'Avengers: Infinity War' Is this Generation's 'Empire Strikes Back'

Avengers: Infinity War is currently sweeping through theaters, setting new records for what a blockbuster "event film" can be. Moreover, the events of Infinity War's finale have done some real emotional damage to Marvel movie fans -- especially the younger ones.

For those of us who are older, Avengers: Infinity War certainly echoes another cinematic milestone we had in our lifetime: that would be the experience of seeing Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back for the first time.

There's an entire discussion that could be had about all the ways that Infinity War does and does not mimic the events of Empire Strikes Back - such as the fact that both are essentially massive chase sequences, with the heroes trying to outrun an enemy threat; or that both films offer big twists that not only redefine the future of the franchise, but also alter what we thought we knew leading up to current events. Finally (and most obviously), both films end with the heroes being defeated by the villains, with big cliffhangers leave fans twisting in the wind.

The comparison between Marvel and Star Wars will continue to rage in forums and threads all over the Internet (both owned by Disney, just saying...). however, what we're more interested in is the actual experience of seeing both films, and the similarity in how they affected fans.

Empire Strikes Back changed the way so many younger viewers viewed not just cinematic narrative, but narrative in general. Ideas like 'the good guys always win' or that every movie must tidy up all loose ends were eradicated entirely, while ideas about how narrative trilogies get structured, became a staple the industry for fans and filmmakers, alike. The notion of a blockbuster movie leaving fans hanging - and with feelings of darkness, disappointment, and defeat to grapple with - was virtually unheard of before that point. For all the would-be Empire Strikes Back clones that have come along afterward, no film has really left fans reeling as hard as Infinity War. And we thank god that it did.

In the era of "safe spaces," where many consumers only have to view or encounter what's been tailored-made for their tastes and comforts, having to encounter a film that kills some of their favorite heroes, and makes them grapple with that fact for at least an entire year, is what we old folks would call a "character-building" experience. Just like Empire Strikes Back was for my generation, Avengers: Infinity War is destined to go down as that movie whose traumas are some of their fondest cinematic memories. Only question now is whether Infinity War will also achieve Empire's feat of being regarded as the best installment of the series, in view of many fans. As with the debate between Episodes IV and V, we expect the debate between the original Avengers and Infinity War will be just as passionate.

Avengers: Infinity War is now in theaters. Other upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe movies include Ant-Man and the Wasp on July 6th, Captain Marvel on March 8, 2019, the fourth Avengers movie on May 3, 2019, the sequel to Spider-Man: Homecoming on July 5, 2019, and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in 2020.