Over the past decade, Marvel has been working towards something grand that has never been accomplished in film history – weaving together multiple storylines into a singular universe that has managed to keep theater seats filled for years (and likely years to come). Whether you love them or hate them, you have to respect the folks at Disney/Marvel for taking what used to be hokey characters used to entertain children and making them into the powerhouse they are today, bringing in fans of all ages in droves. Avengers Endgame, the final chapter in what will likely be the sunset for a number of these characters and stories has been released and is breaking records left and right, bringing in rave reviews and has the internet ablaze with love, hatred, and everything in between; but is it any good? Well, read on for my relatively spoiler-free review (if you’ve seen the promo materials, trailers, etc., or have common sense, nothing found within will spoil the movie for you, but may ruin a few of the past MCU ventures, so consider yourself warned).

When we last saw our Marvel heroes at the end of Avengers Infinity War, they were left reeling by the snap that turned half of all life into dust, which included several fan-favorite characters. Picking up just a short time after these events, the first fifteen minutes or so of Endgame feels much like an epilogue that would’ve been an amazing post-credit scene or ending to the previous film in the series while still leaving the door open for this sequel. Once this gets out of the way, the story jumps ahead five years and showcases how the survivors have dealt with the losses over an extended period of time. Over the course of the reviews, comments, and articles I have perused since the release of the film, the term roller coaster is used quite often and I will say that those using the term are not too far off, as the tone is literally all over the place once the time jump occurs and manages to remain a bit of an issue well into the final act. Once the current we’re in the present, the film ventures into a cycle of reunions, arguing, mourning, a few one-liners or punchlines, and then repeats itself for the next hour or so, up until the heroes start taking action. Now, there is a laundry list of tasks and obstacles in our heroes’ paths that have to be addressed within the extended run-time, so I understand the need to break up the action scenes and shoehorn some semblance of a story within its confines, but the setup takes entirely too long to gain momentum.

The one saving grace here is seeing the changes that the surviving heroes have undergone since the snap. While Hawkeye transitioning into Ronin has been the big reveal from the trailers, the changes that The Hulk and Thor undergo are much more dramatic and entertaining. Chris Hemsworth manages to bring Thor into a place I never thought we would see him go, but am extremely happy we saw him there, not because of the physical changes undergone but the realistic depiction of where I imagine he would be mentally after the fallout of Infinity War. Mark Ruffalo‘s version of The Hulk is another character the absences have brought forward into the spotlight, and rightfully so since this particular venture marks the character’s most impressive appearance to date, perfectly blending the characters brain’s, destructive ability, and awkward comedic presence into a role that feels made for him. The rest of the cast bring the standout performances you’d expect from the series, with the only weak link being Brie Larson‘s Captain Marvel, which simply comes across as flat and out of place among the other characters.

The writing is by far one of the film’s weakest puzzle pieces and not just because it fails to follow the comic’s original plot in any meaningful way (it includes just enough fan service and “Oh $#17” moments to appease the lifetime fans). Not only does the center of the heroes’ plan center on a popular storytelling trope that is typically reserved for series that have written themselves into a corner, but it’s also filled with massive plot holes that negate the logic or rules found within the MCU’s own lore, or in a few instances, the same film’s previous events. As I have said, I am perfectly okay with the suspension of disbelief and talking raccoons or trees, but if you’re making the rules I expect you to stick by them. At the end of the day, the story is passable but not nearly as engaging as some of the other MCU films to date. The ending is by far going to be one of the most divisive conclusions of this generation. This frustrated me equally due to the fact I just didn’t want it to be true as well as I saw it coming a mile away, with a finality that is rarely found in comic book movies. The film successfully manages to give most of the characters a fitting conclusion, whether the door behind them is closing or opening.

The special effects and over the top action scenes are what you’d come to expect from Marvel Studios, although it manages to have a few standout issues that I cannot get overly specific on without ruining a vital moment of the film. I will say that this particular scene looks as if they cut and paste a segment from one of the earlier films into Endgame, with the end result looking extremely flat, raising all kinds of red flags in my brain that would tell me without a doubt, this was put together entirely on a green screen. Had this scene not been a thing, I would wholeheartedly tell you this was one of the best CGI teams in filmmaking. The final battle alone can speak to that, which the sheer size and scale could easily give The Lord of the Rings or Game of Thrones a run for its money.

You’ve probably already made up your mind whether you’re going to see Avengers Endgame and if you’re a fan of the series, you’ll surely enjoy yourself, even if this isn’t the best the series has to offer. If you have yet to see what the buzz is all about, I would highly recommend sitting down and treating yourself to the entire series as quickly as possible.

8 out of 10

Pros

• Thor and The Hulk
• Standout Action Scenes
• A Good Sense of Closure for the First Wave of the MCU

Cons

• Tonally All Over the Place
• Somewhat Large Plot Holes
• Brie Larson’s Acting

Avengers Endgame was written by Christopher Markus as well as Stephen McFeely and directed by Joe and Anthony Russo. It was released in theaters on April 25th, 2019. The film was not provided to us for review. For more about Avengers Endgame, check out Marvel’s site.

 

Here at GBG we use a rating method that you are more than likely familiar with – a scale of 1 to 10. For clarification, we intend on using the entire scale: 1-4 is something you should probably avoid paying for; 5-7 is something that is worth your time, but probably not at full price; 8-10 is a great movie that you can feel confident about paying money to see in theaters or at home. If you have any questions or comments about how we rate movies, please let us know.

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