Review - Avengers: Endgame
Look, everyone reading this who is worried about spoilers has probably already seen it but if you are still averse to anything remotely close to plot information, get out. I'm not going to spoil anything here, there's just a chance that you could interpret spoilers from my vagueness.
Avengers Endgame is already basically the biggest film ever made. I'm writing this on Saturday and already, the record books are being rewritten [edit on Monday: yup, records have been destroyed]. The chances are, you've probably already seen it, maybe twice. If you haven't seen it, you probably won't and whichever camp you're in, this review is pretty much worthless. But I'm writing it anyway because we all know this review will get hella views because Endgame is hot shit right now. We pick up about three weeks after the end of Infinity War, where half of all life in the universe has melted into dust. Our heroes are all still struggling to get by, dealing with how each and every one of them has failed. It's The Leftovers if the entire cast wore silly outfits (this is your reminder to watch The Leftovers. It's three seasons, 28 episodes total, completely amazing). From here, the Avengers have to work out how to get their loved ones back, as well as defeat Thanos. That's all I can say without spoilers I think. Gotta say, I thought the structure of the film worked really well. I've heard criticisms that each act feels like a different movie but by doing that, it keeps the pace alive, making this a shockingly easy three hour stint at the cinema. The first act is slower, being The Leftovers, the second act is faster and silly in some ways that I loved, the final act is both completely insane action set-pieces, combined with some genuine, sincere emotion. Individually, you've seen films or TV do each bit before, but I know I've never seen anything that not only melds the three but also just does it so well. It's a real marvel.
As far as cast goes, scope alone is amazing. This must be the most incredible list of actors that have ever been assembled. So superb and surprising is the list that again, I don't think I can say a huge amount about who's in it. This is probably fairly obvious but it's largely a bunch of appearances from beloved characters from earlier films whose presence is more than welcome. Plus, this being the Russo brothers, there's a couple of Community cameos that I think I was the only person in the cinema to spot and be delighted at. Getting into the actors I can talk about though, there is a superb trio at the core of this film. Obviously, Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark is one of those and he is superb. There's still that slightly cynical wit but there's a pathos too. This is a man who watched his surrogate son turn to dust in his arms because Tony wasn't a strong enough hero and in each frame, you can feel that. Similarly complex is Captain America who also failed the world. From Winter Soldier on, he's been a shining light for me and I'm delighted to say that he gets a sensational arc in this film. Thinking about it still gives me goosebumps and so much of that is down to the wonderful work of Chris Evans. Finally, Chris Hemsworth is godly as Thor. Again, it's taken a while for him to get into his groove but from Ragnarok onward, he's been a comedic jewel in an already shining franchise and being my personal highlight from Infinity War, he delights yet again. He spends most of the film cosplaying as a beloved cinematic character which I thought was hysterical but even through that humour, there is an emotional resonance that makes me want to re-evaluate the slightly slower Thor films at the start of this franchise. So many people are in this film and so many of them are fantastic. Good shit all around!
It's hard to know what to talk about with this last paragraph because again, spoilers, but I want to say that I'm so impressed by how daring this film is. There are decisions taken in this, the finale of an eleven year franchise, that are so impressively ballsy that I'm still a little rocked. They're not all impressive because they're such monumental moves. No, many of them are so impressive because they're really gentle and tender and intimate. Endgame is a film that is character first. That's why the first act is so much slower than many would expect and why it's leaving so many people emotionally shattered. We really are in the endgame of the Infinity Saga part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and while it's so obvious that we're getting plenty of films after this, everything feels very proper. It isn't like trying to flirt with your wife's sister at the wake of your wife, it's a respectful passing of the torch that also acknowledges the fact that a few torches are going to go out during this process (ones of those metaphors works a lot better than the other). Much as I hate giving Disney money, I'm still highly considering seeing this a second time in cinemas and I am keeping my fingers crossed that there will be an Infinity Saga boxset that I can spend way too much money on. Because that's another wonderful thing about this film; this is a movie that really respects the people who have spent so much time watching the MCU and I think it will really reward re-watches. Having watched a couple of MCU films I'd missed before that payed off in satisfying ways, I want to go through this whole franchise again. Some may call it fan service but it works outside of that and simply feels respectful of everyone who cares deeply about what's going on.
So yeah, Endgame gud. It's a satisfying payoff to one of the largest film franchises in history that also works as a very impressive film for people who haven't seen every single film. The future of the franchise could still be bright (and God knows the Guardians of the Galaxy setup has me thrilled) but for now, it's over. It's all actually over. And done well. We did it. So I'm going to happily (and slightly emotionally) give Avengers: Endgame a
Avengers Endgame is already basically the biggest film ever made. I'm writing this on Saturday and already, the record books are being rewritten [edit on Monday: yup, records have been destroyed]. The chances are, you've probably already seen it, maybe twice. If you haven't seen it, you probably won't and whichever camp you're in, this review is pretty much worthless. But I'm writing it anyway because we all know this review will get hella views because Endgame is hot shit right now. We pick up about three weeks after the end of Infinity War, where half of all life in the universe has melted into dust. Our heroes are all still struggling to get by, dealing with how each and every one of them has failed. It's The Leftovers if the entire cast wore silly outfits (this is your reminder to watch The Leftovers. It's three seasons, 28 episodes total, completely amazing). From here, the Avengers have to work out how to get their loved ones back, as well as defeat Thanos. That's all I can say without spoilers I think. Gotta say, I thought the structure of the film worked really well. I've heard criticisms that each act feels like a different movie but by doing that, it keeps the pace alive, making this a shockingly easy three hour stint at the cinema. The first act is slower, being The Leftovers, the second act is faster and silly in some ways that I loved, the final act is both completely insane action set-pieces, combined with some genuine, sincere emotion. Individually, you've seen films or TV do each bit before, but I know I've never seen anything that not only melds the three but also just does it so well. It's a real marvel.
As far as cast goes, scope alone is amazing. This must be the most incredible list of actors that have ever been assembled. So superb and surprising is the list that again, I don't think I can say a huge amount about who's in it. This is probably fairly obvious but it's largely a bunch of appearances from beloved characters from earlier films whose presence is more than welcome. Plus, this being the Russo brothers, there's a couple of Community cameos that I think I was the only person in the cinema to spot and be delighted at. Getting into the actors I can talk about though, there is a superb trio at the core of this film. Obviously, Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark is one of those and he is superb. There's still that slightly cynical wit but there's a pathos too. This is a man who watched his surrogate son turn to dust in his arms because Tony wasn't a strong enough hero and in each frame, you can feel that. Similarly complex is Captain America who also failed the world. From Winter Soldier on, he's been a shining light for me and I'm delighted to say that he gets a sensational arc in this film. Thinking about it still gives me goosebumps and so much of that is down to the wonderful work of Chris Evans. Finally, Chris Hemsworth is godly as Thor. Again, it's taken a while for him to get into his groove but from Ragnarok onward, he's been a comedic jewel in an already shining franchise and being my personal highlight from Infinity War, he delights yet again. He spends most of the film cosplaying as a beloved cinematic character which I thought was hysterical but even through that humour, there is an emotional resonance that makes me want to re-evaluate the slightly slower Thor films at the start of this franchise. So many people are in this film and so many of them are fantastic. Good shit all around!
It's hard to know what to talk about with this last paragraph because again, spoilers, but I want to say that I'm so impressed by how daring this film is. There are decisions taken in this, the finale of an eleven year franchise, that are so impressively ballsy that I'm still a little rocked. They're not all impressive because they're such monumental moves. No, many of them are so impressive because they're really gentle and tender and intimate. Endgame is a film that is character first. That's why the first act is so much slower than many would expect and why it's leaving so many people emotionally shattered. We really are in the endgame of the Infinity Saga part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and while it's so obvious that we're getting plenty of films after this, everything feels very proper. It isn't like trying to flirt with your wife's sister at the wake of your wife, it's a respectful passing of the torch that also acknowledges the fact that a few torches are going to go out during this process (ones of those metaphors works a lot better than the other). Much as I hate giving Disney money, I'm still highly considering seeing this a second time in cinemas and I am keeping my fingers crossed that there will be an Infinity Saga boxset that I can spend way too much money on. Because that's another wonderful thing about this film; this is a movie that really respects the people who have spent so much time watching the MCU and I think it will really reward re-watches. Having watched a couple of MCU films I'd missed before that payed off in satisfying ways, I want to go through this whole franchise again. Some may call it fan service but it works outside of that and simply feels respectful of everyone who cares deeply about what's going on.
So yeah, Endgame gud. It's a satisfying payoff to one of the largest film franchises in history that also works as a very impressive film for people who haven't seen every single film. The future of the franchise could still be bright (and God knows the Guardians of the Galaxy setup has me thrilled) but for now, it's over. It's all actually over. And done well. We did it. So I'm going to happily (and slightly emotionally) give Avengers: Endgame a
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