Avengers: Endgame Review

Balance is incredibly important to Thanos, the relentless and often philosophical villain of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He uses the idea of balance as the poetic justification for his wicked motives, and the success in achieving this results in the shocking, though likely tentative demise of many of the universes most beloved heroes. This ultimately becomes the catalyst for Endgame, the grand conclusion to the superhero storyline that spans 11 years and 22 films.

In many ways, the films of Marvel Studio strive for a certain balance as well. Their formulaic structure that blends action, humour and drama is one of many reasons why they have been able to maintain their immense popularity for over a decade. In Endgame, these familiar elements are presented on a much grander scale. However, the film wraps them in a jarring and bloated narrative that introduces a plethora of plot holes and questions.

In 2018, Avengers: Infinity War ended with something that no Marvel film had given until that point: a palpable sense of loss. The decision to center the movie around its antagonist rather than its titular group of heroes was a radically different and ultimately rewarding change in focus, resulting in an ending that left even the less dedicated fans wondering what would happen next. Much of Endgame takes place five years after the cataclysmic events caused by Thanos in Infinity War. Following the heroes that didn’t parish after “The Snap”, whom are haunted by the defeat and losses that they have suffered. The group of remaining heroes are surprised by the return of Antman, Scott Lang, someone who they previously thought was among the vanished. His return helps materialize a potential way to reverse the past and therefore save their vanquished allies.

Many themes of Endgame spawn from its willingness to wallow in the grief and misery that is left in wake of Infinity War. Seeing the often triumphant and confident heroes reduced to a group of emotionally defeated survivors gives way to some of Endgames most creative and emotionally evoking moments. Though the films biggest success is the way it handles its biggest challenge. There is a scope to Endgame that is incomparable to any other film in cinematic history. A terribly daunting task arises when creating an immersive story with so many memorable and notable characters. Yet, Endgame handles this impressively, the diverse cast displays wonderful chemistry with one another, and the decision to compartmentalize characters into smaller teams gives each hero time to complete their arcs fittingly.

However, there is a noticeable unevenness to Endgame, action scenes at times fell chaotic and weightless, much of the drama manifests from problems that are resolved too quickly, and the comedy is often overbearing, with many scenes and conversations ending in a punchline rather than a piece of serious character development.

Overall, Endgame will not be remembered for its action scenes, nor its needlessly complex story. There are other movies within the Marvel Studios catalogue that are much more successful at both of those things. Instead, Endgame will be remembered for what it symbolizes to a saga that has dominated the theatres for an unprecedented amount of time. Each character plays an important note in the symphony that is Avengers: Endgame, and fans who have dedicated the time to this universe will be beyond satisfied with the memorable and fitting send-offs that the film gives its characters. Yet many of the creative decisions that writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely are forced to take in order to do so plague the overall outcome of the film.

The unnecessarily convoluted story and ill-timed humour of Avengers: Endgame burden an otherwise fitting send off to Marvels beloved characters.

Produced By: Marvel Studios
Runtime: 182 minutes
Rating: PG