Avengers: Endgame
Released 4/26/19
The Movie. The Myth. The Legend (or so many hope). The culmination of over 10 years of unprecedented cinematic world building has come to an end. And a beginning. That's exactly what Avengers: Endgame is. A finish and a start. And, also, another testament I'm sure to the Marvel Cinematic Universe's ability to print money at will.
Clocking in at around three hours, the film has three distinct acts. It almost felt like three separate movies at times for me. One thing is certain. It is distinctly different than the outrageously careening action depicted from it's predecessor, Infinity War. If that movie was the heart stopping, edge-of-your-seat eye candy for the younger sect, Endgame felt like the toned down adult counterpoint. That's not to say it didn't have it's fair share of action. But, Endgame was much more focused on personal relationships, interactions, and psychological traumas than the all out slugfests of Infinity War. The film is directed once again by the Russo brothers and stars pretty much every character, major and supporting, that has ever made an appearance in an MCU movie. I won't go through a cast list. After 22 chapters of this saga, you know who the players are by now.
It would be difficult to describe the plot of Endgame without giving away major spoilers. Even though I don't think I'd be spoiling much for anyone by the time I place this review in wide release, I still want to respect those who have not seen it. I said earlier that I believe Endgame has three very distinct stories in one. And they're all handled with varying degrees of success. I'll officially call them, "After the Snap", "The Plan", and, for you wrestling fans out there, I'll coin a phrase from Jim Ross, "The Slobberknocker."
"After the Snap" in many ways I found the most interesting part of the film. What you see here is a group of utterly frustrated, defeated heroes trying to cope with what happened after Thanos did his thing at the end of Infinity War. Each of the survivors handles the aftermath a little differently. The general premise at the start is to find Thanos and make him pay. There are some surprises here I wasn't expecting, particularly, with Thor. There's an abruptness and decisiveness in a decision he makes that gleefully made me forget happy-go-lucky versions of this character we've previously seen. The God of Thunder is a warrior. And seeing that aspect of his character played up as opposed to the lovable goof was refreshing. Each survivor is shown dealing with the sheer scope of what was done in different ways ranging from the therapeutic to the murderous. It's a bleak landscape they face almost devoid of hope. Almost.
"The Plan" starts to move the story in the direction we've come to expect from most MCU movies. It encompasses much of the second hour of the film and also houses most of the fun elements of it. The plan itself involves time travel as a tool to defeat Thanos. And, as many of us know through years of movie viewing, explaining time travel can get a bit screwy. In fact, the movie itself seems to signal to the audience "Yeah, we know this isn't going to make a lot of sense, but, go with it" with its many references to other films involving the same concept including perhaps the most famous of them all. You know, the one with the DeLorean. What's it called? Hot Tub Time Machine? Believe it or not that movie is referenced. But, on a serious note, Endgame does suffer from the inherent difficulties of time travel storytelling. The film does its best to try to come up with explanations, but, it really can't in all cases. There is one major flaw with this that will affect an upcoming movie, but, again, to go into great detail would be giving a spoiler if I didn't already give it away. The most notable events of "The Plan" outside of the plan itself, is the survivors' interactions with each other and how much the characters aren't only connected with the audience, but, with each other. There are some fantastic interactions here (one that becomes absolutely heartbreaking). And, if you're looking for nostalgia, this section of the film harkens back to scenes from previous MCU movies.
And that brings us to the third act, "The Slobberknocker." Even if you're unfamiliar with Ross-isms, the name itself should infer this is the all out battle between the heroes and Thanos. Much of this is well done. Great CGI, perfect sound, several dramatic moments. It's a technically perfect sequence of events. But, it didn't come without some issues that I had trouble wrapping my head around. One is a common one I heard brought up about Infinity War that I think is much more prevalent in Endgame. And, that's the randomly changing power levels of different characters. The main concern for me here is Thor's new weapon, Stormbreaker. Stormbreaker withstood a full blast from the Infinity Gauntlet in the previous movie and kept coming to strike Thanos in the chest nearly killing him. Thor and Thanos have a few one-on-one encounters on the battlefield in Endgame. Thanos is using a very large, double-bladed weapon, not the Gauntlet, and he's easily fending off Thor's strikes from Stormbreaker. How? Stormbreaker should be going through Thanos's blade like a hot knife through butter. And especially when Thor uses Stormbreaker in conjunction with Mjolnir (mini-spoiler, the hammer is back). It just doesn't make much sense. Another issue I sense will become more prevalent in the future is Captain Marvel's power. Going back to her own film, it just doesn't appear that she can really be hurt by anything. Fully powered by the Gauntlet, Thanos hits her and she doesn't budge. It takes an artful stratagem by the Titan using one of the Infinity Stones to gain the advantage over her. Mind you I'm not picking on CM to pile on to the already considerable controversy surrounding her character. I've had the same complaint about Superman for decades, too. Unless you happen to have some spare Kryptonite lying around, you're pretty much screwed against him. When is powerful too powerful? It's a question Marvel is going to have to answer about this character if they want to sustain interest in her. My final thought on this part of the film is make sure you bring some onions with you. You can use that as the excuse for when you start tearing up.
I guess you could say there's a fourth part of Endgame, an epilogue of sorts. After the events of the third act, you're given a glimpse of where the MCU is headed in its next phase. My initial reaction is some of it I'm onboard with, some of it I'm curious about, and some of it you'll have to convince me.
My biggest question is where they're taking the remaining Asgardians. We will definitely be getting more Valkyrie. I'm not convinced that's a good thing as of yet. Nothing against Tessa Thompson as Valkyrie, but, this character hasn't earned anything with me. She's a warrior who tucked tail and left Asgard when Hela rattled her cage, became a lush on a junk planet, and then triumphantly comes back to Asgard with Thor? I have no feeling for her one or another and now she's going to lead everyone (with Thor's blessing)? And, I STILL haven't gotten the answer to my main question going all the way back to Ragnarok. Where is Sif? That character actually has some cred with me and I would have no issue if she took the leadership role if she was still around. That loose end drives me crazy. I actually cared about Sif as a character. Valkyrie, not so much at this point.
Now, I'll come back to everyone's favorite Captain. Marvel, not America. If you were looking for some more insight as to where she's been for twenty years, you won't get it from Endgame. She's just kind of here. Fortunately for some, she's not in the film very much. So, if you're of the opinion she ruins everything she's in, you don't have to deal with her for more than 15-20 minutes of the entire three hour runtime. But, if you're one of those rare people who saw the end credits scene of Infinity War, stayed away from most of the internet fodder leading up to Endgame, and didn't see the Captain Marvel solo feature, she really is some rando spacewoman in this movie. Which again hurts the character as a whole. The explanation of "its a big galaxy" just doesn't fly if Nick Fury thought enough of you to summon you to Earth. Again, where were you during the Battle of New York when Loki and the Chitari invaded? Where were you when Ultron destroyed Sokovia? Were these events not important enough for Fury to make the call? Unfortunately, I'm afraid that in Marvel's haste to get their first female-led hero movie on the books, they've sacrificed much of the storytelling aspect for this character that's so important. CM really should have been saved until after Endgame because the character has been so uncomfortably shoehorned into the universe that many of her story elements don't make sense. And, now she's expected to lead the MCU for the next 10 years? Again, there's nothing earned. I really hope Feige and company rethink this and either feature her less prominently, or, give her a proper story arc.
Briefly, I have to come back to Thor. If you know me well enough, you know I have never been completely on board with the MCU's depiction of the character. That's not saying I don't like Chris Hemsworth's portrayal of the Thunder God. He's been on point with what he's been asked to do. But, I wasn't crazy about the "Supermanning" of the character making him more an extremely powerful alien than a god. But, I accepted it. I am no fan at all of the slapstick Thor we got in Ragnarok. Unfortunately, there were some elements of that in Endgame. But, what really bothered me about Thor here was his seeming indifference to Mjolnir. This was a weapon that was by his side for countless centuries and he seemed to just toss it aside for the new "hot chick", Stormbreaker. When you watch the movie, you'll know the scene I'm referring to. That's just not the Thor I know and love. But, unfortunately, it doesn't appear I'll ever get that Thor in the MCU. Say what you will about Thor: The Dark World, but, for me Thor felt more like Thor in that film than any other feature he's appeared in.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention something that has received some traction online and something I noticed immediately when it happened. There is a brief scene during "The Slobberknocker" where all the female heroes come together. It was an eye roller for me to be sure. It was nothing like the Scarlet Witch-Okoye-Black Widow team-up in Infinity War which felt wholly organic. That was three warriors who happened to be in the same place on the battlefield at the same time who banded together. The scene in Endgame felt like a photoshoot where the actresses were told to put on their fierce faces. Cheesy. Very cheesy. Russos, you're better than this. But, by the same token, it was only about a five second interlude that in no way, shape, or form ruined the movie for me.
Despite its flaws, Endgame resonates on an emotional level more than just about any film I've ever sat through. It brings laughs. It brings dismay. It brings tears. It makes you feel, and, I think that's the purpose of this exercise. You will feel a sense of loss about a great many things. On that level, job extremely well done. The cast put their hearts and souls in this and it shows.
Speaking of acting, I want to give special attention to Josh Brolin's Thanos in one scene. Many villains bow out in some type of bombastic scene complete with some type of harrowing cry. Such quiet resignation. There was almost a dignity of sorts where he just refused to go out kicking and screaming. Brolin played this like a boss. I felt this scene.
Curiously, the one part of the movie that almost got the tears flowing in me was the rolling of the end credits where most of the major players received a type of video tribute. Very nice touch saving the larger productions for the original six Avengers. I could watch that over and over. It was a sadness and dignity for those characters we've all been on a journey with for 10 years.
I didn't get the shock and awe from Endgame that I did from Infinity War and I can't say I was as charged coming out of it. Maybe it's because there was such a finality placed on it in some respects. But, that isn't to say that I didn't immensely enjoy myself through much of it. Flawed, yes. Uninspired, not even close. I don't know where the MCU is headed in its next phase. I have a few trepidations. But, I think this entire MCU franchise has earned the benefit of the doubt, at least initially, until they prove otherwise.
The Dark Lord of the Sith says:
****1/4 stars
0*= Don't waste your time. Pure dreck! Dreck is too good for this! Blind me please!
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Worth a look. Better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. I'm doing my happy dance!
5 *= Pure eye candy. I have seen the top of the mountain, and it is good
1 *= Fuggedaboutit!
2 *= Average, Mediocre, Nothing Special
3 *= Worth a look. Better than a poke in the eye.
4 *= Great. I'm doing my happy dance!
5 *= Pure eye candy. I have seen the top of the mountain, and it is good
