‘Avengers: Endgame”| Movie Review

Eleven years ago, when Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury popped in for a post-credits scene to talk to Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark about the Avengers Initiative, Marvel Studios made a promise.

It told fans it was going to attempt something bold: an interconnected cinematic universe telling an overarching story. And it was going to do that with high-quality films in a genre that had seen only sporadic successes to date. With “Avenger: Endgame,” Marvel Studios kept the last part of that promise.

Perhaps the biggest cinematic event of our lifetime, this film picks up after “Avengers: Infinity War.” The heroes that are left after Thanos (Josh Brolin) snapped half the universe into oblivion are dealing with that loss, each in their own way. Soon enough, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes must band together one last time to attempt to, somehow, undo the genocide they failed to prevent.

As has been the case in almost each of the preceding Marvel Cinematic Universe films, one of the highlights of  “Avengers: Endgame” is the cast. Every actor who gets any significant amount of screen time shines.

The original Avengers – Iron Man (Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworthy), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Scarlett Johansson (Black Widow) and Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) – are all as good as they’ve ever been. Downey Jr. and Evans, especially, deliver perhaps their best work in the saga.

But this movie couldn’t be the triumph it is with just the acting. It also benefits from some great directing from brothers Anthony and Joe Russo, who truly excel with pacing and tone management.

This film hums along perfectly, with nary a wasted frame. It does not feel like the three-hour behemoth it is. The Russos also succeed in making the movie feel appropriately grave and final. The whole film has an importance about it that is never overbearing or pretentious, merely fitting for the conclusion to the biggest saga of the century.

Of course, some of the credit for that also goes to screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who also share credit with the Russos for how much time they take in this movie to give moviegoers character moments that let us truly understand these people.  

This patience is particularly evident in the first 40 minutes or so of the film. It’s such a brave decision to have so much of these people simply talking, and it pays off exquisitely.

Part of the reason for that is the comedy in this movie is masterfully balanced with the tragedy. This among the funniest Marvel films (no mean feat), with one-liners, sight gags and character jokes aplenty. But those jokes never outweigh the heaviness required of “Avengers: Endgame.”

That balance also lends itself to making this the most emotional movie Marvel has put out and a genuinely heart wrenching blockbuster. And the emotion is earned, not just because audiences have spent so much time with these characters, but because the filmmakers do a superb job of making them and this picture feel real and human, despite all the super-powered shenanigans.

On the negative side, I have only two quibbles with “Avengers Endgame.” While I love how much this film focuses on the original team, it does not balance some of the side characters as well as it could have. Several of them, particularly the Mad Titan, feel a bit under-serviced. They needed a little more screen time, even if it was just an awe-inspiring moment in a fight scene.

Worse than that, although it is excellently paced, the film does lag a bit in its middle section. I like the proceedings during that part of the film, but I did not love them, especially when compared to the stellar finale. That middle portion contains some nice character moments and jokes, but the drama is not quite as compelling as what came before or what comes after.

But those issues amount to not much more than splitting hairs.  “Avengers: Endgame” is a masterpiece of its genre. Not everyone will think that, but most fans, who have been following this Infinity Saga since 2008, will love how this part of their lives concludes. I give it four and a half out of five stars.

“Avengers: Endgame” is rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action and some language. It stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner and runs three hours and one minute.

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James Moss

James is an alumni of Southern Illinois University Edwardsville where he graduated summa cum laude with degrees in mass communications and applied communications studies. While in school, he interned at two newspapers and worked at a local grocery store to pay for his education. When not working for the Republic-Times, he enjoys watching movies, reading, playing video games and spending time with his friends.
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