Not as amazing as the previous, but still pretty much worth watching

Rating: 6/10 (7 May 2019)

"Avengers: Endgame" is a new American movie from 2019 and well do I really need to say a lot about the basics here? Maybe only a little bit as absolutely everybody should know by now who the Avengers are. I believe it is essential that you have seen the previous Avengers movie from 2018 in order to appreciate this one here. But you don't need to have seen everything before that from the Avengers universe by any means in order to understand this one here. Directors Russo and Russo are back and they also got their screen writers on board again here, but this is really not a surprise and accurate as this is basically a duology. Also despite the ending from the previous Avengers film, all the actors are back and with that I really do mean "all", even some that did not show up in the last Avengers movie, but in previous films from the universe. Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer would be the best example, even if all of these really only have very brief screen time. And what was with that Robert Redford inclusion? Now that did feel a bit bizarre. Anyway, in this 3-hour(!) film the remaining Avengers are faced with the big challenge to find a way to turn things right again and when the option of time travel arises, this seems to be their only chance. Sadly, Thanos, the titan and main antagonist, who managed to erase half the universe in the previous film, finds out about the remaining Avengers' plans. It will be a tough battle. But one when there are new heroes on the horizon offering hope such as Captain Marvel Carol Danvers who just got her own movie not too long ago. That one featured a great deal of Samuel L. Jackson, who is almost unseen in this one here. But I mentioned Thanos already and would like to say a few more words about him now. I really loved him in the 2018 film, but in this one here, he was a bit underwhelming. I understand he is weakened because he destroyed the stones not too long ago and also does not really care too much because his mission is complete, but still the way we see him basically fight all Avengers at the very same time in the previous movie and here Captain Marvel alone can almost keep him under control at his neck. Or Thor out of nowhere severes his head. It just felt a bit too easy for me honestly. Now that I mentioned Thor here, he is in it pretty much for the comedy only this time as he has turned into quite a bum over the years when everybody is clueless how to bring the lost souls and friends back. And there are many other comedy-themed moments in here. You will laugh, but you will also be sad on some occasions. I will go into further detail about that statement in the next paragraph, so if you want to avoid in-depth spoilers, then now is the time to stop reading.
I personally was more shocked by the death of Black Widow than by the death of Iron Man, perhaps because I have never been a huge RDJ fan in this franchise, even if I don't mind him either. And well, Scar-Jo plays in some films I quite adore, so it was sad to see her go, also because the build-up was very strong and you never knew if it was her or Jeremy Renner's character who would die. I like him too, so a loss-loss for me. Oh well I read Black Widow will get her own film soon, so I am curious how that turns out. 100% I'm gonna watch it. And at the end, when we find out about Captain America's personal decision how to spend the rest of his life, it was a bit sad and touching too, even if I think I read that Evans is finished with the franchise after this film. We'll see how his replacement does. I have a bit of a feeling by now they are really trying too hard to get African American actors in here for the sake of it. But maybe he can prove me wrong and he is actually good. Another scene I did not like very much was the female-power-centered one when we see virtually all female characters line up all of a sudden. That did feel cringeworthy and just for the sake of pleasing liberal Hollywood. But yeah, there were many really good moments that quickly make me forget about these, so it is all good. There were great moments without a doubt and I think the Avengers universe keeps going in style. But you should not expect this film to be as good as the last. I think it stays lower quality-wise. Stan Lee's final brief cameo was also rather underwhelming. May he rest in peace. Okay finally, the closing credits were kinda special this time because we also see the protagonists in a unique way and do not get the usual epilogue scene with indications to the next movie, but it makes sense as of course there is definite closure in this movie here and the Russos most likely won't return or if they will, they have no ideas yet what will come up next. It must be special to top Thanos and these two films for sure though. But yeah, the universe is restored, half of the civilization erased is back and Thanos is defeated, so time to take a breath for a little while. And pay attention to how it is those who survived the cleansing (Black Widow, Iron Man and Captain America) who are eventually those who can be called fallen, well CA only to some extent. I think it is not necessary to give you a recommendation here as you probably know very well how much you like superhero films. The one thing I think is essential though is that you must absolutely watch the 2018 film before seeing this one and then you can decide for yourself if you want to sit through another 3 hours on the subject or accept evil being victorious. Make the right choice for yourself. I give Avengers: Endgame a thumbs-up, but not a too enthusiastic one as before.