Grant Dillard
Staff writer
gdillard@murraystate.edu
After nearly a year of anticipation since “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Avengers: Endgame,” the long awaited culmination of the past eleven years of Marvel Cinematic Universe is finally here. Given that it’s the conclusion to “The Infinity Saga,” which is the overarching story arc that’s been built up throughout the previous 21 films in the MCU, “Endgame” definitely has huge expectations. Thankfully, the film lives up to its expectations and then some, as this has to be one of, if not the greatest film the MCU has to offer.
After the events of “Avengers: Infinity War,” the remaining Avengers must band together in order to undo the devastating catastrophe that Thanos (Josh Brolin) inflicted upon the universe.
Much like “Avengers: Infinity War,” it’s essential to go into “Avengers: Endgame” completely spoiler-free, as the trailers and marketing have done a good job at keeping things hidden. Literally nothing major about the overall plot has been given away, and even scenes from the trailers that look like spoilers really aren’t.
“Avengers: Endgame” is certainly better than “Avengers: Infinity War” in terms of story. As good as “Infinity War” was, the wide array of heroes did make it difficult to keep focus on certain characters at times. But now that a majority of the heroes have disappeared, this gives “Endgame” the advantage to focus on its main characters more. Heroes like Captain America (Chris Evans) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) are given much more screentime and character development, while those who weren’t present in “Infinity War” like Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) are given interesting story arcs of their own. Hawkeye’s storyline in particular may be the best arc that the character has been given out of all his appearances in the MCU.
The film’s pacing is also really good. For a film that’s three hours long, it doesn’t feel boring or too drawn out. The first act, which focuses on the heroes dealing with the repercussions of Thanos’ decimation of half the universe is engaging to watch onscreen. The overall impact that the catastrophe had on them is hard-hitting to say the least, and there’s a few characters in particular who’s ways of coping are very surprising. As good as the first act is at setting the stage, the film starts to pick up and get really good once the second act begins. The mission that the heroes go on is a ton of fun to watch unfold; although there’s one big direction the film goes in that may not sit well with some audiences. Along with that, there’s a concept that’s introduced that may be a bit confusing unless one pays closer attention to it, but it’s thankfully not a huge problem that ruins the film as a whole.
The highlight of the film easily has to be the third act, which is truly a sight to behold. The best way to describe it without saying what happens, is that it’s everything a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has wanted to see, but never expected to. There’s a healthy amount of fan-service to be sure, but it feels like it fits within the story itself. It’s also an extremely satisfying payoff to everything that’s been built up in the 21 previous films. As for overall resolution and the way things wrap up in the end, it’s incredibly satisfying to say the least. “Avengers: Endgame” will inevitably go down in history as one of the great cinematic conclusions to a film series, alongside “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” or “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part II.”
“Avengers: Endgame” is without a doubt, one of the greatest accomplishments in superhero film history, as well as film history in general; an event 11 years and over 21 films in the making that was absolutely worth the wait. It’s not only a satisfying conclusion to everything that’s been built up since the beginning, but it also does a good job at laying the groundwork for what’s to come next in the MCU. Everyone involved with the MCU, whether it’s the actors involved, as well as everyone else behind the scenes, should be commended for what they’ve been able to accomplish; and one of the ways to do that is going out and seeing this movie. Fans will definitely love this film 3,000.