Marvel’s movie division knows know important Avengers: Endgame is to the fanbase it’s developed over the last decade. For a while, a common criticism of MCU films was how they often felt a bit too light and inconsequential, so audiences were waiting for a serious “wham” moment. After Infinity War provided such a moment in its ending, all while juggling the perspectives of twenty lead heroes, it shouldn’t come as a shock that the follow-up is one of the most emotionally resonant films in the series to date.
Not to say there aren’t moments of levity. But even with those, there’s a sense of both unease and finality as the story progresses. That’s a testament to how well Thanos (Josh Brolin) was written in Infinity War, and the scope of his actions carries over here. But while the previous entry basically had the mad titan as its main character, the focus is back on the heroes that its fans have grown to know over the series.
Not willing to surrender after Thanos snapped his fingers with the Infinity Gauntlet and dusted away half of all life in the universe, the remaining Avengers compose themselves before flying into space after the murderous alien conqueror. Unfortunately, they discover that the stones have been destroyed, seemingly nullifying any chance of bringing their friends and the rest of the living beings back. (Rocket Raccoon {Bradley Cooper}’s expression upon realizing this is very heartbreaking).
But after some time passes. Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) re-emerges from the quantum realm he was exploring in Ant-Man & The Wasp’s post-credits scene, wondering what the heck’s going on. He meets with our heroes and presents an interesting theory: what if they could travel back in time to retrieve the Infinity Stones before Thanos does?
With the help of the Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) who’s now able to retain the intelligence of Bruce Banner in his large green form, Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Captain America (Chris Evans), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Nebula (Karen Gillian), Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and an out-of-shape, frustrated Thor (Chris Hemsworth, balancing out both comedy and sincere pathos) jump into the past to get the mystical items and undo Thanos’s crime. Needless to say, it’s a task that is not only near-impossible but will also require a good amount of painful sacrifice on the Avengers’ part.
It’s of course not feasible for every single moviegoer’s favorite Avenger to get equal focus, even with Endgame’s considerable runtime. But the writing is strong enough to keep the audience interested in the plight of the heroes that do get the lion’s share of the focus. The Russo brothers balance out moments of humor and banter without undercutting the severity of the situation.
This is easily the most serious Avenger film to date, so comic relief moments like Hulk’s early mishaps while experimenting with Ant-Man’s makeshift time machine and Thor arguing with gamers on Fortnite are welcome- because things become more and more intense as the movie goes.
Storyline-wise, the time travel aspects can, unfortunately, get convoluted. The characters do make reference to how confusing time travel rules can be during some funny exchanges between Hulk and War Machine, but this movie’s more interested in making you feel things than think about the accuracy of every detail.
The performances go a long way in achieving this- some notable standouts include Chris Evans’s Steve Rogers who’s both vulnerable and unquestionably a kick-ass leader, Downey Jr’s Tony Stark and his reluctance to halt his newfound family life for Avenging, Johansson’s Widow and her chemistry with Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye, and a notably more mature Rocket who provides his friend Thor with some needed emotional support.
The actors know they won’t see an opportunity to interact in this way for a while, and they certainly make the most of it- especially in the film’s climax. It’s a series of intense, spine-tingling moments where you can see how much this film meant to the crew and writers, and will appeal to both long-time comic book geeks and casual moviegoers.
If you haven’t had the change to experience Avengers: Endgame and you’re still wondering whether or not it’s a worthwhile conclusion to this phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I’m happy to confirm it achieves most of what it sets out to do. It’s perhaps on the overlong side, so make sure you’ve got the free time when you pick up the Blu-Ray, but as the conclusion to so many different character arcs, the three-hours-plus is understandable.
So far, this is the peak cinematic equivalent of those super-crossover stories previous generations of kids grew up reading and collecting in print. In spite of some of this movie’s flaws, I feel that’s a significant achievement, and it also manages to nicely set up future Marvel movies with fresh faces in leading roles.
It’s a winning combination that easily allows me to recommend it to both superhero fans, and anyone just interested in seeing a story about a group of friends with the weight of the universe on their shoulders. If you’ve assembled to a theater and seen it, let us know your thoughts at @Official_FAN on Twitter as always!