Avengers: Endgame - Spoiler-Free Review
Avengers: Endgame - "Spoiler-Free Review"
Over eleven
years, we’ve had twenty-films, six original avengers, four new heroes to join
their ranks, and a bunch of ragtag guardians from the galaxy… all coming
together for a 3-hour epic Superhero film to end all superhero films. Although,
I doubt this is the end of the superhero genre at the movies, but after
experiencing “Avengers: Endgame”, I cannot image how this can be topped
cinematically for some time. And how did we get to this point?
I won’t do
the usual back story segment you’ve read in many of my reviews on big films
before; in case you haven’t been following the blog / Facebook page recently, I
wrapped up my review of every film in the Avengers Series / Infinity Saga last
week; covering all 21 films to proceed Endgame, including the recently released
“Captain Marvel”. You can read those reviews anytime by clicking here. So let’s talk briefly
about how a movie like Avengers: Endgame happened at all.
Last years “Avengers:
Infinity War” ended on such a dour note, with half of the characters you know from
the Marvel Universe (and the actual Universe as well) disappear into dust after
Thanos snapped his fingers. He held the power of the six Infinity Stones in his
hand and achieved his goal of restoring “balance” to the Universe. One of the
greatest cliff-hanger endings in movie history forced us to wait a whole year
to find out how our remaining Avengers would recover and get their revenge. Naturally,
this is where the new film picks up; exactly where we left our characters. And in
a surprising turn of events, the story kicks straight into gear with no hesitation,
and surprised me (and probably everybody else in the theatre) how quickly it
played out certain events.
If all you’ve
seen or heard of Endgame so far has been the trailers and TV promotional spots,
realise that you’ve only seen footage from about 20 minutes of the film. There is
so much else that deliberately hasn’t been revealed, which in this day and age
of movie trailers that give away far too
much, was a smart move and a ballsy one. But as trailers are designed to sell a
movie, Marvel could just give us a trailer with the title of the film on screen
and we’d all still show up to watch it. Given we’ve been emotionally and socially
invested in these films for the past decade, we know this universe, we know the
stakes at play, and we just want our closure. If you think the trailers look
good, believe me you haven’t seen anything yet!
And with so
much story to cram in, Endgame is the longest running film in the MCU clocking in
at a whopping three hours. Watching the film doesn’t feel like a long
experience though, unless you’ve got to pee and you’re holding it in, then the
minutes will drag. So visit the toilet before you see the film at the cinema
and go easy on the Coke during the session. Small sips. What also helps the
running time run by, is the pace at which the story moves, with so many
characters to get through and settings that span the globe and the universe,
the film doesn’t have a slow moment in it. Even when it does slow down to focus
on a characters anguish or guilt, as it does early on, it’s compelling viewing
thanks to the brilliant performances of all involved, and the fact that as a loyal
long-time viewer we are totally invested in these characters, and feel their
pain. As we watch them recover from losing their co-Avengers, family and
friends, we the audience and true Marvel fans, feel like we have lost many of
them too. No explanation was given as to why those who disappeared did, and as
the film jumps in its timeframe significantly in the film, you can’t help but
wonder who, if any of The Vanished, will ever return.
When our
Avengers figure out a way to possibly bring them back, it’s go-time, and those
who remain find their last well of courage, suit up and set out to undo what
was done. And this is where the film takes us down a road of memorable twists
and turns, genius in their design and both shocking and funny in equal doses. This
is one of the greatest feats of this film as a whole; and that is the
experience you have watching it. Even though the world of the MCU and its
characters seem so familiar by now, each of their arcs and the emotional roller-coaster
you are taken on is unlike any Marvel film you’ve seen, and from memory, unlike
most mainstream action blockbusters that have ever been made, except maybe for
the final Harry Potter film.
This emotional
juggernaut of a film, plays with every emotion of the character, which in turn
plays with ours. We watch genuinely heartfelt performances fill the screen,
which feel so real and human, you will have to hold back a tear. Or, don’t even
try, because there a few key scenes where you will well up. I did, especially towards the end, and If you’ve seen
the film, you’ll know the very moment I am speaking of. I felt the tears build,
and stream down my face, and this was the first time I cried at the movies. I’ve
cried watching films at home, alone and privately, but never at a theatre. Not
that there is anything wrong with that, but I didn’t really expect how much of
an impact the film would have on me. I’ve been with Marvel since the very beginning,
going along to watch “iron Man” in 2008, not really knowing what to expect. It was
the gamble film of that year, and boy did that gamble pay off? I’ve been with
the MCU every step of the way, enjoying each film on its own and relishing in
the brilliance of the overarching storyline that connects them all.
It’s these
characters that I’ve followed so closely that as a result, has led me to
convert from DC to Marvel with very little control on my own part. There are
few franchises in the film world that have a following like Marvels, and to
date there haven’t been any with so many films made in such a short span of
time, especially with the same characters and actors involved. Certainly Star Wars has been going since the late 1970’s,
but that’s a saga that is revisited and reinvented for each generation, and unfortunately
the latest reincarnation has hit a few snags. Harry Potter also pulled off this
kind of impact on its audience, but even those stories and its character were
quite insular, all mostly set at the Hogwarts School, and containing a couple
of films that diverted away from the energy of the first few, instead of
continuing with a steady build. Then there’s also the Fast and the Furious franchise,
which will conclude with it’s upcoming ninth and tenth instalments in 2020 and
2021 respectively. The underlying theme of those films being family, and the
loss of Paul Walker from the series in 2013, brought together it’s loyal
fanbase to support those films very strongly. Even if they’ve probably
stretched that franchise a little too far, it’s still a strong series.
So Marvel has
some good films and franchises in its company that also have their own in-built
audience and large following but let’s face; the size of the Marvel world, it’s
scope and width of imagination has been unparalleled to date and will not be
met on this level for a long time to come, if ever in my opinion. And that’s okay.
That is what makes the viewing experience of Endgame so engrossing, compelling
and bloody entertaining.
Of course this
series of films, and its classic concluding chapter now gracing our screens,
couldn’t have happened if it weren’t for the right mix of carefully chosen characters.
The well of comic book superheroes from Marvels collection is huge, and I’m
sure we will see many more of them brought to life on screen as Marvel continues
its quest. But for the Infinity Saga of films as it’s referred to, I believe we
were handed just the right team to take us where we wanted to go and didn’t
know we needed to go. And to my own surprise the characters I liked the most in
the early days of the films have changed, as I was all about Iron man with his
first two films. I wasn’t sold on Captain America in “The First Avenger” but
became a convert after the brilliant “The Winter Soldier”. But now, I love all
these characters, because of their respective journeys which have seen them go
through hell and back, and all the while, maintain their courage amidst the
greatest challenges they thought they could ever face. On that note, be
prepared for another knockout performance by Robert Downey Jr as he brings his
titular character of Tony Stark / Iron Man full circle, with a tender and
completely developed performance that should get the man a few awards
nominations early next year if the voters are feeling so inclined.
To wrap up
this Spoiler-Free Review, all I can say is that Avengers Endgame is a cinematic
masterpiece. The long build up to this movie event has been so carefully
plotted and lovingly treated, you get the payoff you want and more. It’s the
ultimate culmination of each film and every character we’ve met over the past
decade. Time is allowed for each character to shine and watching them all
interact on screen is a dramatic slam dunk and visual feast.
Love the
Marvel movies? Then you won’t be disappointed. I walked out feeling elated and
drained at the same time, as I was imply blown away by the film I just watched,
and also left emotionally kicked in the guts from its impact.
Without
spoiling anything for those who haven’t seen it, and to stop myself from doing
that at all costs, I will now stop writing this review.
Once you’ve seen
it, please come back and read the Spoiler Review, as I will be breaking that
down in great detail, and would welcome your comments (via personal message of
course so you #Don’tSpoiltTheEndgame accidentally.
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