Well, it’s here. 21 movies crammed into a decade have led us to what Marvel Studios President/guru/producer extraordinaire, Kevin Feige, refers to as the end of their “Infinity Saga” – the culmination of every storyline they’ve done up to this point. One might be daunted by the task of attempting what could arguably be the biggest cinematic event film of all time. Luckily, we have not only Feige seeing his vision through to the end, but The Russo Brothers (Anthony and Joe) directing that vision. The Russo Bros proved their worth with their first and second films in the MCU, Captain America: The Winter Soldier & Captain America: Civil War. They then blew audiences (and half of their characters) away with the Avengers: Infinity War. So, is it a stretch to believe that they could carry the proverbial ball across the goal line with the final chapter, Avengers: Endgame? Well, I’m happy that I can say that they did one hell of a job, as Endgame is a truly unique achievement in cinematic history.
What else can I say? Not much. Most of the world has yet to see the film, and it’s absolutely FILLED with spoilers throughout. To keep things as spoiler-free as possible, I’ll simply say the film follows our beloved (remaining) Avengers as they try to pick up the pieces after the events of Infinity War and think of some way they might be able to move on or make things right.
While I can’t say anything else about the plot, I will say that nothing like Endgame has ever existed in cinema history. This is mainly because no studio has had such runway both story and character-wise to draw from. Harry Potter and Star Wars have 8 films to draw from to conclude their respective journeys – Marvel has TWENTY-FRIGGIN-ONE. They basically have 21 episodes of a show and Endgame is the thrilling, often hilarious, & dramatic series finale, referencing and enhancing story-lines that have come before.
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Because the aforementioned Russos are directing and their secret weapon writing duo of Christopher Marcus and Stephen McFeely return as well, Endgame, like Infinity War and Civil War, demonstrates their unique ability to keep the narrative propelling forward while not losing sight of what matters, the characters. This is especially impressive seeing as they’re dealing with more characters than ever; however, make no mistake, Endgame is firmly about the original six Avengers – some more than others. To even say which ones are given more due would be spoilers, but I’m pretty sure you can guess. That’s also Marvel’s big weapon here: we’ve already bought in for these characters. They know it, and they use it to their advantage.
What impressed me most about Endgame was how unpredictable it feels at most points in the film. I, like many of you, had many theories on where this story would go and, while I got some things right, much of the film did not go as expected – most of the time in good ways.
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With that said, there are some issues throughout the film. These mainly consist of logic gaps; although, there are some points where the film simply explains things away in a barely acceptable manner or doesn’t explain at all. This would be fine if they weren’t such big plot points, but they are. My hope is that they’re addressed sooner than later – looking at you, Spider-Man: Far From Home. Some of these logic gaps are simply a trapping of the genre, which I also won’t fully give away for the viewer’s sake. This all results in what might be the Russo Brothers most sloppy film logic-wise, as they’re usually extremely thorough during their story-breaking process.
Regardless, the movie isn’t ultimately derailed by the gaps in logic or the questions that are never fully explained, which is all thanks to the narrative heft that the characters bear. Not to mention the movie is filled with some outstanding fan-service moments – the good kind, not the pandering kind – all of which lead up to an outstanding third act filled with tension, action, cheers, and tears.
In the end, if you’re not a fan of what Marvel has had to offer by now, it’s unlikely that Endgame is going to be some magical piece of cinema that changes your mind about everything. Endgame is unabashedly meant for the fans of the MCU, and it, without a doubt, rewards them for their time spent loving and obsessing over these characters. It may not be the end of the MCU, but it certainly is the end of the MCU as we know it to be – and oh, what a glorious ending it is.
OVERALL SCORE: 4.5/5
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Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, Avengers: Endgame reportedly stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Frank Grillo, Letitia Wright, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Josh Brolin, Chris Pratt, Jeremy Renner, Evangeline Lilly, Jon Favreau, Paul Rudd, and Brie Larson. Check out the synopsis below:
“After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in ruins. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers assemble once more in order to undo Thanos’ actions and restore order to the universe.”
Avengers: Infinity War is now on Digital and Blu-ray, while Avengers: Endgame hits theaters on April 26th, 2019.
