At the request of Mr. Ackbar, I present
ArArArchStanton's Avengers: Endgame Review
Avengers: Endgame is an absolute win on a scale that was completely unimaginable until a specific moment eight short years earlier, when Thanos himself turned his head and grinned at all of us. Was he grinning at his grand master plan? Sort of. The meta answer is actually that it wasn't even Thanos smiling at us at. That was Kevin Feige behind that smile, gloating at the Super Bowl style atmosphere every fan in the world was enjoying as we celebrated the unparalleled success of The Avengers, while also telling us, "you haven't seen anything yet".
And so we had not. For eight more years we followed in awe as the most ambitious collection of filmmakers of all time, dared to promise us the full on Infinity Gauntlet saga, and proceeded to ratchet up both the scale and quality every step along the way until the anticipation of them actually pulling it off had infected pop culture down to the DNA. Everybody who couldn't normally be bothered was all in on this one, geeks, dude bros, girlfriends and grandmas. Folks, I had a girl at the counter of the Basin fluffy girly soap company shaking with excitement asking me if I had seen Endgame the weekend it came out. My mom asked to watch it. This, movie, was, for, real.
And then it delivered. There isn't a bigger challenge in storytelling than to try to provide a satisfying ending to a long running series. You want x, they want y, but the only practical choices are ABC. I specifically wondered how they were going to pull off the famous Silver Surfer shuttle run to steal the gauntlet off of Thanos' hand. Spoiler - They didn't do it at all, and that's why these climax movies have such a hard time satisfying. Idiots like me have our own expectations, and they simply can't all be met.
And yet it delivered in spades. It completed story arcs the way nature intended, it gave us massive bold action that flowed with a seamless narrative of it's own, and it highlighted virtually every member of a cast so large it made previous high water marks like Avengers, Civil War, and Lord of the Rings, look like warm ups. It is a film that cannot be talked about enough for what it accomplished.
Every last character was given poetic attention, and the way they were able to interweave these story arcs, branching them off a central complex plot, and allowing each to bloom at their own moment was nothing short of sublime.
Captain America ending it where he began after giving everything he had for the world to end WWII, then gave everything he had one more time for the entire universe to end the Infinity War. Tony realizing he had been trying to cut all the wires, and that his best solution was to finally lay down on the one all reality was balanced on. Thor representing the utter grief of those the snap affected, and instead of finding his conclusion, his Endgame was to find peace and strength on the other side of unbearable loss. His lighthearted spirit contrasted by his sad appearance brilliantly betrayed how completely broken he is by the totality of his loss. Hulk, finally reaching his nirvana, and for that to be the ultimate solution to bringing everybody back. He never needed a rematch against Thanos, he needed to find the ultimate victory. And Natasha, who's life was redefined by finding a purpose within a new family, gave everything to save that family; specifically Hawkeye, who she figuratively gifted with a second chance at life before literally gifting him with a second chance at life.
And it's not just the original 6 who were well crafted to branch from the central time plot. This film is so sophisticated beyond almost any film before it, that it successfully integrates a slew of other characters. Ant Man becomes key in delivering the possibility of a solution. Captain Marvel shows up to not only save Tony, but to take down Thanos' ship at a do or die moment. Gamora is rebirthed into a version who never loved Starlord, creating a brand new dynamic. Nebula gets to literally reflect on who she used to be, and choose to be better. Dr Strange is clearly key. And Sam makes a grand entrance before highlighting the transition to the future of this franchise by humbling taking it's most iconic symbol. And these two paragraphs hardly do justice to only the handful of characters I've mentioned, not to mention the dozens of others who have so much depth in this film we could spend hours talking about them.
But the thread that weaves this all together is a patiently constructed narrative of time. The rules are solid, they are explained from two perspectives, and they allow for various characters to maximize their character arcs. Tony gets to help design the system along with Rocket and Bruce, and he also gets to reconcile with his father. Thor gets to find solace in saying goodbye to his mother and inspiration in proving he is still worthy. And Steve finally gets to come home from the war, like every soldier should, to the life he always wanted. And it's all beautifully executed.
As is the action. There are so many great action moments, but following the path of the Infinity Gauntlet is a masterclass of narrative storytelling in an action scene. So many films just have people hitting each other until it stops, but here we have a story, as Hawkeye passes the gauntlet to the new generation, Black Panther, then Spiderman, and finally Captain Marvel. Wanda gets a showcase, the trinity get their due, and nothing is more comicbook action than Spiderman carrying the Infinity Gauntlet on the back of a pegasus, ridden by Valkarie, who caught him flying on Thor's hammer, which was thrown by Captain America. Good frickin grief, we live in the nirvana age of comicbook filmmaking and I don't care if I've used the word nirvana twice in this post because they both apply.
This can go on forever, the elevator scene, Hulk being ashamed of his brutish self, Scott's reunion with Cassie, T'Challa's arrival, Bucky's knowing goodbye to Cap as though he knew he was gone forever, the possibilities of Old Steve remaining in the original timeline or in an alt line both working within the rules, the Ancient One's trust in Strange, the entirety of the portal's scene, and a ton of little updates, details, and references that are so vast they're still being uncovered. Jarvis!!!
Endgame is an unequivocal achievement in film. It took on the challenge of a world of expectations and delivered on every front. It is a rousing, emotional, and finely crafted conclusion that stands as the final seal of approval on the greatest cinematic achievement of all time.
Final ArArArRating - 1 Infinity War Out of Infinity Saga