Ultimate Review of Avengers: Endgame – No Spoilers
Do you know what’s difficult? Imagine trying to describe why you loved one of the best movies that you’ve seen in your life when you cannot add specifics about any scene. You care too much about keeping the experience sacrosanct for first-time viewers and don’t want to risk revealing something, ANYTHING that would lessen the film for others.
That’s the omnipresent danger in reviewing Avengers: Endgame, the culmination of more than 10 years of storytelling excellence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). It won’t stop me from trying, though. Here’s a frustratingly vague but glowing review of one of the best movies that I’ve ever seen in my life…and I say that as a 20-year film critic.
In 2008, I had just survived surgery and brutal six-week recovery that reduced me to bedrest long enough to get bedsores. The first time that I got to go outside for any length of time was when I watched Iron Man at the movie theater. I saw 135 movies that year, and it was my favorite.
At one point, Tony Stark escaped his plight of being trapped in a cave for months. His friend asked him what he wanted to do, and his first choice was a cheeseburger run, something that uncannily mirrored my own situation. I’ve irrationally connected to the character ever since.
I would describe myself as a fair-minded fan of the MCU. I’m aware of its imperfections and certainly wouldn’t describe titles like Thor: The Dark World or Ant-Man as great movies. When it’s good, however, the film quality is astonishing. Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Avengers, and Thor: Ragnarok are all wildly entertaining affairs that I heartily recommend even to non-comic book movie fans.
With regards to Avengers: Infinity War, I’m in the minority. I felt that Black Panther was the clearly superior film and believed that Infinity War had serious pacing and editing issues. Like many other viewers, I wasn’t crazy about the ending, either, because…well, you know.
I lead this with this because Avengers: Endgame is the most direct sequel possible. It starts with superheroes coming to terms with the climactic events of the previous film, the one that I felt had erred a bit. Since I started the movie from an adversarial position, I was less inclined to like it than most.
By the end of the movie, however, I found myself wondering about the last time that I’d enjoyed a title that much in the theater. And the only answer that came to mind was 2012’s The Avengers, the other Marvel movie that I ranked as the best of its year of release. I am not exaggerating when I say that Endgame made me as fundamentally happy as a film can.
From a young age, we learn that television and movies exist to entertain and provide escapism. We seek a distraction from our daily lives, preferably one with fictional characters whose actions engross us. Thanks to 11 years of world universe building, the MCU features literally dozens of characters whom we know and love. It’s like a family reunion of sorts when Avengers movies are released.
Perhaps the reason why I struggled to love Infinity War is that it felt more like a funeral gathering. The mood was somber as Marvel fans exited the theater. Without giving any hints as to what happens in Endgame, it’s clear that the film’s directors, The Russo Brothers, were sympathetic to this perspective.
They’ve interlaced all of your favorite superheroes with storylines that provide wildly satisfying moments and, ultimately, quite a few resolutions. Virtually everyone that you care about in the MCU makes a return engagement in some capacity in Endgame, although possibly not in the way that you’d expect.
With so many beloved characters in play, the villain of the last film, Thanos, takes somewhat of a back seat in the sequel. I can assure you that whatever expectations that you have about his presence and participation in this film are misguided. He’s used cleverly as a boogeyman, the most ruthless murderer in the history of space and time. But he wasn’t the star of Iron Man or Captain America or Thor or Guardians of the Galaxy or…you get the point.
The MCU isn’t about Thanos. It became an integral part of the zeitgeist back in 2008-2010, a time before people had ever heard of the name, Thanos. Ergo, Endgame isn’t about Thanos. Instead, this film becomes a sort of MCU’s Greatest Hits, one where the directors of the current movie celebrates the innumerable triumphs of past releases.
Since the Russos have more than 20 other films to reference, Avengers: Endgame plays out as a three-hour tour of the MCU. Some of your favorite scenes and lines of dialogue are directly referenced at various points. Bit players from previous titles, actors who clearly made an impression, even receive return engagements.
The choices are seemingly random but totally understandable. They’re mined for maximum entertainment value and emotional impact, too. You may not even have seen one particular movie yet you’ll feel the insistent pull on your heartstrings when a parent and child discuss their past and future.
Oddly, I’ve written that statement ambiguously enough that it could apply to FOUR different subplots in Endgame. Please take the title literally. This is the end of the MCU as you’ve known it. Change is afoot, and you’ll feel passionate about some of the decisions made here.
No matter whether you like them or not, you’ll eventually relish the excitement as you contemplate the way that Marvel has opened up the future of its cinematic universe, even though it may sting a bit right now. The reality is that Hollywood is a business, and the celebrities under contract in the MCU have reached the end of their agreements. Some have chosen to extend their deals while others will move along to different things.
To account for these changes, the MCU has and will continue to evolve. As a movie insider, I can tell you that something happened that I don’t even understand how it’s possible based on what I know of Marvel’s upcoming plans. I say this to demonstrate that any notions you have about who is staying and who is going are faulty.
Some serious change-ups get thrown in Endgame. But this happens primarily to build tension and distribute extreme moments of happiness at the most unexpected moments. At some moments in Endgame, you’ll fight through tears one second only to burst out with laughter. The Russos are in complete control of every moment of the movie. It’s one of the most precise jobs of directing that I’ve ever seen.
The brothers embrace the challenge of summarizing 11 years’ worth of exceptional cinema in three hours. While they clearly have a favorite character (hint: it’s the one whose movies they directed), their love of the entire MCU mirrors the love that the audience feels for the characters. The Russos have chosen their favorite moments and somehow circled back to them in this climactic fight for the fate of the universe.
Perhaps the strangest part of Avengers: Endgame is that it’s the funniest Marvel movie to date. Remember in The Avengers when poor Loki got thrashed around as he heard the dread expression, “Puny God!”? That sort of cartoon violence returns in Endgame, but it’s not even the funniest bit.
At various points, you’ll laugh at the current state of one suddenly pudgy character. Then, you’ll crack up as another tries to deduce why his uniform is soiled. And you can’t help but laugh as one superheroine loudly wonders how she could have possibly fallen in love with her significant other.
Avengers: Endgame distills everything great in the MCU into a seemingly endless series of high spots. This film received the most energetic crowd reaction that I’ve ever witnessed in a theater. It was like a raucous homecoming game more than a movie. Its A+ Cinemascore indicates that my theater wasn’t the only one.
Endgame has glowing reviews for a reason. It’s the purest form of crowd-pleasing entertainment that anyone has seen at a Cineplex in many years. This film is THE blockbuster hit of this generation. You’ll want to see it in a theater.
Despite the title, Avengers: Endgame isn’t the end of Marvel. It is, however, the BEST of Marvel.