‘Avengers: Endgame’ a True Cinematic Marvel
It’s finally here! The release of Avengers: Endgame means the official conclusion of a major stretch in one of the most successful film franchises in the history of motion pictures. Rest asured, the Marvel Cinematic Universe will continue cranking out films until box office returns start to dwindle, but that doesn’t make closing the book on this phase feel any less epic or impactful.
You know the story, you’ve seen the 20+ movies leading up to this, but as a quick refresher, when we last saw earth’s mightiest heroes, half of all life in the universe had been snapped out of existence by an Infinity-Gauntlet-wielding Thanos. The tattered remnants of the Avengers were scattered from Titan to Wakanda, left to try to pick up the pieces and figure out what the hell to do now. Meanwhile, the Mad Titan was chilling on a farm, feeling accomplished after a successful genocide. Things were bleak and we had hit the darkest point in the MCU, but we all knew there were movies lined up after this starring some of our snapped heroes, so something pretty major would have to happen to keep this epic tale rolling along.
Seeing as this is a spoiler-free review, I won’t give away details of what actually unfolds, but yes, it is epic and yes, it is satisfying. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo are old pros at the Marvel game and they know exactly how to deliver something that hits us emotionally, amps us up for adventure, makes us laugh and has us leaving the theater feeling we were cinematically fulfilled. They do that here with flying colors, delivering on everything a fan could want without ever feeling like they’re leaning too heavily into pure fan service.
Considering even something as routine as praising the great performances from certain actors could be seen as a tell, I’m not quite sure how to actually review this movie. I will say that, of the Avengers we see in the trailers, Chris Evans was a standout, landing every emotional beat and heroic moment as Captain America. We also get impressive turns from Scarlett Johansson and Chris Hemsworth, who feel like they know their characters well enough to truly undertand all the facets of their personalities. And no surprise, Robert Downey Jr. is absolutely excellent, reminding us why Tony Stark was the spark that started this entire cinematic juggernaut.
I can’t go into too much detail about specifics or even let you know what my favorite moment was, though I’m guessing it’ll be a highlight for many many viewers, so instead I’ll just say that Endgame is good. Really good. The tone, the epic nature, the score and visual effects are all top-shelf, as you might expect from the biggest movie in the world.
Endgame is proof that careful planning, character development, plot structure and genre mixing, along with just a tiny sprinkling of retconning, can yeild the film franchise to end all film franchises. The MCU has succeeded where so many major cinematic efforts fail: it’s huge, profitable, popular, and it’s also good. There might have been a few weaker enteries over the years—I don’t even think the people who made Thor: The Dark World like that movie—but how many other multi-billion-dollar film series’ can consistently turn out a quality story, strong character development, exciting new worlds and action, all while keeping the audience invested over more than a decade?
We’re now living in a post-Avengers world, a world where all major studio movies aspire to be like the MCU. Remember when Breaking Bad ended and the entire landscape of television changed as every show attempted a serialized, thoroughly planned out, carefully executed, easter-egg-laden plot? Some shows succeeded, some failed, but everyone was trying to get a piece of that Breaking Bad magic and elevate the medium to see just what could be done in this new era of TV storytelling. The MCU is like that, but with billions of dollars and the attention of the entire planet, thanks the powerhouse that is Disney’s aggressive marketing and merchandising.
Much like this iteration of our famed superhero team, we may never see anything like the MCU again, and if Endgame is how this chapter of cinema history concludes, what a wonderful way to say goodbye.
