• Review by Kaya Savas - May 25, 2018

Alan Silvestri is one of the most talented composers that has worked in the industry, and his body of work has left some of the biggest marks on us as an audience. His style and approach are unmatched, and even at 68 he’s still one of the most in-demand composers. Alan’s first jump into the Marvel Cinematic Universe was with Captain America: The First Avenger, and was then followed up with The Avengers. With Avengers: Age Of Ultron, Alan did not return but his theme sure did in a bit of a messy tag-team effort between Brian Tyler and Danny Elfman. As we know, differences and complications are normal in this industry, so whatever happened there happened. But fast-forwarding to Avengers: Infinity War, we see Silvestri take the reigns back for what is a much stronger effort than his first score but still lacking something special that makes it leave a lasting impact.

The general plot of Infinity War is where most of the shortcomings in the narrative come from. How many times are we going to see a villain with no moral complexity hell-bent on fulfilling their mission to cull the herd? It’s a tried and true cliche of villains, especially comic book ones. Off the bat, there is little to no depth to this movie. Plus there’s not just an A plot and a B plot, there’s a C plot and a D plot and an E plot, etc. But overall it’s simply the good guys vs the bad guys that abruptly ends on a cliffhanger for part 2, and that is what Silvestri had to work with here. The score in itself is quite expertly crafted, and a bit more nuanced than the first Avengers. Since this film is a bit darker in tone, the score has a heavier emotional weight. So we have these moments of despair and darkness, but we also have the bright action sequences that pump a good amount of energy into the adventure. At the end of everything we do feel this forward momentum to the climactic battle, but the movie leaves nothing resolved. The score's biggest moments happen in the final act, and the journey getting there is fun if not choppy. We do get to hear Silvestri reprise his Captain America theme. We also do have a copy/paste moment where Ludwig Göransson's Black Panther theme makes an appearance in the film. Other than that though, no other past themes come up. When things come to a close we end on an ellipsis rather than a period.

Avengers: Infinity War is a great effort from veteran Alan Silvestri who knows what a big blockbuster like this needs. However, if you want to see Silvestri really shine, then check out Ready Player One. Avengers: Infinity War does feel like a natural new entry in this saga, but we don’t sense an evolution or growth into new territory. There is definitely more substance than the past Avengers scores, but the film’s shortcomings as a narrative limit what Silvestri can do musically.

  • 3.5/5