Avengers: Endgame (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
'Avengers: Endgame' (directed by Anthony & Joe Russo) is the last film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's current slate of movies, merging storylines & characters from 21 previous movies, starting with 2008's Iron Man. The MCU will continue on but, following this epic extravaganza, things will never be quite the same. This film is set after Thanos' (Josh Brolin) catastrophic use of the Infinity Stones randomly wiped out 50% of the earth's population in Infinity War. IW was daring because the multi-superhero smack down ended bleakly with the good guys losing. More than half the Avengers, including Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Spider-Man (Tom Holland), Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), Drax (Dave Bautista), Groot (Vin Diesel) & Mantis (Pom Klementieff) weren't just killed, they were wiped out of with the snap of a finger.
'Endgame' jumps ahead 5 yrs. later. We see how Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) was directly impacted by 'the snap'. We see Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) & Nebula (Karen Gillan, love her) adrift in outer space. And everyone else: Capt. America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (a superb Scarlett Johansson), Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), War Machine (Don Cheadle) & Rocket the raccoon (Bradley Cooper) are going through the motions ... dealing with grief, intense survivor's guilt & the magnitude of their failure. Desperate to bring back their loved ones, and after some aid from Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), the group is energized by the appearance of Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) who has found a way out of the Quantum Universe.
Ant-Man believes that the way to reverse Thanos' deadly snap is to employ a new brand of quantum physics time travel, execute a "time heist", find Thanos, take the Infinity Stones before Thanos had accumulated them & restore reality to when 1/2 the population was still around. Working in teams of two, our Avengers travel to Asgard, Morag, NYC of the recent past, & New Jersey in 1970. This leads to some fun double encounters: Capt. America meets earlier Capt. America, Nebula runs into previous Nebula, etc. And this also presents multiple opportunities for various characters to revisit bygone characters & loved ones who only exist in the past (Tilda Swinton, Renee Russo & John Slattery shine; providing some of my favorite scenes in the whole film). Everything culminates in an epic showdown of good vs. evil in which victory is anything but assured.
What a way to close this whole thing out! I'm exhausted, but satiated. Comparing these last 2 Avengers films, Infinity War contained a stronger narrative, more surprises & better overall impact, for me. IW did some ostentatious things & offered me more "highs" than 'Endgame'. That said, 'Endgame' does a great job melding drama, fan-service & humor {though, not nearly as much as IW} with enormous, CGI-laden battle scenes. There are several rousing, crowd-pleasing moments {one involves Capt. America & Mjolnir} & the ending offers a sense of closure, as well as set-up for future MCU standalone films. And amid the action, it's also wonderful to experience the emotional exploration of loss, love, duty, honor, friendship & family.
For me, the last hour of the film is its best, which is better than the middle hour, which is better than the 1st hour {which is totally fine, if a little slow & a bit of a downer; given the magnitude of what occurred in IW}. There's a lull in that 1st hour which eventually ramps up for the 2nd hour's time travel hijinks & then the expected orgy of sound & fury that concludes the proceedings. I thought the 3-hour run time went by relatively fast; though, I kept thinking this actually could've been longer so as to complete every single arc with proper closure. As is, the filmmakers still do a very good job on that front. The quiet, dramatic scenes are well-acted {particularly by a very affecting Scar Jo & RD Jr.}. Action moments in the middle got my blood pumping. And the climactic showdown is spectacular. That said, there is padding & extra CGI-mayhem that, perhaps, went a little overboard where I'd have appreciated more character moments in their place.
Another little wrinkle I've discovered is that, while I love these characters, it's only natural to enjoy some more than others. And what I've discovered is that I love the so-called second tier of Avengers more than the primary. I love watching Thor, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Scarlet Witch & Spider-Man at play. On a certain level, Capt. America & Black Widow have never done it for me, as much. I love Iron Man & I dig Hulk. But much of the plot here focuses on Cap & Black Widow; so I am naturally more inclined to lean-in to/seek out my other heroes. Furthermore, a couple of things happen in the final 2 minutes that, whether you trust the logistics of it all or not, didn't thrill me. These little things chip away. But I don't want to negate the overall impact that this film {and all of them cumulatively} have done for me & all the fans. 'Endgame' is a poignant, powerful grand finale to a massive cinematic masterwork that won't soon be eclipsed.
'Endgame' jumps ahead 5 yrs. later. We see how Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) was directly impacted by 'the snap'. We see Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) & Nebula (Karen Gillan, love her) adrift in outer space. And everyone else: Capt. America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (a superb Scarlett Johansson), Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), War Machine (Don Cheadle) & Rocket the raccoon (Bradley Cooper) are going through the motions ... dealing with grief, intense survivor's guilt & the magnitude of their failure. Desperate to bring back their loved ones, and after some aid from Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), the group is energized by the appearance of Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) who has found a way out of the Quantum Universe.
Ant-Man believes that the way to reverse Thanos' deadly snap is to employ a new brand of quantum physics time travel, execute a "time heist", find Thanos, take the Infinity Stones before Thanos had accumulated them & restore reality to when 1/2 the population was still around. Working in teams of two, our Avengers travel to Asgard, Morag, NYC of the recent past, & New Jersey in 1970. This leads to some fun double encounters: Capt. America meets earlier Capt. America, Nebula runs into previous Nebula, etc. And this also presents multiple opportunities for various characters to revisit bygone characters & loved ones who only exist in the past (Tilda Swinton, Renee Russo & John Slattery shine; providing some of my favorite scenes in the whole film). Everything culminates in an epic showdown of good vs. evil in which victory is anything but assured.
What a way to close this whole thing out! I'm exhausted, but satiated. Comparing these last 2 Avengers films, Infinity War contained a stronger narrative, more surprises & better overall impact, for me. IW did some ostentatious things & offered me more "highs" than 'Endgame'. That said, 'Endgame' does a great job melding drama, fan-service & humor {though, not nearly as much as IW} with enormous, CGI-laden battle scenes. There are several rousing, crowd-pleasing moments {one involves Capt. America & Mjolnir} & the ending offers a sense of closure, as well as set-up for future MCU standalone films. And amid the action, it's also wonderful to experience the emotional exploration of loss, love, duty, honor, friendship & family.
For me, the last hour of the film is its best, which is better than the middle hour, which is better than the 1st hour {which is totally fine, if a little slow & a bit of a downer; given the magnitude of what occurred in IW}. There's a lull in that 1st hour which eventually ramps up for the 2nd hour's time travel hijinks & then the expected orgy of sound & fury that concludes the proceedings. I thought the 3-hour run time went by relatively fast; though, I kept thinking this actually could've been longer so as to complete every single arc with proper closure. As is, the filmmakers still do a very good job on that front. The quiet, dramatic scenes are well-acted {particularly by a very affecting Scar Jo & RD Jr.}. Action moments in the middle got my blood pumping. And the climactic showdown is spectacular. That said, there is padding & extra CGI-mayhem that, perhaps, went a little overboard where I'd have appreciated more character moments in their place.
Another little wrinkle I've discovered is that, while I love these characters, it's only natural to enjoy some more than others. And what I've discovered is that I love the so-called second tier of Avengers more than the primary. I love watching Thor, the Guardians of the Galaxy, Scarlet Witch & Spider-Man at play. On a certain level, Capt. America & Black Widow have never done it for me, as much. I love Iron Man & I dig Hulk. But much of the plot here focuses on Cap & Black Widow; so I am naturally more inclined to lean-in to/seek out my other heroes. Furthermore, a couple of things happen in the final 2 minutes that, whether you trust the logistics of it all or not, didn't thrill me. These little things chip away. But I don't want to negate the overall impact that this film {and all of them cumulatively} have done for me & all the fans. 'Endgame' is a poignant, powerful grand finale to a massive cinematic masterwork that won't soon be eclipsed.