Avengers: Endgame

Living up to its decade-long hype, Avengers: Endgame brings an epic finale to this centuries’ most iconic characters. It is a cinematic event that goes beyond the work of directors Anthony and Joe Russo, producer Kevin Feige, and even the actors on set. Its quality shines in the energy that has seemingly taken over the country as the fans buy their tickets and camp in front of their theaters for good seats. Going to the theater to see this film is the experience I want in every theater I visit in the future: a dedicated crowd roaring with excitement.

I see the MCU as one of the many tools strapped under Disney’s control, but, unlike the rest of them, it is original and successful. The Box Office records are proof: any Star Wars opening weekend is being humiliated by this film’s ticket sales, and its fans are more than satisfied. In general, the MCU is still a bi-annual, formulated cash grab, but Avengers: Infinity War showed me the potential this series had, and it could only be achieved by its sequel. Antman and the Wasp and Captain Marvel filled the space in between with little importance or depth, yet I must say the wait was well worth it.

It is important to look at this film as a direct sequel to Avengers: Infinity War because it is truly is the next 2 acts in a 5 act story, which is why it is difficult to actually look at this film on its own. The main arcs in this film are the growing relationships between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark, and Rocket and Thor with some brief moments of growth in Nebula, Hawkeye, Hulk, and Black Widow. Looking at the film through these specific stories highlights its amazing strengths and disappointments.

The story excels in its central characters, but the rest are just cannon fodder for jokes or action.

Captain Marvel was a huge waste of time and a red herring. Nick Fury thought she was the answer, and so did the fans because her first film came in theaters just a month before this film, but where is she? Somewhere far away getting a new haircut. She adds nothing to the depth of this story, and Brie Larson’s dry performance left a bad taste in my mouth. Hawkeye was given so much but proved to be minuscule in the scale of this story. He feels guilt and pain from losing his family, and where does this arc go? Nowhere, forgotten in the emptiness of space. It leads to an emotional scene that last a little too long and ends with a hard impact on the audience that is once again, forgotten by the characters only minutes later. The length of this film still cannot contain all that happens, and because of this, sacrifices had to be made. These two characters were expected to be the front runners of this film by the fans and their predictions, and, although I am happy the Russo brothers went in their own direction with very bold choices, I felt cheated with these two false promises.

Steve Rogers, Tony Stark, and Thor are what make this film so remarkable. The power of doubt and loss weigh on their shoulders more heavily than on anyone else. They had the power to end this before it was too late, but each of them failed in their own way. The maturity of Steve truly makes this story so three-dimensional, and its contrast with the fatherly shift in Tony Stark, which began in Infinity War, showed the struggle of fighting for the past when you finally have a future.

Thor’s arc was surprisingly heartfelt and touching. His willingness to abandon everything he stood for to hide from his failure added a whole new contrast to the Steve and Tony’s arcs. Instead of reorganizing his life, he simply gives up living. Pairing him with Rocket not only added some humor through these films, but it also highlights how hard their lives have been. What Chris Hemsworth brings to the table in his performance is a blend of tragedy and comedy that can only be found in an evolving film series like this one.

The story itself creates the most refreshing way to bring everything back together. It rewards the fan that has seen the big stepping stones of this franchise, and the subtle hints at the comics throughout are enough to get people applauding. The world Kevin Feige created for The Avengers series is packed tight with detail and heart, and every set piece is fully utilized to bring out new ways of seeing this 10-year franchise. The history behind Steve Rogers and Tony Stark resonate with this script, giving them a brilliant reflection of their lives as they fight for the peace they have been searching for since their first films. The direction of the story may be predictable in broad terms, but how the characters begin improvising to fix the constant mistakes that follow them, it really does organically flow in a profound way.

Overall, apart from the misleading expectations I had with certain characters, this film is the perfect ending to these amazing characters. It dwarfs the intensity of the recent Star Wars films, and it humbles the rush of The Deathly Hallows Part 2 by a long shot. The MCU will continue on, but its true magic gave the final bow at center stage in the endgame.

Story Rating: 8/10

Character Rating: 9/10

WARNING: this point contains SPOILERS, but it must be noted!

Endgame Thanos is not Infinity War Thanos, and that weakens the conflict significantly. I enjoyed the Russo brothers’ bold choice to kill Thanos in the first 20 minutes, but the Thanos that comes from the past has no connection to the central characters. This point is brought up when Wanda tries to confront him for killing Vision, but he straight up tells her “I do not know you.” This film shoes that his strength does not rely on the infinity stones, and he destroys the battle field on his own, but his connection to the narrative seems severed (quite literally).