Avengers: Endgame

I have to say, this is probably going to be a very difficult review because I think this movie would be hard to fully spoil even if I wanted to because there is so much in this film. So much happens, there are so many characters that's its really amazing that they were able to fit all of it, even into a 3 hour long movie, but good lord they did. And the important part of this is, no matter what downsides I find in this movie it must be notes that this movie is, part the pun, an incredible marvel.

I was thinking about it on the right home that this movie not only was completing an arc set up by its predecessor Infinity War (a phenomenal movie in its own right), but it was putting a cap on a 22 movie franchise. This movie not only had a really cohesive story, it was a celebration of all the movies that had come before it. And I'm amazed that I'm saying this, but this is the Marvel-esty Marvel movie within the MCU, and usually that wouldn't be a good thing, but when you take the sum of all the wholes this movie brings together, this was quite possibly the closest thing to the greatest ending of the MCU we could hope for.

A spoiler review is absolutely necessary because this is a 3 hour long movie with so many things to talk about that I cannot at all talk about in this post. Just know, that is coming. However, because that's the case, this review I imagine might be short, and kind of vague because I'm avoiding spoiling this movie for you. Believe me, it's worth it for this movie not to be spoiled.

I am going to talk some spoilers for Infinity War, but it is the sequel, if you haven't seen that movie, why are you looking into this movie? Go on Netflix, it's streaming there. Watch Infinity War and come back, its the sequel, duh.

The movie picks up essentially right after Infinity War. Thanos completed his goal of gathering all the infinity stones, snapping his fingers, and erasing half of the universe's population of living things.

This movie is the follow up to that. The Avengers who weren't dusted away must come together, lick their wounds after their defeat, and find a way to defeat Thanos and save everyone who was lost.

And... that's about all I can divulge about the plot. There's more to this movie. It's 3 hours long, of course there's more to this movie's plot. But nothing I can say wouldn't be considered spoilers. I can say I loved the way they handled this movie and how they utilized the 3 hours. I can only name two moments in the film that felt slow to me, only one of those two I honestly didn't like. And that's what I'm talking about when I say they utilize their 3 hours wisely. I think you'd be hard pressed to find a scene that wasn't necessary to the plot and for the most part, the movie clips along.

Even the slower moments are building character and telling an interesting story. Are there a few missteps? Yes, and I will talk about those in the spoilers. But overall, it's a blast.

So I don't totally buy the argument that Infinity War was strictly Thano's movie. I think he's a great villain because he doesn't see himself as a villain and you can see his point, though twisted, but I disagree that it was "Thano's" movie.

Despite that argument, this is an Avengers movie plain and simple. Thanos is still really good in it and he really does cement himself as the best villain the franchise, but you're not going to get the same in depth look into Thanos you got last time.

Everyone does a great job overall despite the screen being shared with A LOT of people. Because the movie focuses more on the Avengers, you get the opportunity for Captain America, Black Widow, Thor, Ant-Man, and other characters who didn't get a lot of screen time in Infinity War to shine a little more and they do it really well.

I do have to say, if there is a weak link in this movie, it's Thor.

I can't say why, I will talk in depth about it in the spoilers review, but I'm kind of convinced that nobody really knows how to properly use Thor except Taika Waititi. I almost feel like the comic relief Thor came a little full circle and became unfunny again. I wasn't a huge fan.

Like I said, this movie focuses a lot more on the Avengers and while Tony was a big part of Infinity War, they take him and a lot of the characters, original 6 and beyond, to a new and fun place in this movie and I loved it. It reminds you of how much you like the original players.

This movie also gave more spot light to Captain America and it made way too happy. I think he was great but underplayed in Infinity War and it was great to see him with a bigger role again. However, the closest thing to a spoiler is that he does not have his amazing beard in this film and honestly, I could argue that was the greatest casualty of the infinity war.

I think Black Widow and Hawkeye are two characters that its easy to forget how rad they are until they're doing awesome things on screen. You remember how great of characters they are and how underrated the talents of Scarlet Johansson and Jeremy Renner are.

Mark Ruffalo returns as Bruce Banner and he's well done in this movie as well. I can't say why in particular until spoilers but I really liked Bruce Banner as well

I do want to make a quick note on Captain Marvel. I will for sure talk about her more in the spoilers review but I do want to address some things.

I wrote in my Captain Marvel review that I wanted to wait until the Russos got their hands on the character to really make a judgement call on Captain Marvel. I hoped she would get an opportunity to shape a character and gain some favor among fans.

I don't think she was utilized very well in this movie. For a character that was built up as the solution to fighting Thanos, I can't say she was 100% necessary to the plot. She's also not developed any more than she was in Captain Marvel and I don't think anybody is going to change their mind on her based on this movie.You're either going to think she's great, or your going to hate her and feel vindicated because Brie Larson attacked your manhood. Either way, I don't think anybody really wins except for the fact that she is in this movie and it's great that they celebrate every aspect of the MCU.

At the end of the day, Avengers Endgame is a movie for the fans. I think there are a lot of elements of this film that can and will be enjoyed by loose viewers of the MCU, but the real pay off is for people like me who have watched every single MCU film and become engrossed in every individual story line.

I went with some friends who probably hadn't seen as many MCU films and weren't as familiar as I am. They mentioned to me that they were a little lost at certain points. Not due to the overarching story of the movie, but this movie does do some deep cuts and if you haven't watched all the movies or absorbed all of the content from the older movies, you might be a little lost. I was walking out of the theater and there were some women who clearly were not hardcore MCU fans and one of them said, "I liked it, I can't say I knew everyone or why things were such a big deal at certain parts in that movie".

When people say this is a culmination of 11 years of the MCU, they really mean, this is it. Marvel puts everything they have on the table and just goes, here you are! This i all for you, the fans! Yes, the movie is very Marvel-y. Humor in odd places, call backs that only make sense if you've seen previous films, and some slight references to future films, it's almost everything in the past I would hate about Marvel movies. But I think the Russo's (who I'm convinced can do no wrong) utilize nostalgia and humor better than anybody else in their place in the past. While there are moments that don't really help the story but rather are moments for the audience, that's part of why this movie is so entertaining. It's also why this movie is more of an event than it is a movie and again, I am amazed that we got here, and probably will never get to this point again, at least not for another decade or two.

I am so excited to talk spoilers for this movie so get out there and see Avengers Endgame! I highly recommend it if you've seen Infinity War.

But those are my thoughts, what did you think? Comment and Discuss below! You can also send me your thoughts on Twitter @MovieSymposium as well as send me your requests for films I should review in the future. If you follow me on Twitter, you can get updates on future movie news and reviews coming out of this blog.

Thanks for reading!