avengers: Infinity War Part 1”.  Based on its $1 Billion+ worldwide box office take, it can be said that this latest installment in the Marvel franchise united the audience in a shared experience that left social media buzzing. Some have taken to the internet to discuss their feelings about the film, being careful to note SPOILER ALERT as I have done while others are counting down the days until 2019’s “Avengers: Infinity War Part 2”. However fans expressed their feelings, they are looking forward to Marvel’s next project.                 

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