Eleven years and twenty-one feature films have led us to this point – Avengers: Endgame. The question is of course – Were Marvel Studios able to stick the landing on this gigantic nerd ship?
Before we get started, let’s talk spoilers, or moreso the lack of them that will be in this review.
I am going to actively avoid spoilers to the best of my ability but with a movie this big and important, just talking about my emotions and feelings may be enough to spoil it for some people. So with that in mind if you are one of those people (No shame in it, I definitely am!) then please go see the film before you read this review, or any review for that matter, so as to get the full unhampered experience that you deserve.
Speaking of experience, that’s exactly what this film is. Much like its predecessor – Avengers: Infinity War – Endgame is a movie that is fully intended to be viewed as part of a saga or more specifically… The end of one. So if for some god-forsaken reason you are yet to see the glorious library of MCU movies, then this may not be for you, but for the fans that have been through this epic journey so far, I can’t think of a better way to close of what has been for me one of the greatest stories to ever be told on the big screen.
The way that directors – Anthony & Joe Russo handle these larger than life characters is seriously impressive. Sure, they have history of getting this right with the likes of Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, but this time they had the added task of how these characters continue to live their lives after the devastating events of Infinity War. This is where Endgame may surprise some people as, yes, the heartbreaking sombre tone is of course there to be seen and felt, but that doesn’t mean the signature MCU comedy is not here as well. Endgame has arguably more weight than any previous MCU movie to date, but that didn’t stop the film makers from having a bit of fun. The fun and comedy though always feels like its rooted in a dark place and to a point often feels like these characters we know and love are more putting on a brave face than anything else, making the tone of this movie stand out above anything else that has come before it.
The plot they decided to go with here was brave as it leaves a lot of room for error and confusion, in fact if you’re not paying proper attention, then there is every chance that an important plot point or explanation could be missed, which could confuse things down the line… Though for the most part I think the story is held together incredibly well, and although certain critics might point the finger to one or two particular things not making complete sense, by the time everything comes together in the third act, you would have to be one hell of a miserable sod to not be on the edge of your seat smiling from ear to ear.
Not at any point during the film did I feel the much publicised three-hour runtime wear me down; the entire experience flies by, and by the time the story is wrapping up I found myself not wanting this 22 movie run to end, and could have easily sat there for another three hours with these characters that I have grown to love over the years. With that being said, it is worth noting that although I am reviewing Endgame more as an end to this huge multi-movie story (Which is exactly what this is intended to be), it more than holds it own as a stand alone film… Though if you go into this having seen every MCU movie to this point, you will be rewarded massively.
One of my favourite things about the MCU are its moments, and there have been plenty of them over the years. My good god the amount of moments in this film alone is enough to make this my new favourite Marvel movie, and that’s really saying something! This is what Endgame gets right above everything else in my opinion, and that is fan service. Head honcho Kevin Feige and the Russo Brothers clearly went into this with one thing in mind, and that was the fans. They’re not interested in pleasing big time movie critics or winning fancy movie awards, they just want to make a piece of cinema that Marvel fans could only dream of, and with Avengers: Endgame they have achieved exactly that. The big moments in this film, from the subtle nods, to the spine tingling action pieces all left me breathless as I spent the majority of my time sat forward in my seat, picking my jaw up off the floor over and over again.
I could go on and on forever but it’s going to be incredibly difficult without veering into spoiler territory. So in closing I will say this… Avengers: Endgame has achieved something that I thought was impossible – It’s become my favourite comic book movie of all time. As I think back on the experience of this movie and the events that take place, I can’t help but feel emotional, and that’s a feeling that comes very few and far between when talking about cinema these days. Endgame had everything – It had laughs, it had surprises, it had celebrations and it had tears. It’s a perfect piece of cinema that I doubt will ever be replicated.
I give Avengers: Endgame: