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Avengers: Endgame — Movie Review
26th April, 2019 Share on Twitter
When reviewing a film like Avengers: Endgame, it almost feels like a pointless task. For a regular, run-of-the-mill film I can simply recommend you either see it or don’t see it. But Endgame is so much more than that. It’s a once-in-a-generation phenomenon, regardless of whether people mostly like it or dislike it. People are simply going to see it, period. You don’t need someone like me to tell you my thoughts—much less anything that will spoil your experience going into the cinema.
I really struggle ahead of these huge blockbuster releases. For this last week, I’ve been a ball of tension and stress. I allowed myself to watch movie reviews from the only two reviewers I trust to give me their honest thoughts without giving anything away (Chris Stuckmann and “Cosplay Chris”). And it’s only spoilers that I’m worried about. I’m worried about anything that will affect my mood going into the cinema. I’ll over-analyse any hint of disappointment in the reviewer’s face, anything that will dampening my raw excitement.
Fortunately with Endgame, these fears were unfounded. This films is as good as it could have possibly been. It gave me everything I needed and more. After the film ended, I felt an indescribable lightness, like a massive weight had been lifted off my shoulders. This film takes some bold choices that really hit the right note. It has a constant feeling of tension that nearly gave me an anxiety attack when it peaked halfway through. I cried during three scenes. If anything, this film is a climax with one hell of a crescendo. This film is pure emotional resonance.
After 11 years of films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, there are inevitably a bunch of unresolved storylines. Avengers: Endgame resolves many of them. It provides definitive answers to some of my deepest questions about the film series’ shared universe. Better still, it answers these questions in a way that’s congruent with this story’s plot. That is a hell of an achievement, and yet another reason for us to appreciate the excellent job done by the directors Anthony and Joe Russo, as well as their writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. Given the near-impossible job of tying up the third phase of this franchise, they not only kept their heads above water, they excelled.
Does this film have negatives? Okay, fine, no story is perfect. The first act moves slowly, but it serves a purpose, and the trailers already give a clear sense of that. It’s not paced as evenly as Avengers: Infinity War. But that story served a completely different purpose. There are plot choices that will take people by surprise, perhaps not in a good way. You can nitpick the shit out of any film, particularly ones in the superhero genre. What does that really serve? This film hits all the right emotional notes, and that’s all you can really ask from any story. I didn’t buy any popcorn or cola for this film, and I didn’t need to. I was glued to the screen from start to finish. I’ll definitely be watching this again very soon.
In conclusion, I’m delighted to give Avengers: Endgame a score of 9/10. It is an indescribably satisfying swan song to a generation-defining series of films, with many twists and turns that genuinely took me by surprise. It contains moments of fan service that left me in tears. It respectfully deals with past universe elements without compromising the storytelling. It makes plot choices from earlier in the series make sense where they didn’t at the time, and that is pure storytelling genius. Storytellers, take note: Avengers: Endgame shows you how you end a quality saga.
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