Avengers: Endgame

The epic Marvel Saga that started over ten years ago has been building up to the inevitable clash with the powerful tyrant Thanos (Josh Brolin). Last year’s “Avengers: Infinity War” set the stage for the highly-anticipated conclusion; “Avengers: End Game” and at long last it has arrived.

Picking up shortly after the events of the last film, the Avengers must deal with the aftermath of what Thanos has done. The team is naturally divided between wanting revenge, wanting to set things right, and just wanting to take what they have and go on.

As time passes and they struggle to accept the reality of their situation; an unexpected individual returns and with them comes the seeds of a new plan to make things right. Naturally Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is skeptical but eventually warms to the possibilities of the idea thanks to a new scientific breakthrough that makes it possible.

Inspired, Tony sets out to put an elaborate plan in motion that will allow the team to try to fix things and to stop Thanos once and for all.

What follows is an extended and at times nostalgic heist where various members of the team work to assemble the pieces needed for the plan as they believe they only have one chance to make things right.

The film is essentially three acts in one. The first deals with the recap and expansion of their situation and the planning. The second act is basically a heist where action and comedy are blended with some touching moments.

This all leads to the final act which is the FX laden set piece where the ensemble cast gathers to fight the forces of evil in a battle to save the Universe.
The film is epic in scale and length as it clocks in at over three hours but the movie is filled with so much content that the time goes by quickly and you have a hard time believing three hours have elapsed.

It is also a difficult film to review as you cannot recap elements of the film in any great detail without giving away elements that are sure to delight the fans. Suffice it to say that my only real issue with the fil and it was minor; was that it took a while to get to the action but at least there was plenty to keep you entertained along the way.

As this phase of the Marvel Film Universe winds down and plans are put in place for the next five years; “Avengers: End Game” is a satisfying conclusion to the epic saga that was started many years ago and weaves elements of many of the past Marvel films into an entertaining tale which features all of the best elements that have made the series of films such big hits.

4.5 stars out of 5

Hey, so, just some really quick thoughts I wanna get down, 'cause it's after 1 o'clock in the morning, and I wanna get some sleep so I can wake up well rested to see Endgame again.

Putting it out there right from the get-go, _Avengers: Endgame_ is my favourite MCU movie. It's my favourite movie of the year too, but I've only seen like ten or so 2019 releases, and this is the 22nd Marvel Cinematic Universe film, so that seems far and away the bigger deal. I can't say it's perfect, there's some conflicting stuff within its own runtime that really doesn't seem to gel (though a re-watch may prove me wrong on that), and it's not like every moment was the no-holds-barred-zero-exception best version of that moment from start to end. But God I loved this thing.

I will say this though, the reason that I loved it, is this thing is fan service galore. If you do not care for the franchise's 21 movies preceding this point, then _Endgame_ is not the movie to turn you around on that. That may come in a future installment, but this one is a culmination. It's the end of _Infinity War_ but also Phase 3, but also a wrap-up and genuine ode to/send off for everything that Marvel has done over the past 11 years. That to me was incredible, and I am eternally greatful, but I cannot imagine it working for people who have no vested interest in these characters.

To me though? My first 9 out of 10 rating in three years.

_Final rating:★★★★½ - Ridiculously strong appeal. I can’t stop thinking about it._

If you enjoy reading my Spoiler-Free reviews, please follow my blog :)

Don't worry. This is going to be a pretty vague review. Right now, as I'm writing this sentence, I'm still processing what I saw and how am I going to explain how I felt without spoiling a single tiny thing. First of all, it's such a mix of feelings. On one hand, I'm extremely happy that I was lucky to be alive during this epic time and that I was able to follow these characters that I love and care about so much. On the other hand, I'm obviously sad that it finally reached the end of this (hopefully) first incredible saga. There are no perfect films and one with so many heroes will always have struggles balancing it all (Infinity War already had this issue).

However, the Russo brothers did everything they could to deliver a phenomenal story, and they did. I don't think this could have been any better. Its last hour exceeds any expectations. It's epic, emotional, action-heavy, and it has one of my favorite shots in the entire history of cinema. It's pure magic, and the VFX team will surely get an Oscar for it. The action reminded me of the biggest Lord of the Rings' battles, and it was impeccably filmed, filled with riveting and chill-inducing sequences. Nevertheless, don't expect this high-intensity feeling throughout the whole runtime. The other two acts are a slow-burn build-up to a payoff that's going to make you pretty much either "love" or "like" this movie. I absolutely love it!

This is easily one of the best MCU films, if not my new number one. I can't deny that the 3-hour runtime has some unnecessary scenes, but even if they don't have a significant impact on the plot or even in the characters, they still contribute to the enormous build-up. Seeing this family that we grew up with just talking with each other or having lunch, at the same time that they deal with the consequences of Thanos' snap, is inexplicably captivating and heartwarming. Characters like Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) and Steve (Chris Evans) supporting each other is simply beautiful. Their comradery and chemistry are worthy of some tears here and there.

Some people didn't really enjoy Infinity War so much due to the lack of screentime that some characters had. This time around, there are fewer characters to work with, so the balance is better. Everyone gets an important role, from Captain America to Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) to Nebula (Karen Gillan), and even Rocket (Bradley Cooper). Every single character has a major moment. If you take one out of the movie, it just doesn't work anymore. This is not only great work from the directors, but also from the writers.

Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely are not even going to be remembered because fans will always think of the cast first. Most of them will also remember the directors. But the writers?! If I stand at the door of the theater at the end of the film and question everyone about who are the writers, I strongly believe most of the audience won't know. Every dialogue, every sentence, every word carries so much impact on the narrative. Literally, I cried and got chills just by hearing two freaking words with the perfect timing in between. The amount of grief that the words of the ones who've lost everyone and everything carry is palpable and, for me, those are the most emotional moments of the movie: seeing how everyone is suffering from their own losses, not the deaths themselves.

The humor is mostly on-point, but it's still connected to my only real issue with the film, which is the second act's tone. From the moment the team decides what to do, we already know that this is a 1 in 14 million chance of success like Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) said, so the stakes and pressure are massive! With this level of tension, I didn't expect such an “easygoing” and “funny” vibe throughout, except for one particular sequence. They do a great job once again of pairing up certain Avengers together, but most of them go through these too comedic plot points for such a crucial and serious mission. Fortunately, this act carries enough action and emotional drive to make this problem not that big of an issue.

Visually, this is arguably the best-looking superhero film ever. From the mind-blowing visual effects to the gorgeous cinematography, everything is perfect. The costumes are gritty and muddy when our heroes are in a battle, their faces are all filled with blood, and I have no words to describe how jaw-dropping that last act is. I can't wait to change my desktop wallpaper once THAT shot is available. I dropped a single tear just by looking at it. No one talks, no one does anything. It's just an amazingly beautiful image. The score is epic as hell. So much that I'm listening to it right now as I'm writing this review, and I'm getting chills all over my body.

I can't really write much more, to be honest. I will acknowledge the cast because they are brilliant. Each and every single member delivers an outstanding performance, but if I had to choose the ones that both surprised me and had the most impact on me, they would be Johansson's, Evans', and Robert Downey Jr's (Tony Stark / Iron Man). “New” characters like Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) blend seamlessly, and the payoff is unbelievably satisfying. In terms of predictability, it goes more or less as I expected, but it still carries a few surprises throughout. Nothing is ever like we imagine or theorize about, so expect the unexpected, and don't judge a movie by if it fits your crazy, unrealistic theories that never crossed the producers and directors' minds in the first place!

All in all, I don't know what to do now. The only thing I'm sure of is that I want to see it again, as soon as possible. The last hour is f*cking insane. I couldn't fall asleep properly because I couldn't stop thinking about it. Endgame surpasses all expectations. It's everything I wished for and so much more. I could easily spend a whole day at the movie theater and watch three sessions in a row. It's that good. One of the best comic-book films of all-time, without a single doubt. Thank you to Kevin Feige and everyone who worked hard to bring the MCU to where it stands now. I can't even think of how are they going to produce something at the level of Infinity Saga. Maybe they never will. Maybe we'll have to wait another decade or two for something like this. Until then, see you at the next Endgame screening! Enjoy! Oh and #DontSpoilTheEndgame!

PS: it's not a perfect movie, I know. It doesn't exist one. Yes, Endgame has some issues regarding its pacing and tone, but I would be lying to myself if this isn't everything I dreamed of. I felt the same way with Civil War, regarding the rating to give, and I ended up giving it an A after a first viewing. As soon as I watched the second time, I changed it to an A+. I don’t need to wait for that second viewing with Endgame … And thank you to my audience for being incredibly respectful. No yelling, no crazy laughs, no stupid people doing stupid stuff. Thank you so much for not ruining one of the best cinematic experiences of my life!

Rating: A+