<i>Avengers: Infinity War</i> Is an Extraordinary Juggling Act

Note: Although this review avoids spoilers, it inevitably contains hints of what transpires in the film. Those who wish to avoid any such knowledge should see the movie first.

Ah, how times passes. It seems like only a couple of Marvel movies ago that the original Avengers—Cap, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Hulk, Hawkeye—were duking it out with Tony Stark’s high-end, ill-advised kitchenware Ultron and his shiny utensil-minions. But actually—trust me, and take a deep breath—that was eight Marvel movies ago. Feeling old yet?

So when Bruce Banner—a.k.a. the Hulk, a.k.a. the actor Mark Ruffalo—shows up early in , he has a bit of catching up to do. (Marvel fans will recall he spent the interim years perfecting the extraterrestrial ultimate-fighting skills that he in last year’s .) At one point, having the whole storyline, Banner asks, “The Avengers broke up? Like a band? Like the Beatles?” Later, he’s more incredulous still at the launch of not one, but two new a ?” Oh, Bruce. Try to keep up.