We begin the film where we left off, a universe that is half of what it was, and an Earth that is in shambles. Heroes in the wind, literally and others floating in space. Answers and reasons are few and far between. Already released in the trailers, we saw Tony Stark leaving a somber message to Pepper after losing to the mad titan Thanos. Hawkeye returns to the fray, angry and hurt with vengeance readily available to any that do wrong. And an Ant Man that has returned after being trapped at the Quantum level for years because of unfortunate selection and the timing of “The Snap”.
The question, of course, how do you return half the universe and stop an all-powerful villain. With no definitive answers and no location on Thanos’ whereabouts, the remaining team fights the best way it knows how, with the resources and people it has available. Years pass, with every moment torn between what was and what is living in everyone’s thoughts. Only after the return of Scott Lang from the Quantum Zone does an opportunity present itself, a possible chance at redemption for heroes living with failure in their hearts. This leads to an interesting trek down the road known as ”let’s get the band back together”, with Thor, Hawkeye, Hulk and others coerced into one last gamble for the universe.
Truth be told, I was very interested to see where this 3-hour film decided to spend its time. So many characters and stories, plus immense action and sci-fi moments to fit in. Let’s start with the obvious question most people keep asking. Yes, you need to see Captain Marvel! While not part of the original team, she is the new and favorite kid on the block and is important to many story facets. Beyond that, this film is actually intertwined in a way, that people that have missed more than a couple MCU films might find themselves missing a few connections and points that are trying to be made. Can you say that’s unexpected by this point though? Heck, missing Easter egg scenes after credits leaves some in the dark. So, I greatly encourage you to log onto Netflix and play a quick game of catch-up. (Full mus-see list below)
As for the film itself, I had lots of fun and almost cried more times than I’d like to admit. So many emotions hitting, not because of a film, but because of characters that have worked themselves into our everyday lives. They are family and friends and we turn to them for many reasons. Included with the emotions, is a galactic truck load of humor, action, surprises and sci-fi super hero fun that left me in a happy Jello-like state, like a dog after a long belly scratching session.
Personally, for a 3-hour movie, this film flew by with no breaks being taken, and I had a large soda and large popcorn! Fans of the MCU will love this film and enjoy everything that gets laid out at their feet. Some will be happier than others, but when something ends, there is always someone unhappy about it. One thing that did strike me though, is how much more of an older theme this film had than others prior. Perhaps it was the somber tone at times, I will be interested to see how children ingest this release and their final thoughts.
One last thing, besides my love for this film, I will also state that this film, which was over a decade in the making, delivers the final chapter on some favorite characters and actors. My admiration for Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johannsson, Mark Ruffalo, Jeremy Renner and many others in the MCU Universe and at Marvel Studios, has never been higher. They have given their lives, talent and passion to make something that will live with each of us for many years to come.
Grade: A
Running Time: 3h 1m
MPAA Rating: PG-13
Review
Rating
RN review of Avenger's Endgame
An emotional culmination of characters that shared a decade of our lives.