Avengers: Endgame

Score:  A+

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo

Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlet Johansson, Josh Brolin, et. Al.

Running time: 181 minutes

Rated PG-13

Long Story Short:. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) concludes an 11-year, 22-film, 3 “phase” adventure with Avengers: Endgame.  Some might think its three-hour run time and huge cast of characters too big a barrier for the non-MCU fan to enjoy, but with good pacing, humor and a plethora of strong performances, it’s fun for all.  For my fellow MCU nerds, Endgame is nirvana, a highly entertaining and moving end to the franchise as we’ve known it thus far.  Bravo!

**SPOILER WARNING! There’s no way to write anything interesting about this movie without including enormous spoilers, so please read on only if/when you’ve already seen it or otherwise don’t mind!**

Following immediately on Infinity War, the effects of villainous Thanos’s victory (the “snapture” - after collecting the six infinity stones, he wiped out half of all life in the universe with a snap of his fingers) reverberate through the universe.  Even when a new hero, the powerful Captain Marvel, unites with the remaining Avengers, they are helpless to reverse the calamity.  That is, until the literal smallest hero, missing for five years, reappears.  His miracle is the spark that gives hope to the heroes  that their failure may not be so permanent after all.  Still, the odds are long, and Earth’s mightiest defenders will be pushed to the absolute limit before all is said and done.

Before getting to the MCU-specific elements of Endgame, it’s worth noting that despite a three-hour long running time, the film flows quite smoothly.  The movie is more or less divided into three sections.  The first is somber but stylish, but before too long both a sense of hope and of humor begin to emerge as it transitions to the middle.  In a long movie this is a danger zone, but its quirky and zippy time travel scenes effectively inject more energy rather than take any away.  Avoiding another common pitfall, there is little build up to the climax; it’s just suddenly there and spirals in scope with increasing excitement.  Finally, we get just a few minutes at the end to send off our favorite heroes with appropriate respect.  For MCU fans, it all adds up to a whirlwind, losing track of time completely; I suspect that non-MCU fans will still find the running time well balanced and well beyond blockbuster standards.

How do you begin what is supposed to be one of the most epic films in decades?  The MCU subverts expectations, eschewing Infinity War’s thrilling opening and instead showing an average day in Hawkeye’s quiet country life - average, that is, until the snapture upends it without a whisper, sending chills down the spine.  The film respectfully takes the time to show a sample of the effects of the snapture in this first section, from dilapidated cities to monuments to the disappeared to group therapy.  Of course, we also only have half the heroes to follow, a clever byproduct allowing the film to focus on the originals: Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Black Widow, and a few others.  Before long, others add a light-hearted comic element as possible solutions stir: Ant-Man, the unexpected, optimistic catalyst; a bizarre, chill Hulk/Banner hybrid; and most uproariously, fat Thor Lebowski.

What is the solution?  The film early on took the heroes to confront Thanos directly, despairingly to no avail.  So they go the time travel route, which ends up a brilliant choice in my opinion, for three reasons.  First, the present time has literally no options available; second, it allows the Avengers to humorously (and at times poignantly) revisit their own past adventures; and third, it gives the film freedom to accomplish a few other crucial things through the vagaries of time travel.  Those who want air-tight logic will be disappointed, and these things often bother me, too.  Ultimately, though, it worked for me just fine.  I think mainly that’s because the trip down memory lane is so well fused with the urgent, specific needs of going there.  Thor gets a crucial, personal moment, while Nebula’s unfortunate timing brings Thanos back into the mix.  Stark and Rogers’ trip to NY, then back to 1970, is more nostalgia-tinged, but it also gives the opportunity to wrap up their impressive backstories.  It does all pass almost like a dream, and I for one got the restless feeling that it was all too easy.  That is, until...

... what is perhaps the most impressive concluding battle scene I’ve witnessed!  Thanos, the Avengers’ most formidable foe, doesn’t just allow for a neat happily-ever-after.  Round one is a jarring three- (Iron Man, Cap, Thor) -on-one slugfest that had me gripping the seat of my chair.  Just as it seems Thanos will once again prove the inevitable victor, though, Sam/Falcon whispers “on your left” to Cap.  As another shiver ran through me, the un-snaptured heroes return to reinforce the beleaguered three, commencing a jaw-droppingly huge battle.  Of course, CGI stunts abound in what follows, but there remains a clear focus on the individuals in the fight and their specific goal (once again, those damned stones).  The tension remains high - despite reinforcement, good is still fighting an uphill battle.  Even with a field full of worthy warriors, though, it’s both special and bittersweet when the one who started it all is also the one to end it with his sacrifice.

It’s no secret that Endgame was intended as the final film for the Avengers to this point; more specifically, a conclusion for the Big Three and the infinity stones overarching narrative.  It also has callbacks to earlier films sprinkled throughout - beyond the overt time travel to several of them - that are both cleverly done and also move them forward.  These range from funny ones like Cap ending up in an elevator full of Hydra agents again (from his second solo film) to some of the most powerful ones such as Cap’s becoming “worthy” and wielding Thor’s hammer in the nick of time, and Stark’s final, triumphant proclamation of “I am Iron Man.”  This is where the film is most catered to the MCU devotees, and for us, they’re golden.

Endgame leaves its three main heroes (we’ll talk about the others another time) in just the right ways.  Thor, in fact, may not be done with the MCU at all, but rather joining up with his newfound Guardians buddies.  Even if he doesn’t continue on, though, Endgame completes his evolution to a new kind of hero, not the boring, traditional one he started as.  He’s, well, weird (maybe not the strongest Avenger, but perhaps the silliest?), and has accepted that; and prone to fairly un-herolike moodiness.  Steve Rogers/Cap gets the fairy tale ending, but in a cool new way.  Thawed from the 40s, he was never truly at home in the modern world, though of course he did his duty in defending humanity.  One final time trip both ties up the stones loose ends, and allows Rogers to live the life he was meant to, touchingly symbolized by Steve’s dance and kiss with Peggy in the last frame.  Finally there’s the biggest of them all, Tony Stark/Iron Man.  His ending is really in two parts:  the family he’s built in the five years following the snapture, and his defeat of Thanos for good.  Tony was the least natural hero in the beginning, and his sacrifice completed his long journey.

***

As you can probably tell, Endgame meant more to me than any other movie I’ve seen for years.  As the culmination of an 11-year journey, how could it not have?  It’s most important to me that I was personally happy beyond expectations with how it turned out, but it’s also been fun to see how the rest of the world has embraced it.  In addition to near-unanimous critical approval (94% on RT), it completely obliterated opening weekend records at the box office and it’s all but guaranteed to become the top global movie and second domestic (to Star Wars) all time.  The MCU has clearly been the defining cinematic experience of the last decade, churning out an average of two high entertainment (but also high quality) films each year.  I plan to write another blog post this summer, though the MCU will surely continue on, in a hopefully interesting new direction.  I would say it was worth the wait, but the adventure has been fun each step of the way, and Endgame merely provided an equally fulfilling conclusion.  Excelsior!

*By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59301815

**PS: Writing this on an iPad was incredibly frustrating.  Get your act together, Google/Apple!!!