Avengers: Endgame Review – The Epic of The Decade

Release Date: April 26th, 2019

Studio: Marvel Studios

Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Release Format: Theatrical

Avengers: Endgame is the epic finale we all wanted and may have thought impossible. This is an emotion-driven film filled with stellar acting, action and an ending that will be talked about years from now.

Endgame revolves around the team’s remaining living members going after Thanos to undo “The Snap.” The Avengers must try to overcome dysfunctional dynamics and tough battles to right The Mad Titan’s wrongs.

The audience became Avengers as well during the runtime as they had fighting of their own to do. That is the fight against their urge to cry and bawl on the stranger next to you.

There are multiple where all I hear are sobs and sniffling in the theatre. I say hear because my eyes were too blurry most of the time to see anything.  While I couldn’t see, there was definitely some Zack Galifianakis “ugly crying” happening all around.

“Whatever it takes” (to give you anxiety)

Endgame is the darkest Marvel film yet and the most mature in its subject matter of sacrifice, purpose, etc. Jokes appear throughout, but the stakes are so high and you’ll still feel every bit of anxiety the heroes do.

This is a very gripping film, I was annoyed at someone’s hyperventilating only to find out it was my own. This film succeeds in making the audience invested in the characters and their struggle.

You’re constantly heavily breathing from the thrilling scenes or out of air from holding your breath during intense moments. Endgame has these moments in spades, smokers be warned that you might not make it out.

Action is a side piece and drama is the main dish here. Seeing the aftermath of how Thanos affected our heroes lives is heartbreaking. Nobody is left the same and watching that play out is an enthralling as any action set piece.

Don’t worry though there’s a ton of CGI goodness mixed with excellent practical fights. The final battle somehow finds a way to outdo IW’s end battle to create a spectacle that will have the audience screaming like it’s a football game.

I sided with Thanos to a degree in the last film. This time around has me 1000% against him as he shows his true ruthlessness. Thanos didn’t have a personal vendetta previously, it was just business. This time he’s pissed off and if you thought killing most the Avengers was his worst, that was only a warm-up.

For Fans By Fans

The movie is so engaging, you don’t feel the three hours at all. Honestly, it is an amazing feat to make this feel as long as a Pixar short. The story is denser than an L.A blond with how many nuances and subtly is packed in.

The fights are well shot and even when it gets chaotic, every glorious blow is easy to catch. Every fight, every word in between it has a purpose with nothing is wasted.

That being said, this is a movie for the fans made by talented fans. There are plot points that tie back from our heroes earliest adventures to create a deep emotional resonance here.

A newbie watching this will look like the Mr. Krabs meme with all the references flying over their head and being dunked with orgasmic fan service.This driver doesn’t care if you are left at the station, they’re going 120mph in style toward the last stop.

Taken by itself, Infinity War stands by itself better as one complete story. You don’t necessarily need to watch the past films as it does an excellent job of setting up the characters and their relationships. Avengers: Endgame is a great film made into a superb one aided by a culmination of a 12-year-story paying off.

Acting like it’s the last time

Everyone’s acting throughout is simply phenomenal. Robert Downey Jr gives a performance early on as Tony Stark that had me in a cocktail of emotions.  Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow gives a devastatingly effective performance with facials that Matt Murdock could see.

Chris Hemsworth’s Thor continues his IW story with all of his family, people and home being decimated. Add knowing he could have “aimed for the head” to save trillions and you have a man more broken than Mr. Glass.

Thor knows his arrogance crept in, wanting to see Thanos suffer instead of purely saving the day. Hemsworth goes through this big arc, showing off his range with excellent comedic timing combined with tear-jerking performances.

Chris Evans as Captain America gives his all. Evans brings sincerity and bravery that you can’t help but get behind. He is the heart of the franchise, bringing an intangible connection between audiences and his story.

Jeremy Renner is now Ronin as the Hawkeye name is for a man with something to lose. Along with a cool new sword and ruthless attitude, he still has his arrows to make him one of the biggest threats and badass.

Ronin and Black Widow are involved in one of the most unconventional Marvel fights since “Dormammu I’ve come to bargain.” That short sequence works because of how invested I was at that point and the fantastic choreography.

The movie spends time with how Earth deals with half of its population lost. How life continues on and what it means for The Avengers. There’s over enough interesting material to support a series of its own.

Such a heavy film has to have some levity to balance things out. Endgame’s jokes mostly land but feel misplaced or forced in the first and arguably second acts. These clashes happen by trying to keep that lighthearted Marvel tone, even when it’s not appropriate.

Beautiful cinematic shots pop up throughout the runtime. One of the best shots is Cap on his last legs ready to charge at Thanos and his army. The Russo Brothers crafted numerous memorable frames that will be ingrained into our minds.

End of an era

I went in expecting to see a film a got an experience instead that made my glasses look like I was watching from Bikini Bottom. The narrative is really good if only held back by a second act that stalls a bit until the big finale hits.

Endgame is the closest movies have come to nailing comic-books with the first third focusing on character drama getting me invested. Then, the finale throwing everything fans can wish for in an hour-long battle for the ages.

Verdict:  Avengers: Endgame is an emotional rollercoaster I can’t wait to get back on. The definitive ending to a 22-movie spanning saga delivers what we wanted. The MCU is left in a state where nobody can guess what happens next and that is exciting.