Avengers: Endgame - Review Thread (Spoilers!)

Yeah, Nebula, Gamora and Doctor Strange.

SPOILERS IN REVIEW

Well, here we are, the sort of end to the Marvel Cinematic Universe that we've followed since Iron Man in 2008, a changing of the guard and the finale to the most successful consecutive run of critical and commercial achievements that a movie studio has ever seen. It's been quite a ride, and though I don't think that any of these films are necessarily incredible or innovative in any ways, it's impossible to argue that what's been accomplished over this 20+ film run is nothing short of remarkable. The MCU showed a willingness to adapt and evolve its product over time, building on ho-hum beginnings for characters like Captain America and Thor only to offer some of the best films in the their collection with Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Thor: Ragnarok after having the humility to self-assess what needed to change for the better. Like them or not, the MCU films have been game changers in the way studios handle blockbusters, tent poles, and adaptations of products that will have ripple effects for decades in the industry. It seems almost surreal that we've finally reached this point; the destination that all of these films have been driving towards for years is here, complete with the ultimate stakes and juggling of all the characters from the MCU they could squeeze in here. The ensemble MCU films have admittedly never been my favorite since they seem to be more interested in jam packing as much as they can of what's already been established rather than develop and change these characters as they focus on more in their solo efforts. But Infinity War was different, bringing more characters than ever into the fold but presenting them with the most difficult challenge any of them had faced, physically and emotionally and morally, with their battle against Thanos. Because it's the end, the MCU was able to focus for the first time on finality as opposed to continuation, and it paid off. Endgame isn't as strong as its predecessor, and it's not the jaw-dropping finale you would have hoped that the talented higher-ups had concocted after all these years, but it's a pleasing send-off for many of the flagship characters while offering the humor, large-scale action, and impressive realization of the massive worlds being adapted from comic books that people have loved these movies for. It's a nostalgic look back and thank you to those who have been onboard since 2008 while also a glimpse into the future of the direction the studio will be heading in, and while not wholly successful, is about as good as a movie attempting to balance elements of 20+ films could be.

After a really strong cold opening with Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), the story reaches the present day in the MCU timeline where the Avengers, still grappling with the loss of half the population, devise a final assault plan on Thanos (Josh Brolin). It succeeds, with Thor (Chris Hemsworth) delivering the fatal blow, but Thanos' damage is worse than they thought since he reveals that he destroyed the Infinity Stones, rendering any attempt at using them to reverse the mass murder he committed out of the question. Five years go by, and the world still hasn't come close to recovering from the loss of so many people. Captain America (Chris Evans) has even become a sort of part-time grief counselor, because of course he did. But that acceptance of grief takes a turn when Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) shows up on the Avengers doorstep after being trapped for the last five years, spurring hope that time travel is possible and thus the recovery of the Infinity Stones and saving the lives of half the world is too. After a series of comedic trial runs, the Avengers realize that time travel will work and set out to reach the Infinity Stones, armed with the knowledge of their locations, before Thanos does. The team of Captain America, Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Thor, Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Hawkeye, and Ant-Man split off into different time periods, clever throwbacks to previous films that serve as both nostalgic memories of the long journey and also a new wave of exciting adventure as the race against time has never been more pivotal.

I can't say that there are many twists and turns along the way, a bit of a disappointment considering all the secrecy and painstaking development that each of these films goes through, but the familiarity of the movie is also to be expected and hard to nitpick at this point considering this is the 22nd movie from this studio. It's like complaining that a James Bond movie follows the formulas it does after decades; there's a reason we watch these movies and things we expect, so that's not changing for the finale. Still, it's funny how much we strove to avoid spoilers when there really isn't all that much to spoil aside from what people had to have expected would come solely based on those actors not wanting to do anymore of these movies. Maybe it's because we're in the midst of the final season of Game of Thrones, a show that has never languished when it comes to dispatching characters with ruthless abandon, that the losses here feel trivial. We all knew Disney would never have the balls to be Game of Thrones, but this isn't even the emotionally draining film that Infinity Wars was, so while the send offs are nice and feel warranted, color me the cynic that would have liked to have seen more losses. Though we do get closure for the two characters who we figured would get it and also have certainly earned their bow out of the MCU (though I'm sure we'll see them again in cameos down the line) and it's all done very well at the end if not for being a bit too self-serious through it all. These movies for all their fun have always been flimsy on the emotional level for me, more just constant rehashes of the hero's journey sprinkled across too similar of origin stories, but it's hard not to get nostalgic all the same seeing these characters come together for what, we assume, will be their final hurrah.

Avengers: Endgame is not a game changer, nor is it a movie that will deliver one substantial shock after the next as much as we'd hoped it would, but it's also a very fitting summarization of the 20+ movies that came before it. It's got some terrifically realized set pieces, big action (though the end battle left a lot to be desired, take notes from Game of Thrones, MCU), the endearingly corny humor we've come to love, and a genuine feeling of family that emanates from the characters and their interactions. No, this is not the best MCU film of the bunch, and if you're looking for it to break from formula and deliver the unexpected in any way you'll be disappointed. But as much as I can nitpick little elements of the film, in the end it's trivial to do so, because whether you agree with my rationale or not, I view Angers: Endgame as the summation of the MCU over these last 11 years. It's there to bask in what's made these films so successful, and to take what's worked and amplify it to the grandest scale we've seen. It's a fitting companion to the superior Infinity War, which delivered much more intrigue and sense of doom thanks to spending more time with the always compelling villain Thanos, in that it focuses on the heroes and allows the audience to sit back and enjoy the last time we'll see this particular ensemble onscreen again. It offers everything that you'd want from an MCU film, and as the ultimate destination that all of these films have been hurtling towards since 2008, that's perfectly fine.

8/10

That plothole was definitely in my mind at the start of it. I'm thankful they at least addressed it later on down the line when they went back in time to get more, but yeah, it's weird that they wouldn't have thought of it to begin with.

I've seen it twice now, and I definitely enjoyed it more the second time around. The story beats were more coherent, the majority of the emotional notes hit, and ultimately, this time around, It resonated with me more. I also felt the need to see it twice more for the fact that I felt like I missed a lot the first time around, which tends to happen in big blockbusters.

That being said, something felt off the first time, and it still feels off the second time around. I think it was always going to be tough to top Infinity War, for the ending alone, and while this did an admirable job, I don't think Endgame is as good.

I think part of the hesitation has to do with the fact that it's the culmination of this current Marvel story line/characters, and yet, Marvel has no signs of slowing down. If anything, their going to ramp up their efforts. I'm sure after Spider-Man comes out, there will be a lull, similar to last year after Ant-Man came out as a follow-up to Infinity War.

But it seems kind of odd for a franchise to be celebrating the end of something when they know full well this stuff is going no where. And while that ultimately can be considered a good thing as long as they still produce solid content (Which I'm skeptical of), it's a bit jarring there is not going to be enough time to reflect on what they already accomplished.

The irony of this is that the first hour or so of the movie is my favorite. The Russo's stick with the Endgame ending and take it a step further by advancing the story 5 years. It resulted in a much more somber, introspective tone that I didn't see that coming. But rightfully so, as Cap says, you gotta move on, and that's exactly what Endgame does, just maybe a little too quickly.

Even if it were only, say, a 3-5 year break, which in this day and age is not happening, I think it would have a lot of people, myself included coming back to this franchise with a clear mind, ready to see more. But now, I just feel fatigued after Endgame.

In 2012, the first Avengers was released, and at the time, that many comic book characters in one movie was a novelty. Fast forward a mere 7 years, and that number of characters has grown exponentially. Instead of celebrating that Beatles-esque growth in a small window of time, Marvel is inevitably going to try and top that with their next set of Avengers movies in the next decade. I'm not so sure they can.

Maybe greed isn't always good.

Hey I liked it. Satisfied me and I dig a time travel story. It kinda falls apart a little bit as your break down all the threads, but I'm assuming the future movies will all reference these timeline discrepancies and plug some sorta line about 'x is why we can do y so everything's cool' which is fine for me.

I'll end up seeing this again in the next few weeks but for now I was quite happy with it. Some choices I didn't like (roadie being the jokester - predictable shitty comedy, reducing multiple characters to tropes) but I get its a team up and not everyone's gonna be getting optimal screen time.

I will echo others that not a whole lot happened for an insane amount of secrecy they had over the production.

I'd give it a solid 7/10. May revise my review after a second viewing.

Did they ever explain how all the aliens in these movies speak English?

Multiverse. Mulitples of each character. So instead of 100 characters, we'll get 100 characters x 10! 1000 characters all on screen at once!

A universal translator is mentioned in Captain Marvel.

So...Star Trek rules, basically.

Having a universal translator for the denizens of the rest of the galaxy is like going outside wearing clothes here on Earth.  It's nothing special.  Of course everyone can understand one another.  It would be weird if they couldn't, just like it would be weird if your neighbor went jogging stark naked.