What can be said about Avengers Endgame and it’s cinematic universe that hasn’t already been said. A saga comprising twenty-two films, not counting the various (dubiously canon) TV-spinoffs, has spawned a generation of fans to a once niche genre of lesser known characters. One month ago, the most successful film franchise of the past decade closed the book on what, we now know, was only its first chapter.
Speak to any film or comic book fan and they’ll all give you a different top ten list of which Captain America film was better than Iron Man 3 and so forth or why the Marvel Cinematic Universe is just a fad of the 21st century. Yet, there’s no arguing the fact that Avenger’s Endgame was and still is one of the most anticipated films of all time and that’s not even taking into account it’s nearly three billion dollar gross.
However, after removing the rose tinted comic book nerd spectacles, was Endgame really the amazing conclusion we’d been waiting for ever since Thanos flashed his purple chin to us, in that snazzy post credit scene, way back in 2012.
First, we need to address the giant Hulk in the room and that is this movie is rather long, clocking in just over 3 hours (that is, if you’re one of those who stay for the non-existent post credit sequence), far too long for an average movie goer to wilfully want to watch in one sitting when it inevitably comes to Blu-Ray
Having said that, on first viewing and for all hardcore Marvel buffs, Endgame is far from boring, knowing just when to change the pace and tone so as keep you from looking at the time on your phone. This is overall helped by the fact that Endgame, objectively speaking, is actually three cohesive mini movies crammed in to one.
First we start with the opening act which is very much the narrative sequel to Infinity War’s cliff-hanger ending of last year. The tone in this first hour is very much one of seriousness with the odd comedic one liner here and there. It’s all a somewhat realistic insight into how the world would look and behave if half population suddenly vanished into dust one afternoon.
By the second act, our main cast of heroes have reassembled for what we’re told is one last all or nothing adventure. When the main crux of this section, as well the movie as a whole, involves time travel, it just wouldn’t be Marvel without some light hearted fun thrown in. Exposition is quickly fired about between jokes and before we know it we’re revisiting past movie moments and watching Robert Downey Jr sharing the screen with himself from 2012 for a fast-paced entertaining romp before the straight-faced climax.
Finally, after several time travelling shenanigans, we come to the final CGI fight we all paid for. If you’ve got a favourite Marvel character chances are you’ll see them somewhere in the background during this forty minute long onslaught of action until we finally wave our final goodbyes to many (but not all) of the pioneers of today’s modern superhero craze.
To someone who hasn’t watched at least some of the previous Avengers related films, it’s fair to say a few moments in this movie will be lost on you. Certain references and jokes will fall flat and you may end up scratching your head as to why most of the other audience members are freaking out because Captain America said something to somebody in a lift.
To even a Marvel mega-fan however, may still find themselves confused at certain points, as Endgame may in fact be the first movie in history where it’s practically required of you to watch at least a dozen of the many “Explained” theory videos online to fully understand everything.
It’s for that reason, I believe Endgame falls short slightly on topping my personal list of favourite Marvel movies. We didn’t need to have a Youtuber explain to us in 2007 why Ironman built his armour and we shouldn’t have our inboxes spammed with “Why Black Widow never finished her sandwich!” videos because a director failed to clearly convey certain plot points.
So while Avengers Endgame may not tick all the right boxes for everyone out there, it’s still a solid movie within a cinematic event that shouldn’t be missed by anyone even mildly curious about seeing what the fuss is all about. Even if you don’t “Love it 3000”, you’ll love it nonetheless.
Avenger’s Endgame is still out in cinemas, so if you haven’t already seen it, give it a watch while you still have time. If you’re a Marvel fan whose already seen it a dozen times….what’s one more viewing?
