This seems to be a running theme that happens every other year at this point, but I think it can officially be written…
It all comes down to this.
11 years and 21 movies lead to the most recent culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In what will surely be one of the highest-grossing movies of all time, we get to see the heroes that many have grown to love in a grand showdown with destiny.
After the great snap in Infinity War, the Avengers (and the universe) is left in near ruins. Now, it’s up to the original Avengers to strategize a way to restore order to the universe and take their greatest villain down for good.
I’ll purposely leave out basic story details out of respect for those that plan to devour every ounce of Endgame. The Russo Brothers, who have overseen Winter Soldier, Civil War and Infinity War, are back in the directors’ chairs and are making good on fan service that has been promised for over a decade now. Having directed four of the 22 MCU flicks, they know these characters as both creators and fans. They know exactly what long-time fans want to see on screen and they deliver on it.
In case you didn’t know, there is plenty of essential viewing required before seeing Endgame. Tonally, this movie is radically different from Infinity War, which was essentially a team-up beat-em-up that felt more a means to an end than actual storytelling. Endgame follows that barrage of action with a very methodical tone.
For two full hours, the exposition is the main character as the Avengers’ plan needs to work with as few plot holes as possible. While that task is far from achieved, they complicate every explanation so much that you’ll be distracted and forget that you needed to care about what is happening and why it breaks its own established rules.
You will feel the length of the movie up until its grand climax. The Russo’s could have used someone in the editing room and tightened up the fuzzy science that’s meant to hold the story together. Instead, there are some really great performances that elevate the experience. Robert Downey Jr is the true anchor of the franchise and he finally delivers the weight-of-the-world role that he attempted in Iron Man 2, 3 and Age of Ultron. His performance moves from sleepwalking actor with great one-liners to the emotional foundation of this event movie. Other notable performances come from Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner. These two background characters have finally been given time to develop into featured players that hold significance to the story as well.
Not everyone can be a valuable Avenger. Mark Ruffalo continues to ham it up in another wasted Hulk appearance. The character is written so poorly that it honestly doesn’t need his inclusion. Also, I’m still not sure why Don Cheadle’s War Machine wasn’t killed in Civil War. His character, more than any other, is only there to punctuate dialogue with jokes that bring seemingly important scenes to a standstill.
Thankfully, the non-stop humor is not the focus of Endgame. These characters have a mission and there’s so much exposition involved, that there’s little time for pointless asides. If you have read my previous Marvel reviews, you’ll know how excited I am that the MCU’s primary crutch of humor is only secondary at best here.
The beauty of Endgame is bringing it back to the basics. Yes, it was every fan’s dream to see 3,845 Marvel heroes on screen during Infinity War, but that doesn’t make for a great singular film experience. By focusing on the core group in Endgame, we get to see stories, that had been forgotten in the midst of 22 movies, return and get closure. It was refreshing to see the Avengers (with a few additions) that united in 2012 return again, most having gone through decent character arcs.
If you’ve been a fan of this mega-franchise since its beginnings in 2008, this movie is for you. The characters you have loved find satisfying resolutions. The final third, while technically all over the place makes the previous two hours worth it. The Marvel flicks aren’t known for their cinematography, but there are moments that are extremely memorable contained within all the action. The ending(s) give Return of the King a run for its money, but the culmination of this uneven story has managed to pay off. B-
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