Avengers: Engame (2019)

The MCU is a cultural phenomenon. It has outlasted so-called "superhero fatigue," it has surpassed its imitators (the pallid, limping ghost of the DC Cinematic Universe) and it has changed the cinematic landscape forever (for good and ill). And it all came to an end (not THE end, no, there's too much money to made, but AN end, as in a temporary end) on April 26th.

My review is hardly going to change your mind: you are either going to see it because you always were going to, or you have already seen it. But. I still like writing about movies.

So let's dig in.

And, for the record, I will not spoil a single thing: feel free to read this review fear-free.

I. What Is It?

The snap happened. Half of all life in the galaxy is gone. But the Avengers, the ones that are left, have one last chance to fix it.

II. Satisfying

This movie is 181 minutes long. Avengers: Infinity War (2018) is 160 minutes long. Together, if taken as a single film (and it is, really), the Infinity Saga is 341 minutes long. That's five hours and forty-one minutes of MCU action.

And still: Marvel has earned every minute of it. There are not many three hour movies that I can say definitively earn their runtime. If you read this blog regularly, you've heard me harp on that. A lot. But Endgame manages it: The Russo Brothers know their audience, they know their characters, and they know the story they are telling. They offer thrilling, heartbreaking character moments; they pay fan service; they offer explosive spectacle; and close a 22-movie-long saga with style and heart.

You will laugh. You will cry. You will cheer out loud. In wrestling, there is a term called "marking out," which describes the moment when a fan of the product gets so emotionally overcome and invested that they forget, for a moment, that they are watching a scripted event and celebrate with real, genuine emotion. Avengers: Endgame features some wonderful mark-out moments.

Is there a cut of this movie that is twenty minutes shorter? Oh yeah. But then you wouldn't get all of the goodies it offers. And I'm not mad at it.

III. Strong Performances

I think the nice thing about the MCU is that its heroes all still come to play. No one is coasting or phoning in their performances. And, for the final chapter, everyone is bringing their A-game to the table.

RDJ plays Tony's arc with real pathos: he's hurt, epically, and struggling to find a path forward.

Chris Evans IS Captain America. And not just propaganda. He imbues the part with such soul and a sense of identity that you can forget sometimes that you're watching a comic book movie.

Chris Hemsworth is a continual treasure. He knows when to let the comedy soar, but also balances it all with some real tragedy. Thor is still struggling to find out who he is and who he wants to be, and Hemsworth makes it work.

But I'm here to talk about the real MVP: Karen Gillan. Gillan plays Nebula, the other daughter of The Mad Titan, Thanos. She has had quiet moments to shine in the previous MCU movies, but Endgame is her coup de grace: her Nebula is a fantastic dissertation on the enduring power of grief and trauma, and the redemptive power of forgiveness. I've been a fan of her work since her breakout turn as Amy Pond, but I am glad to see that she has real chops. It would have been easy for the Russos to make Endgame JUST Tony's story, or JUST Cap's story. But they allow Nebula to grab some real estate in the emotional arc territory, and I loved it.

Everyone else brings it. Jeremy Renner and Scarlett Johansson earn some beautiful moments in their characters' friendship; Bradley Cooper is doing solid voice work as Rocket; and don't get caught sleeping on Mark Ruffalo and Paul Rudd: they bring just the right level of comedic spark to their scenes without ever selling out the emotional stakes of their characters.

I could write forever about the caliber of performance on display, here: just take my word for it. It's all great.

III. Set Piece Balance

The Russos know how to shoot big action set pieces. They have a keen eye for showing you the big, brash CGI orgy of battle. But they also know how to draw your eye to places of importance and focus. You might be slightly overcome by the action and the sheer scale of the fight on screen, but you will hardly get lost in it. It is a talent that many filmmakers struggle with.

By the time the film arrives at its enormous slobberknocker finish, you'll have an ear-to-ear smile on your face. It is suitably epic, wonderfully emotional, and genuinely thrilling.

IV. Should You See It?

Of course you are GOING to see it. It's a cultural moment that will undoubtedly give everyone a good old fashioned Fear of Missing Out: you're going to want to chat about this thing at the water cooler with your friends and colleagues. But you SHOULD see it, too. There's a difference. Marvel doesn't take your fanship for granted. Avengers: Endgame will thrill you in all the right ways. It is a staggering cinematic achievement. The hype is real.

Miscellany

- This movie opened with a 1.2 billion dollar worldwide box office take. That is just sheer lunacy.