Review:
"Avengers: Endgame"
Release Date: April 26, 2019
Rating: PG-13 Running Time: 181 minutes “The hardest choices require the strongest wills,” Thanos told Doctor Strange in Avengers: Infinity War during his bid to acquire the Infinity Stones he needed to wipe out half of life across the universe. This remains true in Avengers: Endgame, the lengthy but steadily paced conclusion to both Infinity War and the first three phases of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. However, the strongest wills on display in Endgamebelong not to Josh Brolin’s Thanos but to the superheroes who survived his fatal snap. Infinity War ended with Thanos finally resting and watching the sun rest on a less-than-grateful universe. Endgame opens with Thanos literally and figuratively reaping the fruits of his labor. But, of course, you can’t keep a good Avenger down. So, five years after their failure to stop Thanos, the Avengers reassemble to thwart their all-powerful nemesis. How? That would be a spoiler but the plot device employed by directors Anthony Russo and Joe Russo and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely represents the only lazy and predictable undertaking of Endgame, even if it seems somewhat logical considering it plays off elements of past MCU entries. In fact, there’s not much that can be said about the plot of Endgame that wouldn’t be considered a spoiler, given the trailers mostly feature footage extracted early from the film and do not give anything away. Not that this matters. Like Infinity War, Endgameis as intrigued by its surprise pairings of superheroes as it is by how the Avengers can defeat Thanos. Without disclosing anything, Endgame groups together and then splitters off the original Avengers—Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, Chris Evans’ Captain America, Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, Mark Ruffalo’s the Hulk, and Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye—with Don Cheadle’s War Machine, Paul Rudd’s Antman, Karen Gillan’s Nebula, and the Bradley Cooper-voiced Rocket Raccoon. Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel shows up for a few brief moments but she does not have an influence on the course of events until very late in day. It’s almost as though the directors and the screenwriters knew they had no choice but to include Captain Marvel but had no interest in doing so or did not know how to make her presence felt without diverting attention away from the original Avengers. Other surviving MCU characters show up, but they are either pushed to the margins à la Captain Marvel or are brought back to merely to serve as sounding boards for individual members of the Avengers who are hung up on their failure to kill Thanos or express doubts about their upcoming mission. Which, quite frankly, is fine. Endgame is already cluttered with more than enough MCU heroes and supporting characters to worry about. (There is even a fleeting appearance by a sidekick who appeared in one of Marvel’s ABC TV series—a first?) And, as proven by Infinity War, director Anthony Russo and Joe Russo and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely know how to manage individual subplots without detracting from one or the other or focusing too much time on one Avenger at the expense of another. For Endgame, the emotional journey is more important than the destination. Each scene is fueled by some combination of hope, anguish, anger, or desperation. Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye, and Paul Rudd’s Antman sat out Infinity War and it comes at the benefit of Endgame. They each bring a different perspective to the fight against Thanos; they do not share a defeatist attitude or the same sense of fear that inflict the other Avengers. They have a job to do, and they quickly get down to business. In addition, Endgame offers a Hulk we have not seen before, and he serves as an unexpected source of humor. Of course, when boiled to its essence, an Avengers adventure is always about the relationship between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. And Endgame brings this study in contrasts to its logical conclusion after Captain America: Civil War turned them into frenemies. As played by the relentlessly charismatic Robert Downey Jr., Stark remains as arrogant and incisive as ever despite his initial reluctance to go after Thanos. Chris Evans continues to portray Rogers as the embodiment of American ingenuity, tenacity, and a dedication to truth and justice that, sadly, is rare to find today. Heck, Evans brings so much half-full optimism to Endgame that it is no surprise to learn that Rogers leads a support group for families of the so-called “Vanished.” Endgame presents a post-snap world that essentially has stopped dead in its tracks. While half the planet’s population vanished, the world looks all but empty. The only crowds to be found are those gathering at the memorials to the Vanished. Directors Anthony Russo and Joe Russo and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely know what is at stake in Endgame, and they approach the Avengers’ mission with a do-or-die attitude that finds the stake constantly being raised. All involved have fun recalling many of the MCU’s best films of its first three phases—most notably Captain America: The Winter Soldier—while laying the foundation for the upcoming Phase 4. The final act offers a rousing battle scene that is staged on a scale as large as that of The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies, but is not as skillfully executed. It is often too busy and frenetic for its own good, and it is packed with too many Avengers to follow. It is important to note that directors Anthony Russo and Joe Russo and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely aren’t just under pressure to craft a worthy conclusion to 11 years’ worth of films; they must also battle against the assumption that Endgame will undo the ending of Infinity War. We already know Marvel is moving forward with a number of franchise installments and Disney+ series that will be anchored by characters in both Infinity War and Endgame. Again, it is impossible to specifically comment on how Endgame’s creative forces respond to fan assumptions and expections. In some instances, they play into them; in other instances, they go in unexpected directions that will leave many shocked. Much thought has gone into each Avenger’s fate at the gloved hand of Thanos, and the ramifications of Endgame will undoubtedly be felt during the MCU’s Phase 4 and beyond. Endgame is about dealing with loss but also finding the courage to push forward. The emotions on display in Endgame come from the genuine affections the MCU has always displayed for its superheroes, Avengers or otherwise. To this end, Endgame will leave you wiping a tear from your eye while putting a smile on your face for all that has come before and all that will come next. Robert Sims Aired: April 25, 2019 Web site: https://www.marvel.com/movies/avengers-endgame |
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