Directed by: Anthony Russo and Joe Russo
Runtime: 181 minutes
Most people would say I am now well and truly an adult. I have bills to pay, an apartment to avoid cleaning, friends, a credit card… and keys. I came to the conclusion that, as much as I love film, I have become more reserved with my excitement for blockbuster tentpoles and franchises. At the end of the day, I would keep thinking to myself, “It’s just a movie,” and I would leave the cinema feeling like I either enjoyed, or didn’t enjoy, whatever film I sat down to review. On any other film, I could go into what I believe were a film’s strengths or weaknesses, delve into the characterisation and plot progression, and keep my opinion, for the most part, measured enough. Unfortunately, as this is a review for Avengers: Endgame, I may be unable to achieve this, as it made me feel like a kid again.
Avengers: Endgame is a bonafide epic that gives you everything you want and more. As the end to a saga that is over twenty films strong, the end to a franchise that showed me how magnificent the cinematic experience could be, it had a lot of room to screw up. Really, anything other than what the Russo Brothers have given us would have not been enough. I could go into more detail about the MCU and how it changed cinema, however, we already have a more detailed, less biased look into that very concept here. I could also go into what this whole thing means to me in particular, but I also already covered that in my Avengers: Infinity War review. I can’t go into the plot of the film, because absolutely everything is a spoiler for this one, and I can’t discuss character for the same reason.
So I am sorry, Dear Reader, that you may have clicked on this review looking for further insight into this film before watching it, only to get the rambling diatribe of a grown adult unable to express the intensity of emotion she feels after watching a particular movie. What I will say, is that this film made me experience an unbridled joy that, for the most part, I have only seen in Star Wars fans from afar, but never been able to actually experience. Despite usually being a passive moviegoer, I found myself cheering mid-scene, crying for an embarrassingly long portion of the runtime, and leaving the cinema completely blown away. Really, my review is not going to influence you seeing this film; it is such a behemoth that it maintains its own field of gravity in that regard. On the small chance that you do care about my opinion: go see it, it is worth your while.
Thank you, Marvel, for pulling this one off.
I hope you beat Avatar.
Yes. All of this.