To say Avengers: Endgame is one of the most hyped movies of 2019 is a massive understatement. Like Avengers: Infinity War, Endgame is the true culmination of 10 years of superhero movies. Throughout the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise, we’ve grown to love numerous fantastical characters and their memorable powers and personalities. Endgame acts as a bookend for the main storyline that has permeated every MCU movie since the beginning. Following the events of Avengers: Infinity War, the remaining Avengers are at a loss for what to do next. As Endgame starts, it’s up to them to find a way to reverse the actions of the mad titan Thanos.
Note: This article will be completely spoiler-free in regards to Avengers: Endgame. However, it will detail some important plot points from Avengers: Infinity War. Please keep this in mind before continuing.
We’re in the Endgame Now
At the end of Avengers: Infinity War, the ultra-villain Thanos had obtained all of the legendary Infinity Stones. Using these stones with his Infinity Gauntlet, Thanos was able to become a being of immense power. With the gauntlet allowing him to accomplish his heinous plan, he snapped his fingers and effectively wiped out half of the Earth’s population. This leaves the survivors in a tough place. The world we knew is in ruins, most of the heroes who guarded Earth have fallen, and those left alive wish they would’ve died. As Doctor Strange explained in Infinity War, we’re in the endgame now, and the Endgame is appropriately bleak.
From here on, it’s very hard to describe Avengers: Endgame without veering into spoiler territory. The handful of trailers leading up to the movie’s release were appropriately vague, and don’t even scratch the surface of the true Endgame narrative. Unless you’ve found some old leaks or stumbled across spoilers, the bulk of Endgame’s narrative should be quite surprising. Unfortunately, it’s also a bit convoluted due to the nature of some storytelling mechanics. Furthermore, it doesn’t function well as a standalone movie, as it’s directly tied to most other MCU films. This means, unlike Avengers: Infinity War, it’s really hard to recommend Endgame to anyone who isn’t fully committed to the MCU. It’s an exciting and action-packed thrill-ride, but one that will be exceptionally confusing for new viewers. This is both a positive and a negative. On one hand, Endgame delivers the kind of fan-service that only the most die-hard of fans can appreciate. On the other hand, it leaves more casual moviegoers in the dark, and as a result, feels a bit underwhelming at times.
The Pace of the Race
Endgame stands out not only due to its lineage, but its extensive run time as well. Those sitting down with a bowl of popcorn and a drink might want to slow down on the snacking, as you’ve committed yourself to a 3-hour experience. Luckily though, as far as 3-hour movies are concerned, Endgame is paced incredibly well. Dialogue-heavy scenes are interwoven well with more action-oriented events, and the story generally has a good feeling of momentum. In comparison to Infinity War, it’s easier to track all of the characters and their objectives, even when they’re planets apart. The first 2 hours of the film are a bit slower than what I expected, but the explosive third act more than makes up for the slowdowns. In terms of big Marvel battles, Endgame has more than enough to satisfy.
There’s a substantial comedic element to Endgame that both helps and harms the overall movie. The admittedly funny jokes and quips keep things light and entertaining even in the face of some extraordinary dark circumstances. However, jokes are often treated as the most important aspect of some scenes. This means that some pretty cool moments are turned into gags, some characters are little more than walking parodies, and it all results in a conflicting tone. In a movie with so much death and depression, the need for comedic relief is apparent. Unfortunately, it seems like the writers and directors considered Endgame to be a comedy more than an action film. Luckily, most of the jokes land fine, surely resulting in a few hearty chuckles. On the other end of the spectrum though, the abundant humor makes it hard to take serious moments at face value. Most of the time, you’ll be expecting a joke or a similarly humorous subversion of expectations. So while Endgame might be pretty funny, I didn’t go into the theater to see a comedy. I can’t say that I’m upset with the end result, but for a movie that serves as the final course in one of pop culture’s biggest franchises, Endgame often feels more interested in making the audience laugh than providing meaningful character moments.
Whatever it Takes
Although the comedy has a way of brushing off the more desperate and depressing elements of various character stories, those emotions are thankfully retained through countless cast performances. While watching Endgame, it was blatantly obvious that every single actor and actress was giving it their all and pouring every ounce of emotion they had into their performance. This is doubly true for some more focal characters, including Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and War Machine (Don Cheadle). Robert Downey Jr. delivers the performance of his career, cementing himself as the only actor who could ever fit the role of Iron Man. Likewise, Jeremy Renner excels in every single scene as Hawkeye, giving viewers one of the most honest and human performances in all of the MCU. Generally speaking, this sentiment extends throughout most of the cast, as each one delivers a memorable and meaningful performance. Unfortunately, many characters only pop up in a few scenes, so if you were expecting a lot of character development from secondary characters like Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), or Wong (Benedict Wong), you’ll be sorely disappointed.
The Bottom Line on Avengers: Endgame
If you spent all year eagerly awaiting the conclusion of the Avengers story, then Avengers: Endgame will be more than enough to get you drooling. It’s a movie that is crafted to please fans, draw plenty of emotion and laughs, and display some really cool action during it all. However, understanding Endgame entirely relies on your knowledge of the MCU prior to this movie. That means that newcomers attempting to hop on the hype-train of Infinity War and Endgame will be left feeling confused and slightly disappointed. Avengers: Endgame is truly one of the biggest blockbuster movies of all time, if not the biggest. While it manages to nail the landing and be entertaining throughout its lengthy run-time, there are still a few flaws that keep it far from being the best MCU film. This will no doubt be a point of contention for years to come, as fans debate the minutiae of every single scene. When all is said and done, Avengers: Endgame is a worthwhile trip to the movie theater, provided that you were already super excited to go see it.
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Movie Rating: 4 stars.
Movie Rating Guide
1 Star = Unwatchable
2 Stars = Cannot Recommend
3 Stars = Great for the Fans
4 Stars = A Solid Movie
5 Stars = Must Own (DVD/Stream Download)
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