The Endgame is Here

If you’re anything like me then this is the movie you’ve been waiting for your entire life. I grew up collecting Marvel comics, I was delighted 11 years ago when Marvel Studios said “fine, I’ll do it myself” and released Iron Man, and I was blown away when they pulled off The Avengers which I have long regarded as the finest superhero movie ever made… until now.

It’s almost unfair to consider Endgame as a single movie. It’s unfair to other movies that will be compared to Endgame that can never bring the same pedigree to the screen made possible by the previous 21 movies of the MCU. I tried to temper my hopes for Endgame. Infinity War was a fine movie but I gave it an incomplete grade. Endgame emphatically finishes that story in as satisfying a manner as I could have possibly hoped – beyond my hopes truth be told.

What is truly remarkable about Endgame is that it had everything: story, character arc, and spectacle. I’m not going to retell the story because 1) spoilers and 2) that’s exhausting, but suffice it to say that the story went in daring directions and 20 minutes in became totally different structurally from what I had expected and would continue to metamorphose throughout.

I find myself saying over and over again that this film was remarkable and it would be terribly negligent not to remark on how a movie with so many characters was able to give most of them some really satisfying moments. One thing that was foreshadowed by the decimation (off topic: I hate that choice of word!) is that Endgame revolves around the original Avengers. Other heroes do get some lovely moments but this movie is all but dedicated to Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow, Hulk and Hawkeye. Fanboys and fangirls of other heroes (or villains) should temper your expectations. I’d love to drill down on the character arcs seen in Endgame but am avoiding spoilers. The only thing I will say is that each one was incredibly moving and elicited tears. For me, the arc that stands out is Thor’s. Chris Hemsworth was amazing and I’m 100% sure he will not get enough credit for the quality of his acting here.

The finale provides all the spectacle you could ever ask for. I think the battle is 40 minutes long but I was captured the entire time. Fans of the MCU will find so many different things to cheer, literally, for. Virtually every hero is given a moment and the final blow to end Thanos is the best thing I’ve ever seen! So many different emotions all at once:  triumph and vengeance and love and grief and gratitude. Even as I relive it here someone is cutting onions in the background. Don’t tell me that the emotions we feel through art and cinema and music aren’t real and Endgame has accomplished more than I could have ever asked for.

Finally, Endgame is extraordinary in its depth and the layers of story and meaning. There are too many callbacks to previous movies for me to even count and the story brings out new facets of the original 6 Avengers for people who pay attention and know the movies. The deeper your knowledge of the MCU the more you will appreciate Endgame. I can’t speak to how much casual viewers will like the film, there’s so much that they will be missing, but for MCU fans it will hit the mark. For all superhero movies to follow, Endgame has set the bar.