Let’s be real with ourselves. There are only two types of people out there at the moment: people who have already seen Avengers: Endgame, and the poor souls who haven’t. You already know whether or not you’re going to see it, and all I can really do in this case is reaffirm whatever stance you have on seeing the darned thing.
As I am writing this, the opening weekend for Endgame has come to pass with smashing critical and box office success, and the steam seemingly hasn’t stopped since. As such, this review will contain absolutely no spoilers whatsoever for the movie so nobody will get angry at me for spoiling/not spoiling anything about this film whatsoever.
That said, let’s get into spoilers.
Spoilers for Avengers: Endgame
Image from IMDb
Avengers: Endgame, released April 25 and directed by the Russo Brothers, is the 22nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the follow-up to last year’s smash hit, Avengers: Infinity War. In the aftermath of the snap– committed by mad titan and Fortnite superstar Thanos (Josh Brolin)– which wiped out exactly half of all life in the universe, what remains of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes must band together to clap back at the California Raisin from Hell and figure out a way to unsnap the rest of life back into existence, or have their contracts expire trying.
You’re probably thinking at this point, “Isn’t there more to the movie?” The answer is yes. However, secrecy has been the name of the game for this film since day one. Numerous actors on the feature have reported that they filmed their scenes on a shot-to-shot basis without full (or even partial) scripts. In the case of Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/The Hulk, known for accidentally spoiling the controversial ending to Infinity War in an interview without anybody noticing), they filmed five different endings just to keep him from accidentally spoiling the real one. Even further, the internet has been ablaze with anti-spoiler warnings, to the threat of physical violence for saying anything about the movie. A man in China was beaten within an inch of his life for spilling the juicy details about this movie!
…Granted, he was doing it in a public theater, but still.
Even I was threatened to be stabbed multiple times if I even said a word about the movie the day after I attended my screening. I realize this may have just been hyperbole, but still. People want to go into this thing completely blind, if not deaf as well, and I understand. So, what can I truly say about this movie without spoiling LITERALLY anything?
Spoilers for spoilers for Avengers: Endgame
Image from IMDb
In short, it’s good.
In long, it’s rather good. Endgame succeeds on the foundation laid by Infinity War, and absolutely manages to make its three-hour and one-minute runtime feel like nothing…for the most part. It’s undeniable that the movie is willing to take its sweet time in going about the story it’s trying to tell, perhaps in an attempt to give us as much screen time with what’s left of the cast from the prior film as possible (not that that’s a bad thing, of course). Endgame primarily focuses on the core six Avengers we’ve come to know over the course of these films: Tony Stark, aka Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.); Steve Rogers, aka Captain America (Chris Evans); Clint Barnes, aka Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner); Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson); Thor, aka Thor (Chris Hemsworth); and the aforementioned Hulk, played by Ruffalo. The old guard gets a lot more time to shine in comparison to Infinity War, with Evans– and surprisingly, Renner– getting a good bit more screen time to show their acting chops outside of their rock-hard abs.
Outside of that, Endgame is chock-full of fan service for diehard fans of these movies and comics alike, with a climax I can barely even touch on without breaking the rule I’ve given myself. The only real qualms I have with the film (aside from how intimidating the “required reading” list going into the movie would be for somebody barely invested in the MCU) deal with pacing and how some of the side players in the film get treated in the overall scheme of things. I won’t lie to you, there are DEFINITELY scenes I wouldn’t mind skipping on a rewatch. Outside of that, it’s not a bad sit.
…You get the point.
Image from IMDb
The more I think about it, the more I realize that being threatened on numerous occasions with grievous bodily harm and death over saying literally ANYTHING about Avengers: Endgame is a true sign of how many people (myself included) care about these movies, and more importantly, the characters within them.
It also makes me reconsider not carrying a can of pepper spray and brass knuckles on my person at all times.
Regardless of the problems it has, Endgame manages to achieve the seemingly impossible and act as a fitting (and oddly touching) conclusion to one of the most grandiose experiments in blockbuster filmmaking to date, giving long-time fans and casual Marvelites alike an infinitely rewarding send-off to the characters we’ve come to connect with and love so dearly.
Dread it; run from it; destiny still arrives. Thank God it showed up with a bang instead of a whimper.
Featured Image: IMDb
Images: IMDb
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