Avengers: Endgame – A Near-Perfect Culmination (Early Review)

After 10+ years and 21 films, the MCU has played a large part in most of our lives, allowing us to go on a journey with its stable of endearing characters through the good times and the bad. Its characters have made such an impact, almost feeling invincible, that the ending of Avengers: Infinity War came as a shock to many when they were faced with the unthinkable following the finger snap felt throughout the universe. Now where would the remaining Avengers go from here and will they finally defeat Thanos (Josh Brolin)? Not much is known about the plot of Avengers:Endgame, the culmination of the MCU so far, so the internet has done its part, unsurprisingly bombarding us with plenty of fan theories as to what may or may not happen here. This review will be spoiler free.

Suffice it to say that things start off bleak for our heroes as they are faced with the sudden disappearance of half the universe. The question than became what to do next? The answer to that question would not be a clear-cut as it seemed as our heroes were faced with their current reality and whether or not to accept their fates. This would prove to be easier for some than others. Seeing characters on both sides of the issue, each handling it a little differently, was interesting to watch to say the least considering their progression throughout the film series. However, not all hope was lost.

It would not be until the arrival of an unexpected character to bring back hope amongst our heroes. In order to defeat Thanos and bring back their friends, the Avengers would need to take a much different approach, delivering plenty of moments which will surely please all the diehard MCU fans, hearkening back to its glory days by offering new perspectives and tying storylines together as a result. With a film and universe of its sheer size and scope, expect a few surprises along the way in the form of surprise characters as well as some unexpected moments. However, their actions would have unforeseen circumstances for our heroes.

Things may be bleak but the film still found the time for some often hilarious humor, playing its many characters off of each other. As much as the film found humor by playing its characters off of each other, it would also find plenty of emotional moments as well. Putting the original six Avengers, Tony Stark/Iron Man (Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Evans), Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), in the spotlight, the story would give them all time to shine and they did not disappoint.

While the film’s excessively long running time, clocking in at just over 3 hours (with no intermission), may be a cause of concern for some, time will fly by despite a slow start as you won’t help but to be engrossed by these character’s own stories, giving each of them the time they rightfully deserved. Evenly jumping back and forth between these characters throughout the film was definitely a lot to watch but each were so fun to watch together though it would sometimes mean not seeing them for a long time. The familiar and unlikely groupings that came from this worked so well because of the familiarity of seeing certain characters together for the first time in a long time or because of the unexpected moments they would create.

After everything else, the film would eventually lead up to a grand climax that outdoes everything the MCU has done to this point so far, even including the Wakanda battle sequence from Infinity War for which the scale will be something to behold on the big screen. Technically speaking, the epic score, immersive cinematography, special effects, and CGI all worked hand in hand to create one of the most exciting, edge-of-your-seat battle sequences seen in any superhero film. Being the last film in the contracts of many of the film’s big names, Endgame would serve as a send-off for some of them. In an already emotional film, these moments would be the most emotional while giving them the closure they truly deserved in a way that was fitting to each character.

The acting was excellent across the board and was merely a testament to the time each actor has spent with their respective characters and each other over the course of the MCU thus the chemistry across the board was also on point. The great script gave everyone time to shine, however at the end of the day, the film was all about the original six Avengers and they certainly did not disappoint, effortlessly treading the line between humor and drama all the way to the end.

Finally, those expecting a post-credits scene will be disappointed but viewers will not be left empty-handed. Ultimately, the MCU will not be the same again.

*still courtesy of Marvel*

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.