“Avengers: Endgame” is an epic finale to the 11-year, 22-movie saga that started an $18.9 billion franchise. A successor to 2018’s “Infinity War,” this film showcases the best of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) by portraying some of the best moments in the franchise’s history. Building on the gigantic universe with engaging characters that Marvel has been trying to push since the inception of “Iron Man” in 2008, “Endgame” offers viewers closure by tying together various threads and plot arcs in a satisfying and cinematically artful way. With great execution and amazing delivery, “Endgame” is a fitting finale to a successful and highly-rated cinematic endeavor.
“Endgame” picks up where “Infinity War” left off, with the aftermath of Thanos’ snap and how it affects our remaining heroes. This theme of recovery sets a tone for the rest of the film, as we follow our heroes trying to tie up loose ends and find a solution to Thanos’ decision. With various callbacks and cameos from the past, “Endgame” builds its foundation upon every film that’s come before it. However, this doesn’t mean that the casual fan needs to have an advanced degree in MCU history to understand or make sense of this film’s plot. Interestingly, the film weaves a clever tale of suspense that keeps viewers on edge throughout the entire duration, with only minor moments giving me a head scratch as to what their purpose was in the film as a whole.
Amazingly, the film showcases some of Marvel’s best when it comes to character development and conclusions. Much of this all feels very deserved and definitive, giving fans some of the best scenes in the franchise history since “The Avengers”. Towards the end of the film I felt something I had never felt before when watching a Marvel film. In the past it always felt like there was something to be desired or something to look forward to in the next Marvel film that would build upon the series. The art speaks for itself as Marvel Studios has done everything to finish this saga as strongly as possible.
For the most part, all of the actors do a great job delivering lines and giving solid performances all around. Many actors in the MCU portray a larger-than-life personality that fully envelopes viewers in their performances. At times, it did feel like the humor was misplaced in some of the more serious scenes. This is nothing new, as Marvel movies have a habit of making their characters say quips that get a laugh out of the audience. On the whole, however, the writing is good and doesn’t inject awkward humor too often. With no joke overstaying its welcome or feeling out of place, the humor stays fresh and hits the mark that it wants to with appropriate responses and deliveries.
The honor of most impressive performances goes to Chris Evans (Captain America) and Mark Ruffalo (Bruce Banner/Hulk), as both of them played their roles exceptionally and stood out from the minute they came on screen. I was happy to see this, as both actors have breathed life and likability into their respective roles through the duration of the franchise. I also didn’t expect to like Paul Rudd as much as I did in this movie, but he really delivered in his Ant-Man role and did well to bounce off of the other Avengers. Josh Brolin returning as Thanos definitely invokes the same feelings he gave us in “Infinity War.” I did want to see more out of Brie Larson (Captain Marvel), however, seeing as though the main focus is mainly on the founding six Avengers, the choice makes logical sense.
Many of the decisions made with the original soundtrack (OST) were perfect and calculated arrangements that pull scenes together. Alan Silvestri once again captures the epic atmosphere of MCU right with his beautiful orchestral arrangements, willfully work the soundtrack into the scenes to add gravity and tension. Notably, the OST is extensive and a multituide of pieces play throughout the film’s duration. The use of a full orchestra accents the cinematography, as brass instruments swell to the sounds of battle, or soft woodwind melodies accentuate the most grim moments. The film’s musical choices fully color scenes and perfectly complement directors Anthony and Joe Russo’s vision.
The film’s settings are all great set pieces to place our favorite heroes in. Graphically, the movie looks stunning and is probably some of the best CGI that we seeing in the entire franchise. I do agree that, at points, CGI can be overbearing and may take over an entire scene. However; the movie benefits from having these moments rather than not, as they allow for epic direction that only does the plot’s scale justice.
In terms of cinematography, the film’s scenes are all well-shot and use subtle camera tricks to lead the viewer along. The camera helps us feel like part of the experience, giving us the best seats to experience each scene as if we’re there. The movie succeeds with flying colors in delivering on the satisfying fight scenes the Marvel Cinematic Universe is known for. As mentioned before, this movie is bigger and better than anything else that has come before it, and the beautiful CGI this feature boasts is an added reason as to why this movie is a visual success.
Pushing beyond “Endgame,” fans know that the MCU has many more stories to tell. Introducing major characters in the last two years has left an impact on the universe as a whole. Fans know that the future for the franchise is brighter than ever with the highly anticipated “Spider-Man: Far From Home” releasing this July. With Disney pushes forward to extend the stories and keeping this lucrative universe alive, it can safely look at “Avengers: Endgame” as a model for an epic conclusion to a fan-favorite saga.
Verdict: With everything accounted for, “Avengers Endgame” fits the hole that “Infinity War” left while also leaving its own mark on the MCU. It’s a cinematic masterpiece which deserves its place as a fitting conclusion to Marvel’s 11 year-long box office success.
