While it may not be the end for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Endgame brings a tear-jerking end to an epic saga, yet breathes life into a new beginning.
For the past decade, the MCU has been expanding exponentially with 22 films in its franchise thus far. The MCU started something that many thought was impossible, and quickly became a worldwide phenomenon. The MCU brought people, old and new generations, together to watch iconic comic book characters come alive on the big screen.
Avengers: Endgame follows the events after the major cliff-hanger from Avengers: Infinity War, where Thanos (Josh Brolin), the overarching villain ever since the first Avengers film, wipes out half of the population in the universe. The surviving Avengers come together to reverse the effects from Thanos’ snap.
To put it simply, the overall story is outstanding. It gets a little weird because of a few plot devices that were used, but I can’t go into that without spoiling. Trust me, this isn’t a film you want to have spoiled before watching.
With no surprise, Anthony and Joe Russo did an amazing job directing the latest installment in the franchise. Their unique vision of storytelling, mixed with the screenplay written by Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus, is spectacular. It is clear that they work as an excellent team.
There isn’t much action in the three-hour-long film, but the ending completely makes up for it with a jaw-dropping battle between the heroes and the bad guys. If you thought that the final battle at Wakanda was awesome in Infinity War, then you haven’t seen anything until the last 45 minutes in Endgame. Don’t get me wrong, there is action sprinkled throughout the film, just not much. The action is just short with those scenes that involve them.
Just like any other MCU film, there is plenty of comedy displaced throughout. It’s remarkable how many times Thor (Chris Hemsworth) can make you laugh out loud in one scene alone. His bickering between Rocket Racoon (Bradley Cooper) and him is just hysterical.
While I did enjoy the comical Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) in Thor: Ragnorak, the one thing that I did not enjoy in Infinity War was how much they turned up the dial of comedy for Bruce, and made him into a laughing stock. There was a scene where Bruce literally trips over in the Hulkbuster armor, and it was cringeworthy. However, in Endgame, the filmmakers went back to the level of comedy for Bruce that was in Ragnarok, and it pays off a lot better.
The MCU features wonderful actors and actresses that we all know and love like stars Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye/Ronin), and many more. They have been playing these roles for a decade, and it feels natural to them. Endgame allows each one of them to have a moment in the spotlight, making the audience cheer, laugh, and/or tear-up. Honestly, the cast gave amazing performances, and I would say that some of them are Oscar-worthy, especially Downey Jr..
Another noteworthy thing is the special effects. The MCU has a long history of bad CGI and other related effects. It always seemed like they were trying to rush the films and didn’t care much if the effects looked bad or not. However, Infinity War, Endgame is clearly changing that perception of Marvel films. The special effects were clean and precise. The final battle looked spectacular. It’s surprising because there is so much going on in those last 45 minutes. The special effects team did an amazing job at making it look as good as it did. The filmmakers clearly wanted this film to stand out from the rest, and they did that more than one way.
Overall, Avengers: Endgame ended the Infinity Saga for the MCU, and with Spider-man: Far From Home only a couple months away, a new saga will begin. Avengers: Endgame is the best MCU film so far because of its A-list cast, wonderful visual effects, creative storytelling, and a whole lot more. It’s a must-see. Also, there isn’t any end-credit scenes, but please stay and appreciate the hard work that has been put into Endgame and the other 21 films from the past 10 years, except for Thor: Dark World, we can all forget about that one.
Avengers: Endgame was released across the U.S. on April 26.
