Avengers: Infinity War Ending Scene Review

I have a theory when it comes to the greatest films ever made and, that is, that usually the ending of the film is unexpected but borderline sad / depressing. Now this isn't for every film, there are plenty of greats where the film ends positively but the ones that really stand out for me have endings which leave you feeling kinda sad. Some great examples of this are films like The Dark Knight, Empire Strikes Back, Terminator 2 and Avengers: Infinity War, which is the film I have picked today's Scene Review from.

Avengers: Infinity War ending scene is one that doesn't need much introduction. It is the moment that left the world stunned. With villain, Thanos, successful in capturing all 6 Infinity Stones, does what he set out to do and that is using the power of the stones to wipe out 50% of the world's population, in order to save earth's residents from themselves. Which is where this legendary scene starts...

After Thanos snaps his fingers and disappears to god knows where, the Avengers are left wondering what is about to happen, which is exactly how the audience felt. I remember my exact thoughts at the time - "what is going to happen, how are we going to see this cull unfold?". And then in begins, starting with Captain America's best friend Bucky Barnes. "Steve" Bucky calls out, whilst looking at himself, as if he doesn't feel quite right. As Cap turns round he sees what's left of his friend, quickly turning into dust and before he can react Bucky completely fades away. Soon after, we see random soldiers of the Wakanda army turn to dust, highlighting that the cull Thanos set in motion is firmly happening. One-by-one we see our heroes turn to dust, from Black Panther, to Groot, to Scarlet Witch. One thing that I liked during Scarlet Witche's passing, is that she is not bothered and almost has a smile on her face. With her literally just losing her lover, Vision, as he was murdered by the direct hands of Thanos, she didn't have much to live for anymore and there may have been a chance of her seeing him again on the 'other-side'.

Many familiar faces faded away during this moment but the one passing which really shook the world, was the 'dusting' of Peter Parker, aka Spider-Man. Tom Holland's Peter Parker has really made a positive impact on the world and the way he passed was not only extremely emotional, it was very clever. As we had seen with all the other people who had been chosen to die, the dusting happened almost instantly to them realising their time was up but not Peter. Due to one of Spider-Man's powers being able to sense danger before it happens, Peter was able to know his time was up before he was taken. For a young child, like himself, this would be extremely terrifying and it is portrayed perfectly by Holland as he calls out Tony Stark's name in fear - "Mr Stark, I don't feel so good" as he starts to stumble backwards. What adds to the upset of this scene is that Tony was his mentor and wanted to keep Peter out of mortal danger. It's a combination of so many things which make the moment unforgettable. Peter fades away in Tony's arms, cementing the reality that the Avengers lost.

The transition of the world happens quickly, leaving the survivors in complete shock, which is shown perfectly by Captain America, as he slowly falls to the ground, uttering two words - "oh god". To see such a hopeful character brought to this point hit home what had just happened.

As always, a great scene requires a great score. For this epic moment, Alan Silvestri, the composer, whips up a delightful number in the track 'What Did It Cost'. This piece of music fits the scene perfectly. It's emotive but also dark, which matches the tone of the moment. We feel for these characters but the sheer fact 50% of the world population is being murdered is extremely dark if you really think about it. Silvestri is a true musical genius and it is highlighted within this track.

So there you have it, my breakdown/review of a modern classic scene. Marvel has really made it's name within cinema history, especially as they have recently broke blockbuster records with Endgame, but this ending scene from Infintity War is a highlight from them. The audience is used to fun films with happy endings where Marvel is concerned, so for them to go down this route was a gamble which easily paid off. The suspense it left was unquestionable and will forever be a key attribute to it's sequels success.