THE Endgame

Rating: 10/10 (26 April 2019)

There have been few movies in history that created this kind of hype - a sociological and emotional mass hysteria that covered the globe. An expectation that surpassed all others, an ending that everyone was expecting yet caught everyone by surprise, shock and awe. Endgame had a lot of expectations to fulfill, and it surpassed them all... light years from what was expected.
Never has a year passed so quickly and with so much hype. The end days before the premiere were filled with nothing but expectation, fingernail biting and prolonged stages of sleep deprivation and theory development. If one was being scrubbed by one's boss - it didn't matter - Endgame is in a couple of days... if one was ill, one got better on the day of the premiere. Endgame had an effect that was so much more than a movie. It was an event of a generation, an ending to a decade long story and the finalization of all the character's arks. And yet, it had to be a sequel worthy of Infinity war. How was this possible to achieve all that in a single movie?
1) The story. Unlike Infinity war which was much more a character driven movie (especially Thanos and the gang on Titan) Endgame is a story driven movie. The entire movie is split in three segments: a) the beginning; b) the middle; c) the endgame. The beginning is a bit rushed, uneasy on the casual viewer, expecting too much from the audience to follow in one moment. But then, it slows down, takes it's time with a realization that these characters are at their end and the story converges into a goodbye of sorts from their most important counterparts and their most important segments from the last ten years. This is Endgame's most triumphant segment - the realization of the magnitude of its characters and their meaning in the end - their own humanity and importance that they have for the viewers. However, Endgame holds its most powerful aspects 'til the very end. The climactic battle with Thanos and his army (again) is one that can easily rival Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit or Kingdom of Heaven etc. But, the magnitude of the battle and the number of heroes involved makes the endgame battle so powerful and overwhelming that it leaves the viewer in a perpetual state of adrenaline fulled with hype from start to finish. It is almost impossible to keep track of where all of them are and what they are doing but that is the best part - all of them are completely involved with everything they got - whatever it takes. Even the all-girl battle segment is entertaining and shows how much Marvel respects all of its characters no mater how small their role in any movie was. Up until the end, when Endgame shows it's true colors as Infinity war's successor, when it emotionally destroys almost everyone watching the movie. The final demise is the perfect and flawless ending for one of cinema's most recognizable and lovable heroes. The difficulty of his demise is, at this point, unprecedented. Endgame builds itself all the way up to a spectacular and unforgettable climax that resolves itself in just the perfect and (un)wanted way - perfection.
2) The acting. Closely connected to the story are the actors that live the characters they are playing. There is no more acting with these people, the literally are those character down to their very core, and we have lived with them. Though better or worse, through all the trials and errors, thought all the sorrow and pain up until the end, when all of their strength combined (not only as characters but as actors and as people) they gave us an end worthy of legends. An ending that should be studied in movie history books and taught as a principle of movie making. The original Avengers, the ones that made comic book heroes real and important, are the ones that will be remembered after this movie. And they should be regarded as the heroes they have played. What hurts the most is the fact that these people really have feelings for each other and in their goodbyes and tears one really feels sorrow and pain. The soul stone segment and the phone call segment are perfect examples of these segments. But the love that bursts from the screen at the: "You rest now" scene
and the tears that flow afterwards are not acting. These kind of emotions do not psychologically constitute as acting - they are real and they are powerful. Because of their connection in such a way do the viewers feel and connect so deeply with some of their demises.
3) The direction. To keep such a mastodon of a movie at bay and in such a coherent way is truly masterful. The Russo's directed the movie so that three hours feels more like an hour and a half (maybe the quantum theory is true after all). With so much to be told, and to be told with such respect, no ordinary director could have made this the way they did. It is also important to remember that they have directed MCU's finest movies - The Winter Soldier, Civil War, Infinity War, so they have more than enough practice. Henceforth, their balance of character driven story arks and finishing a ten year old story really makes one wonder how such perfection was achieved. Even though the first 20 minutes of the movie feels a bit too rushed with editing being a bit rigorous, the rest of the movie feels incredibly easy and fluent.
4) The music. Silvestry actually did not make two soundtracks but used all the important tunes and themes used so far and combined them into something new and powerful. The start of the Endgame battle music feels and sounds like adrenaline being injected right into ones spine, while the eulogy of the godfather of the MCU sound and feels so emotional and powerful that in comparison to the strength felt merely seconds before creates an emotional burst in the viewers unprecedented in modern cinema.
All in all, this is a near perfect movie. A flawless, emotional, powerful ride from start to finish. It is unlike anything one has ever seen or felt while watching a movie. Endgame was, is, and always will be one of the best movies ever made. It will remain in movie history as the most important ending to a story and characters beloved by millions. One does not see Endgame, one feels it, breathes it and lives with it. A long, long time will pass before anyone ever makes something even remotely close to the perfection that is Endgame.