Avengers: Endgame
This is it – the culmination of a 22-movie story-arc started in 2008’s Iron Man. Coming in at just over three hours long, Endgame doesn’t rush its resolution, allowing the gravity of the events to sink in and giving the characters room to breathe, before bringing everything together for a suitably epic, emotional and satisfying conclusion.
Premise: The surviving Avengers attempt to regroup in a universe devastated by Thanos’ victory.
Review:
I always try to avoid spoilers in my reviews, but this time more than ever, I think it’s important not to give too much away, as even the trailers (in which Marvel notoriously often give away third act revelations) have been surprisingly restrained. In Endgame’s case, nearly all of the footage from the trailers has been from the first third of the film, meaning that there are plenty of surprises in store.
Let’s be honest here – nothing like this has ever been attempted in Hollywood before. The Bond franchise may be up to 25 films and counting, but for the most part they are all self-contained stories, and there’s certainly no ongoing continuity between different eras (not to mention that it’s taken the series over 50 years to get to 25 films). The Star Wars and the Fast & Furious franchises are in their infancy in comparison with 11 and 9 films respectively, but the Marvel Cinematic Universe is something else entirely – 22 films (and counting) following different characters, worlds and stories all told across a unified and interconnected universe.
“…a huge crossover event, the like of which has never been seen before on the big screen…”
When Marvel Studios started production on its first film, Iron Man, in 2008 most people didn’t give it a second thought. Marvel had already sold to other studios the film rights for all of its big name characters such as Spider-Man, Hulk, the Fantastic Four and the X-Men, and all it was left with were the B-list superheroes that most casual film fans hadn’t even heard of. But then Robert Downey Jr uttered the immortal words “I am Iron Man”, and everything changed. Now here we are, 22 films later, and the characters, storylines and emotional history that has been built up over the last 11 years finally come together in one huge crossover event, the like of which has never been seen before on the big screen. All 22 films in the MCU have been shepherded by the guiding hand of producer Kevin Feige, and really, his contribution to modern cinema cannot be overstated.
As for Endgame itself, it opens with a prelude set during the closing moments of 2018’s Infinity War, which reminds us that that film ended with arguably the biggest (and most downbeat) cinematic cliff-hanger since Luke got his arse kicked and Han was frozen in carbonite at the end of The Empire Strikes Back. One of the things I really loved about Endgame is that it allows audiences to feel the full weight of the losses suffered as a result of Thanos’ successful attempt to wipe out half of all life in the universe. The characters don’t instantly bounce back from such a devastating defeat (just as Thor didn’t after his defeat at the start of Infinity War), and even when they put on a brave face, you can see that the bravado is a paper-thin mask over the psychological and emotional scars.
“…it all pays off by giving what follows an emotional weight that it wouldn’t have otherwise had…”
In many ways, the pacing in Endgame is the exact opposite to Infinity War – whereas the first film was a non-stop whirlwind of galaxy-spanning action that barely paused for breath during its two and a half hour run time, Endgame takes its time to set up all of the pieces for its finale. This means that the film essentially breaks down into three distinct sections, the first of which is very contemplative, focusing on the emotional fallout from both Infinity War and Civil War (of which there is plenty). Dedicating a whole section of a massive blockbuster movie to character development with very little actual action is a brave move, but it pays off by giving what follows an emotional weight that it wouldn’t have otherwise had.
The cast of original Avengers are so entwined with their characters now, it’s impossible to imagine anyone else ever playing those roles. Robert Downey Jr has, from the start, been the flawed heart at the centre of the MCU, and the journey his character’s been through over the last 11 years is something else. The MCU doesn’t want its characters to stagnate and play the same role in film after film, so Tony Stark’s faced self-sacrifice issues (Avengers), suffered from PTSD and struggled to balance his personal and superhero identities (Iron Man 3), allowed fear to drive him to make bad decisions (Avengers: Age of Ultron), been crippled by guilt (Captain America: Civil War), and become a surrogate father figure (Spider-Man: Homecoming). It’s easy to see what’s drawn Robert Downey Jr back to play the character in ten films now.
“…a cast list the likes of which no blockbuster film has ever seen before…”
Alongside Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans has been the moral guide to the MCU, playing a character who always strives to do what’s right, no matter the personal cost. I had never been a fan of Captain America in the comics (although admittedly, I’d not read much), but Chris Evan’s portrayal of the character has, for me, been the highlight of the whole MCU so far. Far from being a two-dimensional “boy scout”, Chris Evans has made the character incredibly human, and he feels like he carries the emotional weight of the world on his shoulders.
Chris Hemsworth once again gets a chance in Endgame to show a new side of Thor, in a way that arguably combines the comedic elements from Ragnarok with the emotional wounds from Infinity War. It takes a talented actor to move you to laugh and cry in the same scene, but Chris Hemsworth manages it repeatedly. Scarlett Johansson also gets to show a new side to Black Widow, who continues to take on more of a leadership role as she strives to erase the red in her ledger by living up to the potential that others saw in her.
“…balances grand-scale action alongside personal conflicts…”
Mark Ruffalo also brings a fresh perspective to his dual role as Bruce Banner and the Hulk, and it’s nice to see that after four previous movies as the characters, he’s still being given the chance to do something new. Rounding out the original Avengers line-up is Jeremy Renner, who (after being absent from Infinity War) is given plenty to do in Endgame. In many ways, Hawkeye carries a lot of the emotional weight of the movie, and the strength of his friendship with Black Widow is given the screen time it deserves. It would take far too long (and involve too many spoilers), to list the full supporting cast, but suffice to say there is incredible support from a cast list the likes of which I don’t think any blockbuster film has ever seen before. It’s not a spoiler to say that Karen Gillan is back as Nebula, and I do want to specifically mention how fantastic she is, as (like Chris Hemsworth) she manages to be simultaneously funny and heart-breaking in several scenes.
Despite the seriousness of the stakes and the solemnity in the aftermath of Thanos’ victory, one of the MCU’s strengths is its ability to weave humour into all of its films in a way that complements the drama, rather than detracts from it. Endgame is no different, and there are several laugh out loud moments – many of which are desperately needed given the events unfolding. And when the action does finally arrive, it’s as epic as the film deserves, balancing grand-scale action alongside personal conflicts.
“…full of heartfelt nods back to the MCU’s history…”
But as great as the action and the humour are (and they are great), Endgame’s greatest strength is its emotional impact. This is not the kind of emotional impact you can elicit when the audience spends 90 minutes with a character – this is the kind of emotional impact that comes from 11 years and 22 films of backstory. If you enjoyed moments like Captain America’s “I could do this all day” throwback line in Civil War, then you’ll be pleased to know that Endgame is full of similarly heartfelt nods back to the MCU’s history.
Yes, Endgame is long at just over 3 hours, but it really doesn’t feel like it. And truth be told, I could have happily watched another half an hour of Lord-of-the-Rings-style epilogue scenes if this really is the end of this era of the MCU. Hats off to writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (who have now written six MCU films) and directors Joe and Anthony Russo (who have directed four of arguably the best MCU films) for finding a satisfying way of balancing dozens of characters and drawing together a decade’s worth of storylines into one last glorious victory lap for this era of the MCU.
