This review is spoiler-free. #DontSpoilTheEndgame
After Thanos’ sinister snap in Avengers: Infinity War, our remaining heroes are left to deal with the aftermath in Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame.
This film is actually the second half of last year’s cliff-hanger Avengers: Infinity War along with being the culmination of the 21 films so far in the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” (MCU) from Marvel Studios, Marvel Comics’ in-house movie studio which began 11 years ago. The 21 Marvel Studios’ films are listed below (in order of release date).
- Iron Man (2008; directed by Jon Favreau)
- The Incredible Hulk (2008; directed by Louis Leterrier)
- Iron Man 2 (2010; directed by Jon Favreau)
- Thor (2011; directed by Kenneth Branagh)
- Captain America: The First Avenger (2011; directed by Joe Johnston)
- Marvel’s The Avengers (2012; directed by Joss Whedon)
- Iron Man 3 (2013; directed by Shane Black)
- Thor: The Dark World (2013; directed by Alan Taylor)
- Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014; directed by Joe and Anthony Russo)
- Guardians of the Galaxy (2014; directed by James Gunn)
- Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015: directed by Joss Whedon)
- Ant-Man (2015; directed by Peyton Reed)
- Captain America: Civil War (2016; directed by Joe and Anthony Russo)
- Doctor Strange (2016; directed by Scott Derrickson)
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 (2017; directed by James Gunn)
- Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017; directed by Jon Watts)
- Thor: Ragnarok (2017; directed by Taika Waititi)
- Black Panther (2018; directed by Ryan Coogler)
- Avengers: Infinity War (2018: directed by Joe and Anthony Russo)
- Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018; directed by Peyton Reed)
- Captain Marvel (2019; directed by Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck)
As we’ve learned throughout the 21 films, and particularly in Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos (voiced again by Josh Brolin) is one bad dude. After collecting all six “infinity stones” and placing them in his “infinity gauntlet” glove, the already powerful villain got even more power and was able to make his “inevitable” wish come true—the complete elimination of 50% of the galaxy’s population with just the snap of his finger.
The original six MCU Avengers—Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlet Johansen), Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner)—along with James Rhoades/War Machine (Don Cheadle), Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Scott Lang/Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), and Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) who all survived the snap decide to join forces, find Thanos, and make the universe right again, “whatever it takes.”
Directors Joe and Anthony Russo (aka The Russo Brothers) are no strangers to the MCU, having expertly directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Captain America: Civil War along with the first part of this film, Avengers: Infinity War. Their ability to weave together multiple storylines with many characters and make it seem effortless is truly, well, a marvel. The Russo Brothers are at the top of their game in this film, which not only has to bring together so many characters, but also has to bring a 21-film storyline to a satisfying conclusion.
And satisfying it is. I had a great time watching this film. It’s exciting, emotional, and supremely entertaining. Its three-hour running time is definitely epic length, but it’s worth it. The film made me feel like a kid again reading a great comic book series that’s full of imagination, adventure, surprise, wonder, and goodness. It’s a fitting end to an incredible run for this story arc in the MCU and I can’t wait to see what Marvel Studios is going to do next.
Avengers: Endgame is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for “sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and some language.”
My score: 5 out of 5 stars
As an added bonus, check out all of the cool Avengers: Endgame posters from Marvel and Poster Posse. And below is the IMAX exclusive poster.
Images ©️ Marvel Studios