It's still Iron Man's world and the rest of the Avengers are still just living in it...

Rating: 8/10 (24 April 2019)

Well...most of them.
The film opens on Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye with his happy family...until he no longer has one on account of them being dusted, which causes him to become vengeful Mohawkeye. Next up it's my least favourite Avenger, Tony Snark, teaching games to Nebula (my favourite Guardian of the Galaxy and the only one of those a-holes I actually LIKE. Mantis, who I also like and who *isn't* an a-hole, sadly only gets one line in the movie, but at least it's a funny one). The term drawn-out could be used to describe this whole opening with Tony. 'Self-indulgent' would be another. Just because you have a 3-hour+ runtime, Russos, doesn't mean you should waste it lingering on Tony sleeping, etc. I did appreciate, though, that Nebula shows she's grown (as evidenced by the fact she's refrained from beating the snot out of Tony the entire time they've been stuck in space together). I was happy to see her featured so much.
Thankfully things finally get moving once Captain Marvel saves their butts and interacts with the team in a scene most have probably watched already. As she points out to rude Rhodey (whose main role seems to be Joke/Movie Reference Man), she's been on other planets after 'The Snap' that *didn't* have The Avengers to help them out. The fact that THOR says he likes her should be enough (though obviously won't be for certain people). He also learns from the mistake he made at the end of Infinity War regarding what bodypart to aim for on Thanos (who apparently wiped out half the universe's populace so he could become a farmer and unfortunately destroyed the Infinity Stones). Too bad Nebula's robbed of the chance to end Thanos in this movie (twice!), as she probably deserved to the most. Tony the Drama Queen proves he hasn't grown at all, laying the blame for everything at Cap's feet.
A skip to five years later reveals time hasn't been kind to Thor. I'm saddened to see him reduced to this joke, when the first Thor movie is one of my favourites. They've veered too far into 'comedy' for my taste, as here he's played mostly for laughs on account of letting himself go (for those wanting shirtless Thor, you'll get him...though you'll wish you *hadn't*). Bless Paul Rudd's Scott Lang, as he brings a breath of fresh air to proceedings. His reunion with his (now grown) daughter is one of the few genuinely effective emotional moments in the film. Unfortunately, he's not given the respect he deserves, considering he's the one to come up with the idea of time travel (the subject of which is given the ultimate nerd discussion in this film). They go to Tony, who selfishly refuses to help the others get back everyone they lost since he already HAS everyone HE wants (well...except for Spider-Kid, who is the reason he eventually changes his mind).
Cut to after a 'comedic' sequence involving working out the kinks of time-travelling, the gang splits up to retrieve all the stones from the past. This is where the film kicks into gear, as we revisit past MCU films and encounter previous versions of characters. Highlights include: Cap seeing Peggy Carter again, Cap vs Past Cap, Thor spending some precious time with his soon-to-be-deceased mother (plus, a Jane cameo! There's actually lots of cameos in the film, but only a few I cared about) and twice the amount of Nebula. There's one rage-inducing consequence of visiting the past involving Mohawkeye, Natasha and the Soul Stone. If you remember what happened with Gamora, you'll know what that means. Although the character who ends up being the sacrifice gets some good character/emotional beats in this film, it still doesn't make up for the fact they're unceremoniously given the 'permadeath' treatment, thus robbing us of one of the MCU's best characters and the awesome dynamics between them and other characters. Given all the others that could've been offed, WHY'd it have to be...well...you'll see.
I'll give the film credit for seamlessly blending the 'present' characters with the past, and once things reach the climax, they definitely ensure this is the most 'epic' battle we've seen yet which involves pretty much every character (except those who're unfortunate enough to *stay* dead, of course), some of which will be getting future films or TV shows to appear in. I guess that's meant to 'make up for' them not getting much screentime here (like my fave, Wanda. At least she gets some revenge on Thanos and shares an emotional moment with Mohawkeye near the end. I'm looking forward to her show and hopefully future movie appearances too). Captain America gets at least two cheer-worthy moments, while Captain Marvel and her new haircut get to kick some major arse (don't fret, haters...she isn't given the final victory over Thanos. No, we all know who gets THAT privilege).
I guess I was supposed to feel sad near the end, but honestly I just felt relief, as it's about time a certain someone faced some actual real consequences. Hopefully other characters will get to thrive/have substantial screentime now that somebody isn't hogging it all. Another good thing about the end is the camera shot which slowly moves through/covers everyone (all these characters we've come to know, plus a few we haven't yet) at the funeral. The BEST part, however, is the final scene. I've waited ever since the first Cap movie (my other fave MCU film) to get to the scene that ends this movie, and I think it's worth it. I'm so very happy with it and who it involves.
While there're no mid-credits/post-credits scenes, it's worth sticking around to see the original six Avengers actors literally signing off. It'll probably take a couple of viewings to fully digest this film, as it throws in everything AND the kitchen sink. It's a fitting conclusion to Phase 3 (ignoring Spider-Kid 2). Now, bring on Phase 4!