Something people didn’t necessarily expect when queuing up to go and see Avengers: Infinity War was to reach the end of the film as tear-streaked, blubbering messes, shuddering with emotion. That’s because nobody expected that Thanos would, like, succeed in his plan, and essentially win the film, destroying half the universe and causing beloved characters to dissolve before our heartbroken eyes.
The odds are that half of it’ll be reversed in the as-yet-untitled sequel, but still, it was deeply, deeply upsetting to see characters we’ve been invested in for years vanish before our very eyes.
The most distressing of them, though, was a relative newcomer - Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. While most of the characters who died went quickly in a barrage of “Oh God oh God oh God”, there was just enough breathing room with Spider-Man that it really, really hit home.
A version of the scene without visual effects has now been released, and it turns out it’s still reasonably gutting:
COME BACK, SPIDER-MAN! Tell you what we’re baffled by, though, and that’s the slight reduction in Tom Holland’s hair voluminousness (or, “volume”) when the CGI layer is removed. What’s the deal there?
There’s also a look at the Thanos/Dr Strange/Iron Man fight, in which you really see the actors’ commitment to what is pretty much running around a green room with things strapped to them.
Maybe… maybe the human face is the most special effect of all.
(Pic: Marvel Studios)
