Review of 'Avengers: Endgame'
“Avengers: Endgame” looks to be going onto becoming the biggest film of all time and it certainly looks the part. Following on directly from the events of Avengers: Infinity War you will most definitely need to be familiar with that film first…and it would not hurt to be familiar with the Marvel superhero films from the last decade. For those of you that have not seen Infinity War (you really need to see that first) or those that don't want to know what happens as far as the plot is concerned read no further…or perhaps skip the next paragraph to the bit where I don't talk about what this film is about.
The survivors of Thanos (Josh Brolin) mourn the loss of many of their fellow superheroes. They devise a plan to steal back the infinity stones but discover that Thanos has already destroyed them. Five years later Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) escapes from the quantum realm in his quantum tunnel. Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) and a seriously reluctant Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) – who has settled down with Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and have a daughter – realise that this technology could be used to travel back in time to steal the infinity stones then use them to undo the destruction caused by Thanos. They promptly organise a team that includes a hilariously overweight Thor (Chris Hemsworth) who has been spending his days drinking in “New Valhalla”, a grief-stricken Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Lang, Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and the now much more stable Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) to do just that.
You name the Marvel superhero and they make an appearance in this film including the latest to come to the big screen: Captain Marvel (Brie Larson). The estimated $356 million budget is clearly in evidence here with the expected incredible ensemble action sequences throughout (though particularly towards the end). The first two hours of this three hour film move fairly slowly with a lot of talking and introspective by the various characters going on but this quickly picks up pace to a dramatic finale. The Russos take their time allowing us to better understand the characters and tensions before the action starts which is a good thing. This is the most emotional of all of the films so far and it pays off in actually caring about what happens to them. The ending is not as tidy as you might expect and this is also a good thing showing that things can never be as they were.
Yes, many fans will be pleased to hear, Stan Lee does make an appearance.
The cast is amazing as always with Downey, Evans, Ruffalo and Hemsworth providing compelling performances of their troubled characters. It might be suggested their angst and introspection is a bit excessive but I would not agree as it is precisely this that draws the audience in so that we not only understand that these characters have faults but also help us feel their compulsion for redemption. They all dominate the screen…
An epic film in all senses of the word which really has to be seen on the big screen (given the action it will likely be next to impossible to really follow on anything smaller). To watch Endgame you will need to have first seen Infinity War and most of the previous Marvel superhero films otherwise you will, sorry to say, be extremely lost with much of the film being a complete mystery to you. Endgame references many of those previous films and relies on your having an understanding of the key bits, making no attempts at providing background for those new to the series. Fans of these films will no doubt be incredibly happy here. Do not expect three hours (yes, it is a bit long) of non-stop action but do expect to come away better understanding familiar characters and satisfied with the ending of the current era of superhero film-making…what lies in store for the future?
Rating: “I have absolutely no complaints”
Review Date: 2019-05-01
Directed by: Russo Brothers
Studio: Marvel Studios
Year: 2019
Length: 181 minutes
Genre: Action/Adventure
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4154796/
Other reviewed films by Russo Brothers:
- Captain America: Civil War (2016)
- Infinity War (2018)
- The Gray Man (2022)