Avengers: (is this really the) Endgame(?)

 

I’ll get this out of the way first: Endgame gets fan-service-y at times. If Marvel and Disney know anything, it’s giving audiences some fulfillment or vindication of their fandom. Does that create a few plot holes? Probably. Are there now question marks in the MCU continuity? Most definitely. Does this make the movie any less entertaining?

Not at all.

For those of you concerned about spoilers, rest assured, you won’t find any in this review. I’ll keep everything to a general knowledge level.

Following last summer’s colossal defeat to Thanos, an Avengers team whittled down to the core group tries to fight back in the hopes of restoring life to half the universe. The mission is not as simple or direct as it may initially seem.

Despite running over 3 hours, the film doesn’t feel overburdened or overstuffed in the way a Michael Bay explosion-fest would. The Russo Brothers understand the universe they’re working in. They get the pacing spot on. The story is always in motion, except for the occasional pause to contemplate the past and the future.

The balance between humor and darkness does not feel forced like it does in Captain Marvel. No one’s falling over backwards trying to throw in a snarky quip that unravels the tension. The Russo Brothers let the tension build when tension is needed. Humor often comes in throwaway lines and little observations. I think they understand that not everything needs to be given the Ragnarok treatment.

Performances, for the most part, are hard to judge. At this point, Chris Evans is Captain America and Robert Downey Jr. is Iron Man. The only time we notice anything is if something goes against our understanding of the characters. That’s true for the rest of the roster, as well. If there is a standout, it’s probably Hawkeye. Jeremy Renner has mostly had to stand around looking cool and shoot arrows at the bad guys. He actually acts this time. Gasp. His story is among the more emotional arcs in the MCU.

In a lot of ways, Endgame is like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2. Many long-running arcs are wrapped up in an entertaining and satisfying fashion. The only complaint I have is in the final battle. There are too many moving parts, too many CGI aliens running aroundand the camera shifts through the scene to the point where it becomes a kinetic blur. The best fight scenes in the series have been in Captain America movies. They’re not glorified light shows. The battlefield has a physical presence and locations matter. I know it would’ve been a challenge to bring that to a larger scene, but Cobra Kai’s Season 2 finale did it, so no excuses.

Endgame is the most enjoyable 3-hour movie I’ve seen. It’s a celebration of an 11-year process that has been unrivaled in Hollywood history, one that will (for better or worse) define the current and future generation of film-making. I may go for a second round, something to tide me over until the next Spider-Man comes out.

(P.S. Marvel, you stole the ending I thought up for one of the characters 8 years ago. I’m suing. Don’t tell me you don’t have mind reading technology. I’m on to you.)