Avengers: Endgame Review

Avengers: Endgame
Director: Anthony Russo and Joe Russo
Cast Headliners: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Scarlet Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner, any and all The Avengers left vs Josh Brolin Thanos, EVERYONE ELSE IN THE UNIVERSE EVER EVER EVER
Original Release Date: April 26th, 2019


It's very hard to encapsulate what Avengers: Endgame means to fans, comics, cinema, and perhaps even world history. This fourth Avengers film is not just another one of those but is very much an end. Literally, more or less, the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe has led to the events of this film. It's part 2 of 2, it's the series finale for what it was. It's the start in some ways of something new but it will never be the same. Every answer, every person, every meaning, every moment all comes together here. Somehow there's so much more than ever has been nor will be again yet also it's as intimate as can be. There's so much it couldn't have been anything but messy yet also it's just about as perfect as it should have been.
Do not come to see this film if one has no idea what this series is. Even moreso than anything ever done before this is a send off for the fans. That makes it that much better as it gives the “true believers” references, charm, and closure. However until that part do recall that the cliffhanger situation from 2018's Infinity War is incredibly, incredibly dark(this review will try to remain as spoiler-light as possible although a.) who hasn't seen this by now and b.) Marvel themselves have dripped some good nuggets into post-release ads).  It's a literal rollercoaster of tone and emotions from the darkest of depths to some possible hope of redemption.
Recall that Thanos(Josh Brolin) wiped out half of all living existence with the powerful Infinity Stones. It's interesting, and fitting, that the core survivors ended up being the “original 6” Avengers.... Steve/Captain America(Chris Evans), Tony/Iron Man(Robert Downey Jr), Bruce/Hulk-even-if-he's-stubborn(Mark Ruffalo), Thor(Chris Hemsworth), the proper return oh-so-sweetly of Clint/Hawkeye/”Ronin” to some (Jeremy Renner),  and Nat/Black Widow(Scarlett Johansson). It doesn't take too long for them to properly be reunited and it's  a good feeling amidst the depression since they've been separated for awhile in the MCU's timeline. There's also the space or otherwise straggler-ons of Rocket(Bradley Cooper), Nebula(Karen Gillian), Rhodey/War Machine(Don Cheadle), and the proper melding-ins to an Avengers film of Scott/Ant-Man(Paul Rudd) as well as freshest MCU member Carol/Captain Marvel(Brie Larson). Together they prepare to as they say “go get this son of  a bitch”.
As mentioned it's a film that very much feels like part two to a larger whole as well as part 22 of 22 to the biggest possible ever whole. It is also as mentioned a film of such contrasting moods. Perhaps never before for this kind of film does it actually open so dark and depressingly. The situation is understandably dire and it gives this Earth a very unique, almost post-apocalyptic vibe that is only touched upon although however it's a great excuse for some profound character changes that must be seen firsthand. There's some somber moments to see the effect this has on Okoye(Danai Gurira),  Pepper Potts(Gwyneth Paltrow) (with a special new addition to the world in tow), and even the luckily safe Valkyrie(Tessa Thompson), Korg(Taika Waititi), and Miek the bug from Thor's Asgardian refugees.  There's so many, many, many many, many, many, many, many more characters to be seen ...all rightfully, surprisingly, wonderfully old that makes this feel like one last goodbye and reunion.
  However one can imagine that the combined heroes can't hold back the humor and “woah” for long amidst the depressing stakes. This is actually an incredibly funny film in the same general ballpark of what's come before. Maybe it's because the levity is buried amidst darkness but it still feels great all this time later. Existing characters meeting each other in new ways or becoming new things lead to a middle portion that's filled with more bright adventure.
In that regard it's always been a series about characters and here it's that much more important. Friendships we missed and ones we never knew we wanted all work out wonderfully. Chris Evans's Cap has much more of a main role this time. It's fitting since well this is the end of an in-universe decades and our universe decade long journey as the main hero. It's a hero's closure (WITH WHATEVER THAT MEANS) with a rightfully central impact to match. He's somber, he's inspiring, he's awesome, he's funny, he's charming, he's fierce, he's powerful. This is Cap full circle now and forever. He's tied in this regard by the OTHER leading (and remember original film starrer) face in Robert Downey Jr's Stark. Ah how great it is to see him in this...thank you for all these years. His quips are at their quippiest, his fighting perhaps a bit less than last time but it's there, and his own emotional arc with Pepper and (others). It's so good, no so AMAZING, to see these two both get to interact with each other (and new people) again yet also confront their past along the hopes of the future. The performances here speak to their performances as a whole... SUPERheroes in every sense of the word.  The other original core are also in great form. Hemsworth's Thor continues to be a bit of a broken man that here perhaps breaks even further...extremely powerful yet goes to a totally hilarious surprising new ...comedic ...direction with something that must be seen firsthand(what a journey all over the place he's had). ScarJo has some of her better material in awhile balancing a fine line of somber and charm. Ruffalo's Banner is....an interesting new comic direction of his whole that maybe feels a bit less than could have due to how much ELSE is going on(without giving us what we quite wanted) but he has his quips. He always was one for quips.
In the absence of others its characters like Renner's Clint who gets to shine. The opening scenes show he wasn't alone in losing his family to dust. This leads him down an emotional, dark edgy path. He becomes involved in some tangential side plots as “Ronin” which makes him a Punisher-esque vigilante from the streets of Japan to the darkest depths of space. He's joined in his family-loss sorrow with the also-missing-from-IW-but-main-now Scott Rudd Lang. Rudd fits perfectly in here(as he did with 2016's Civil War). He's got some great jokes and nativity. As he says he's the guy who doesn't know whats going on (hasn't he always been) but it works so well here. He actually helps propel certain aspects of the film in motion.  It's nice to see more bit players like Cheadle's War Machine, Gillian's Nebula, and Cooper's Rocket get some more quips and character moments in with the literal extra space allowed to them. Some other (especially civilian) characters do get a bit more lost in the ruckus but more than ever it makes sense with the tapestry of tapestry of tapestries that goes down. One will laugh at Waititi's Korg or Thompson's Valkyrie or be slightly impressed by the (so brief considering the buildup) powers of Larson's Carol but there's so much else worthy to remember.
It's interesting that, as with its somber first portion and genre-hopping middle portion, this is a film that's almost antagonist free. Brolin's Thanos is great as ever but if Infinity War was him as a bit of an anti-hero its a slight remiss that he here's reduced in part to a MacGuffin.  He has some great scenes of course and is menacing as ever but it's very much a Loki in other films to Loki in Avengers 1 comparision. He's fearsome, he's evil, he's got a couple of quips and sorrows but he only is in it as little as he needs to be. Through means that must be seen his relationship with daughter Gamora(Zoe Saldana) and of course Nebula isn't over yet but it's things that have been seen before. One may think this is almost combat-free at times but it delivers so well when it needs to.
To speak on this in brief a large portion of the fun comes through what the excuse for salvation is... time travel. Yes timelines, universes, what-ifs are all introduced in this film in a way that boggles an sometimes frustrates the mind for plot hole sakes but is an excuse for some hilariously and or intensely entertaining sequences. It's a clever way of offering tribute to the entire franchise to date in this ending huzzah. Sequences and settings from the likes of the 2012 Avengers , 2014 Guardians of the Galaxy, last year's Infinity War, and more are recreated perfectly.  It's literally a trip down memory lane that leaves one feeling nostalgic when they're back in the Battle of New York or hearing the groovy “Come And Get Your Love” on a Guardians of the Galaxy world. One couldn't ask for a better recreation of the feelings these brought and it makes one appreciate this ending even more. Some fun twists happen along the way(heck they showed some Captain America vs himself ruckus in  a recent ad) that give this a bright, silly, surprising ride along the way. It's also filled with some perfect retcons and lore from later films that give the past new context and depth which  ties the series, and future, together. Bravo Marvel to that as bravo to many things.
In the end it all comes together for something that never quite will be done to the scale that it is in cinema ever again(perhaps only for the MCU itself to attempt...in time...). The ending climactic, universe saving-or-destroying showdowns between the heroes and Thanos are so incredible, so awe-inspiring, so important this writer gets chills even after three viewings. Credit more than ever should be given to directing brothers The Russos. The scale of how many combatants end up involved, where, how, why makes the franchise to date(or any) seem like some babies in a small sandbox in comparison. It's perhaps a bit of CGI overload but how else could it have been done. There's some crisp direction, some painting-like shots(that perhaps has been done before even in the past few films and movies), and so much happening that I'll need a 4th, 5th, and onwards viewing to truly understand who was where in each moment. It's a battle finale that perhaps is at times too short but is just the right amount of epic and satisfaction after the timey-wimey, dark depressing slowburn journey to the end. It's a three hour film but its so well paced it'll be over before one knows it. Big kudos to composer Alan Silvestri as well who of course remixes some past work again but in fitting, and emotional,  new ways.
That's what it's all about...emotion. Get ready for the feels more and more by the end. Every viewing tears were shed...perhaps more each time and perhaps more than anything ever to this writer. It's a beautiful goodbye between the explosive color. It's a thank you and it's a lesson.
The real thanks are to be given to Marvel. Who would have thought that Tony Stark in the Middle East in the twilight of the Bush administration would one day lead to a fight for all of existence with dozens and dozens of allies and friends. Much less to think that it would work so amazingly well. They're the world's friends, the world's family. This was a comic team brought to life in epic ways but it was a comic style epic storyline at that.  Well actually, it was a comic book dream and like one of those comic book golden age eras. We were blessed to live through it ...and blessed to have this end this way. What a ride it's been …. as a whole, at the end, I've loved it all 3000. Thanks and The End...or perhaps just The Beginning.  9.75 out of 10