Of high hopes and heroic sacrifices
It is normally challenging to review a movie without revealing too much about it. With “Avengers: Endgame,” things get more difficult because the emotional impact of the film hinges so much on surprise. Speculation has run rampant ever since last year’s “Infinity War,” with theories of all sorts and sizes overloading social media.
The circus intensified the closer the opening of “Endgame” came. And now it’s finally here, in all its hyped up glory. However, let me say this up front and get it out of the way: “Avengers Endgame” surpasses the hype. Whatever you thought it was going to be like, toss that aside and prepare to be surprised, and taken for a ride. You will lose heart, cringe, laugh, and cheer as Marvel presents its crowning achievement to end its enormous magnum opus.
“Endgame” is aptly named, because it is just that. Just as the closing moves of a chess game derive from the placement of the pieces earlier on, this fourth “Avengers” film functions as the last hurrah, a final push forward, and a coming to fruition of a complicated weave of stories throughout the last 11 years of over 21 movies.
These various interwoven threads are the strength of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and this model for world building has been imitated but never matched.
On its own, “Endgame” could be seen as convoluted and messy. But it was never meant to be a stand-alone film.
Nor was it ever really meant to be a sequel. “Avengers: End Game” was envisioned as a culminating event of a decadeslong labour of love, and as such it stands tall as an achievement in movie history.
At slightly over three hours, the film takes its time to breathe, to let the characters inhabit the world they’re in and draw you in with them as well. This film proceeds at a brisk pace and it is a credit to the entire crew that the extended runtime goes by unnoticed.
Marvel Studios spared no expense at crafting the spectacular action setpieces, replete with impressive computer graphic imagery on a scale they’ve never done before. If you thought “Infinity War” was big, then you are in for a shock at what “Endgame” has up its sleeve.
And yet all the fantastic graphics and visual effects would have fallen flat if they had been about wooden characters. The tone is understandably grim, and “Endgame” is easily the most emotional of the “Avengers” films — of any of the
Marvel films to date, really. Here, we see our heroes beaten and battered, trying to pick up the pieces from their first real loss.
Because to this date, they’ve never really lost. They’ve suffered losses, certainly, but in the end, they have always won the day. But now, with no promise of anything larger to build to and wait for, suddenly everyone’s survival is dangerously in question. Who lives? Who dies? And who avenges the fallen?
In keeping with the highest standards of geekdom and cinematic courtesy, I will place no spoilers here. But suffice it to say that everyone gets their moment in the sun.
The Russo Brothers, Joe and Anthony, who share the director’s chair, along with writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, prove to be masters of the payoff. Our champions start of at their lowest point. They are broken. They argue. They bicker. And they despair.
And then they are given a slight glimmer of hope. A seed of an idea, that germinates into a possibility and blooms into a plan. And because we see their hardships and trials, not just to win the fight but simply to stay heroes at all, we feel the stakes they’re fighting for. I tip my hat to the writers for being able to inject personal, intimate moments of genuine emotion in such a grand film.
As a result the CGI, instead of falling into the common trap of overpowering the emotional resonance of the film, now instead falls to side and heightens it. In the end, the movie is about second chances. On a large scale, certainly, but also on the small scale, on the scale of individuals with desires that may or may not be fulfilled, of people who suffered, of people who want to see justice done, and of those who answer destiny’s call.
Being a swan song of sorts, “Endgame” is best appreciated after having seen the other Marvel movies of the past. The movie neatly incorporates story beats from previous films, and there are countless callbacks, references, and cameos (yes multiple cameos! That’s all I’ll say!) to turn even the most stoic fan giddy with delight.
However, regardless of your mastery of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you cannot help but be swept up and cheer for the heroes; these largerthan-life, mythical figures that have dominated popular culture for over a decade.
But like the Battle of New York in the first “Avengers” film, and the events of “Civil War,” “Endgame” will leave the landscape a very different place, with a very different dynamic moving forward. The way the credits at the end are presented give a vibe of transition, not so much a changing of the guard but more of “We’ve done what we set out to do.”
And while Marvel will surely make more movies, one can’t deny that this marks an end of an era. But what a fantastic end to an amazing era. – In watching “Avengers: Endgame,” do not mind waiting in long queues, maybe risking online ticket transaction errors, and even waking up in the wee hours of the morning if need be, to watch the “Avengers: Endgame” on its premiere — these are all worth it.
Let us start where our superheroes left off in the “Infinity War.”
After years of hunting, Thanos successfully collected all six Infinity Stones. With his infamous snap, half of universe’s population were reduced to ashes and were wiped out just like that. He then created a portal and escaped. (If Thor went for Thanos’ head, he could have been easily killed off. But that will not give us the ‘Endgame’ continuation.) The original Avengers, Iron Man/Tony Stark, Captain America/ Steve Rogers, Thor/ Chris Hemsworth, The Hulk/Bruce Banner/ Mark Ruffalo, Black Widow/Natasha Romanoff, and Hawkeye/Clint Barton were alive. That brings the nostalgic reunion of the first Avengers, assembled for the first time in years, for the fight of their lives.
Iron Man got stuck in space with Nebula after fighting Thanos in Titan. Captain America, Thor, Hulk, and Black Widow were left in despair in Earth after seeing their friends and comrades vanish in thin air. Hawkeye was with his family during the “Infinity War” and he makes a vital comeback in the “Endgame.” Others who survived the snap were War Machine/ James Rhodes/Don Cheadle, Okoye/ Danai Gurira, Shuri/Letitia Wright, Wong/Benedict Wong, and Rocket Raccoon/ Bradley Cooper (who, by the way, was the only survivor in the Guardians team). Ant-Man/Scott Lang/Paul Rudd and Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers/Brie Larson also join the rest of the remaining survivors.
Ant-Man, who was trapped in the Quantum Realm for quite some time, played one of the most pivotal roles in the “Endgame.” With the help of the brains of the Avengers, Stark and Banner, they further explore the wonders of the Quantum Realm. Without Scott Lang, the impossible will not be possible. The Quantum Realm, as complicated as it might get, is the key to their survival and their plan to alter the effect of the snap. This also explains the relevance and importance of the “Ant-Man And The Wasp” sequel, which somehow diverted its plot from its first installment and focused on scouting the Quantum Realm.
Captain Marvel, arguably one of the strongest hero/heroine in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, also unleashes how powerful she could really be in the “Endgame.” What you probably saw in Carol Danvers’ origin movie was only a quarter or so of her full powers and potential. Wait until you see her final fight sequence in the movie.
Out of the 22 films in the Infinity Saga, “Endgame” tops the other films for finale that gives viewers a sentimental feeling as they start to look back at the superheroes’ journey. The movie also gives off a flicker of hope despite the gloomy and melancholic situations experienced by the survivors. It says that as long as you are with the right people, every weight gets a little lighter. This film shows that in life, sacrifices come a long way. It tells us that trying this or that is better than not trying at all. The Avengers are not superheroes for nothing. And as they reach the endgame, expect nothing less than to be blown away. –