Avengers: Endgame (2019)

“Avengers: Endgame” stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, and Josh Brolin.  Released on April 26, 2019, the film has the Avengers planning on reversing the damage done by Thanos and restoring harmony to the universe.

The film is directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, who also directed last year’s “Avengers: Infinity War”, and it is the 22nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Everything that happened in the MCU so far has finally lead to this.  That’s right, my friends, the time has finally come for us to experience the groundbreaking showdown between the Avengers and Thanos that’ll determine the fate of the entire universe.  No pressure.  The ending of “Infinity War” has shocked just about everyone to their cores, including myself, but it also got them talking about what’s going to happen next after the big purple titan decimated about half of the universe’s entire population.  So far, the Russo Brothers have done extremely well in making superhero films more than just superhero films, with the prime examples being the last two Captain America solo films, “The Winter Soldier” and “Civil War”.  Now their true test is to see if they can bring everything in the expansive cinematic universe to a close while balancing the visualized action with their storytelling.  We have been waiting for this moment for a long time, and now that it’s finally here, was it able to meet our expectations?  For this review, since the film is known to be “spoiler-heavy”, I will do my best to talk about it without giving away important plot details.

The first thing you should know about “Endgame” is that the story takes place after the events of “Infinity War”.  So, if you haven’t seen “Infinity War” yet, make sure you do that before you watch “Endgame”.  Anyway, the story focuses on the remaining survivors of Thanos’ snap, including the original Avengers, as they deal with their first major loss.  Refusing to move on, the Avengers, along with their new allies Captain Marvel (Larson) and Ant-Man (Rudd), set off on a do-or-die mission to defeat Thanos for good and restore the entire universe.  And…that’s all you need to know about the story without spoilers.  What makes this film important was that it served not only as a conclusion to the main story arc that took the filmmakers 22 films to tell, but also as a special and unique tribute for the hardcore fans that have been on this journey for more than 10 years.  The Russo Brothers had only one shot to get this right, and unsurprisingly, they made it count.  That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, the Russo Brothers are now officially the kings of superhero cinema.  This is another film that met all of my expectations while offering some unexpected surprises along the way.  Packed with enough action, humor, and emotion, “Endgame” respectfully honored the characters and events that we know and love since the beginning and delivered a plot that’s both captivating and crowd-pleasing.  I should know, because I saw it in a packed theater, and there were actually a few scenes that made the crowd go wild, myself included.  So yeah, the story is something that you have to watch without knowing what the actual plot is.  It makes the experience much more enjoyable.  There were a couple of things that I thought were quite…questionable, but other than that, the Russo Brothers, along with screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, did a fantastic job envisioning this type of story.  What made it even more impressive was that the film is three hours long and there were no scenes that drag on for too long.  Everything in this film was well-paced and full of intrigue.  The entire cast delivered some entertaining and worthy performances, ranging from Downey Jr. as Iron Man to Brolin as Thanos.  Brie Larson as Captain Marvel was a bit better in this film compared to her solo film, but she has yet to find the right spark.  Here's hoping she'll find it in her next solo film.  As for Mark Ruffalo…man, it’s something that you have to see to believe, and I mean that in a good way.  Everyone who acted in this film should pat themselves on the back for making these characters like actual people.  The humor was surprisingly well-balanced with a plot that had plenty of dark and intense moments.  I was a bit concerned that the humor will mess up the overall tone of the film.  Fortunately, the Russo Brothers knew exactly how to make it work without making the film too funny or too dark for the little ones.  There were actually a lot more character-driven scenes than the action scenes in “Endgame”, but it didn’t bother me that much because all of them were highly riveting.  While the dialogue scenes were well-directed and full of heart, the action scenes were intense, nicely-choreographed, visually enthralling, and entertaining as heck.  Alan Silvestri returned to provide the score for “Endgame”, and it was just as grand as the film itself.

Overall, “Avengers: Endgame” is the “Return of the King” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  A satisfying and groundbreaking finale to a saga that started with a man and his iron suit.  Thanks to its stellar cast, effective storytelling, and entertainment value, this is not only one of the best superhero movies ever made, but it’s also one of my favorite films of 2019 so far.  The Russo Brothers had made something that’s more than just a superhero film.  It’s an event.  An event that’s made for people who have been on this miraculous journey with these characters since the MCU’s inception in 2008.  It’s also made for people who are inspired to spread hope and fight for what’s right during our darkest hours.  With more MCU films heading our way soon, it’s safe to say that the film isn’t truly the end of the road for the franchise, it’s the beginning of a new one, and I can’t wait to see where that road will lead me to.

A