Avengers: Endgame Review
The twenty-second film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Avengers: Endgame is the culmination of decades-long works of filmmaking.
The movie rightly gained the hype of being the most important film to be made in the MCU, thanks to the evil Thanos overwhelming even the mighty Avengers and in the process, disintegrating half of all life in the universe with the Infinity Gauntlet in 2018's Avengers: Infinity War. It reversed the trend that Marvel fans were used to watching - heroes winning over villains, albeit with a lot of struggle. But, at the end of the film, they seem to have failed to meet up to their expectations. Everyone lost their loved ones. Even the mighty Avengers could be killed. Endgame would begin without Doctor Strange, Black Panther, Spider-Man, Gamora, Nick Fury and many more. And it was not only a loss of a battle but a loss of hope too pervaded among the alive Avengers.
Endgame begins with this state of hopelessness. But staying in this state is not an option for Avengers. And, they even locate Thanos whereabouts and plan to take the Gauntlet back to reverse “the Snap”. But, unfortunately, Thanos destroyed it so that no one can use it again. A furious Thor decapitates Thanos.
As the Avengers plunge into further hopelessness and almost succumb to the inevitable fate, Ant-man appears five years later, escaping from the quantum realm. His appearance brings the possibility of time travel, providing hope that the seemingly inevitable past can be changed.
Directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, the film is a poignant and compelling conclusion to the Avengers series and the MCU films. The patience and intensity captured by the directors in every scene are unrivalled in any other MCU films. Just as every superhero film depend on the hero to rise above his/her shortcomings, Endgame accomplishes this feat in ways never seen before - it allows every one of the characters to express themselves, even with its extensive cast. Every character plays their part which matches the feat they need to accomplish - defeat the indomitable Thanos. The endeavours of the main Avengers characters will make immortal in the MCU folklore.
Writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have done a fantastic job in writing this neatly structured film to accommodate the ensemble cast and years of storyline in three hours of pure entertainment. And, it’s not just a spectacle and grandiosity of fights that makes the film compelling. Rather, it is the unfolding of the narrative that builds up to the epic battle which gives the film a depth and fervour, unlike any other superhero films. With pieces of comedy here and there in the film, the film provides a good balance of playfulness and severeness of the task that lies ahead.
Speaking about performance, the film features the best acting performance from most of the main Avengers cast. Special praise should go to Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr for their portrayal of the mature leaders that they have become.
While Avengers: Endgame could have been more plausible in dealing with matters such as time travel, but it is unlikely that any superhero will match the feat reached by Endgame any time soon.