This review of Avengers: Endgame will be as SPOILER FREE as possible. We want to keep the integrity of the movie going experience for everyone and still provide our impressions. There will be a very spoiler-filled review later.
Since press for Avengers: Infinity War began a year ago, we’ve talked about how Kevin Feige and the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a singular idea. A single, all-encompassing universe for a group of characters across 20 movies and 10 years. It’s not a movie franchise as much as it’s a season of television…or Marvel Comics themselves. Every event, every saga, every Earth-shattering arc has to end. Regular service has to return. Back to normal. Status quo.
Infinity War left audiences wondering what could possibly happen next. Half of all life in the universe blinked away in an instant: half of the Marvel Cinematic Universe gone, done and dusted. But Avengers: Endgame is more than just the second part of a cliffhanger, it’s a celebration of the entire 21 movie saga.
Most of what you’ve seen in the trailers–if you’ve watched them–tells you the basic set-up. The remaining Avengers get back together and go off and attempt to either reverse Thanos‘ snap or avenge it. But what the commercials don’t show is how much time is devoted to these characters as individuals, as each other’s adopted family. At this point, we love them. We’re worried for them, and that’s something I didn’t think was possible even a year ago.
It’s not particularly surprising all of the original Avengers survived the Snap. Endgame is as much a reflection on Phase 1 as it is a celebration of it. Tony, Steve, Natasha, Thor, Bruce, and Clint are a family and we need to see them together again. The other characters aren’t afterthoughts, though. Nebula and Ant-Man get to shine. Everybody lost people in the Snap, and they all have things to lose thereafter.
Much more said about the plot will risk spoiling things, but I’ll just say that Endgame proved far more emotionally and logically satisfying than I ever expected. It’s a long movie, but you almost wanted more. I reveled in every interaction, every nod, every air-punching moment and every quiet moment of reflection. The gravity of the situation and the stakes couldn’t be higher, and yet the trademark humor is there. It wouldn’t be the MCU without it.
If you have anything close to the bond with these characters as the filmmakers hope you do, you’ll be satisfied. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll shout “yeah!” and clap. Endgame acknowledges that not every entry in the saga is perfect. Times have changed and so have tastes. But it also acknowledges we all know every inch of these movies and what they’ve meant to a generation. It’s the endgame, but it’s also a new beginning. The past is golden, but the future is bright.
Bottom Line: – I loved it.
Images: Marvel
Kyle Anderson is the Editor at Large for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Twitter!
