Avengers: Endgame
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner
Directed by: Joe and Anthony Russo
Rated: PG-13
After 18 solo films and 4 Avengers films, Marvel fans know that everything in the past 11 years of the MCU has lead to this moment. Last year’s Infinity War ended with a dramatic cliffhanger that kept everyone wondering if the heroes could team up to save the day again. As a huge Avengers fan who was left feeling disappointed by the script and pacing of Infinity War, I didn’t know what to expect with Endgame. Would this movie actually let the Avengers team up together? Would they have more than 4 minutes of screen time each? As rumors of actor departures swirl, could Endgame possibly contain the proper send-off for my favorite heroes?
Don’t worry; this will be a SPOILER FREE ZONE! I know how horrible it is to have a movie you’re looking forward to spoiled, and that’s not going to happen here. I will discuss what happened in the previous film Infinity War, so if you haven’t seen that don’t read anymore. If you have, you can continue to read with a peace of mind.
Avengers: Endgame picks up shortly after the events of Infinity War after Thanos wiped out half of the population with the Infinity Stones. The remaining members of the Avengers’ only hope at saving humanity is to find Thanos and get the stones back. Will they be successful?
Thankfully, I found Avengers: Endgame to be much more enjoyable than Infinity War. Instead of the monotony of watching Thanos’ quest to get stones for two and a half hours, there’s a lot more of a storyline happening here. Screenwriters Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus focus on the core Avengers (Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Hulk) and their emotional journey since Infinity War. Directors Joe and Anthony Russo take their time letting the story of Endgame unfold, allowing the 3-hour runtime to build up slowly to an epic conclusion. They make time for each character to have an arc this time around. The film might be 3 hours, but it doesn’t feel like it at all as each moment builds on top of the next.
Every core Avenger gets their moment to shine in the film, and the team is wonderfully played. Endgame provides the team moments that were so desperately lacking in Infinity War. We get to see Steve and Tony interact, Hulk and Thor, Black Widow, and Hawkeye, and they all get plenty of screen time! What a miracle!
As the first on-screen hero in the Marvel Universe, Robert Downey Jr. is the pioneer of this franchise. He reminds the audience how much he can shine in Endgame as Tony Stark. He balances the perfect amount of emotion, brains, and wit throughout the film, keeping the audience entertained every second that he’s on-screen. After all, he is Iron Man.
My MVP of the movie is Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America. If you know me, that’s not a shock considering he’s my favorite character. Even disregarding my crush/fan bias, he provides so many surprisingly humorous and genuinely epic moments in Endgame. He’s grown so much as a character since we saw him as the guy in Brooklyn, just hoping to get a shot to enlist in the U.S. Army. Evans has said this is his final film playing Captain America (that’s not a spoiler, just a contract update), so it’s intriguing to see how his storyline plays out.
Chris Hemsworth gives another great performance as Thor taking the character in a different direction than expected after we last saw him in Infinity War. There are plenty of funny moments with the character, but some surprisingly poignant ones as well.
Black Widow has been one of my favorite characters since Iron Man 2. I think she is the most underrated hero of this franchise, and don’t try to tell me otherwise. Scarlett Johansson does a fantastic job playing Natasha Romanoff as a trained assassin who can hold her own with all of the Avengers. In Endgame, Natasha takes over Nick Fury’s position and essentially works as the head of the remaining Avengers since Thanos dusted fury. Johansson has some great acting moments here and showcases her emotions at just the right moments. I have mixed feelings about her character arc. I really do understand the motivations behind her plotline in this film, but the way it was handled left me feeling a bit disappointed due to a lack of respect for the character. When will she get the real respect she deserves? Also, what would one of my Avengers reviews be without a Black Widow rant?
I’m going to hold off on talking about Mark Ruffalo as Hulk/Bruce Banner and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye/Clint Barton due to specific character choices in the film that could lead to spoilers, but I’ll say they both did very well! Other standouts who aren’t in the core Avengers are Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man, Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts, and Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie.
For some people, the screenplay of Endgame could get a little problematic in certain sequences when the film utilizes a plot device that is bound to confuse some audience members. The more you think about specific elements of the plot, the easier it is to find some inaccuracies. But if you enjoy the movie for what it is, you’ll be endlessly entertained.
I’d also suggest that you go into Avengers: Endgame with knowledge of the previous films. This is a movie for the fans. There are so many callbacks, cameos, and references to prior Marvel movies that it helps to know your stuff!
The action sequences in this movie are on another level with anything I’ve seen from the MCU. I had chills watching one particular scene, and it made me so happy to be a fan of this franchise! Part of the reason Endgame’s action sequences work so well is because it takes its time to build to a conclusion that is both visually stunning and incredibly exciting. If you are a fan, you need to see this in the theater!
For Marvel fans, Endgame is an epic cinematic experience not to be missed. This is the culmination of 11 years of filmmaking rolled up into one finale. It’s not a spoiler to say that Avengers: Endgame offers a thrilling and emotional conclusion for Earth’s mightiest heroes.
My Rating: 9/10
*All images belong to Marvel Studios