Glorious 3 Hour Epics Are Back

Rating: 10/10 (25 April 2019)

It's impossible to watch a film of this much scale, history, cultural importance, and franchise-carrying characters in a vacuum. No other franchise has the balls, nor the emotional buildup that it carries to justify a 3-hour runtime in a world where those kinds of runtimes are limited to fantasy epics (Lord of the Rings) or old glorious 70 millimeter films (Lawrence of Arabia). I guess that's what best describes Endgame, it is a glorious and grossly satisfying epic, and one that will soon become a classic etched and immortalized in the cultural consciousness of a generation.
If there's one thing that Marvel has done properly, its understanding how to do good on their characters. The MCU has thrived because it has consistently followed a philosophy of putting characters first. There is a reason why this movie broke pre-sale records, why there were cheers, tears and rounds of applause from the audience in each shining moment of the film. Endgame takes Marvel's character-driven storytelling to its extreme and most appealing. Infinity War largely proved how Marvel knows how to divide it characters, unite them all with one common threat and theme, and deliver a punch in the gut ending that had fans dusting their tears.
At the start of Endgame, fans are at the same emotional headspace as their favorite characters who are at a loss for hope. Right off the bat, the Russo brothers as directors have put themselves in a corner that allowed them to find a creative way out of it. Together with screenplay writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the story feels more rich, poignant, and satisfying. It goes without saying that you shouldn't go into this film expecting a high-art, indie slow burner, it still flows and feels very much like a Marvel movie, but the difference is that it is more restrained. The film opts for quieter, relaxed, and introspective scenes between characters. Steve, Tony, Clint, Natasha, Thor, and Banner all get their moments to shine, and it's clear that this is the original six's movie if Infinity War was Thanos'.
Each fan service moment feels earned, despite it being obviously shameless and pandering, it feels like the Avengers can justify showing off a little especially after 11 years of buildup. Nothing beats the collective gasps and thunderous applause you get from the audience whenever each iconic moment occurs. Endgame is clearly, unapologetically, and triumphantly made for the fans. Each scene, each line of dialogue and each callback is constructed passionately and with care. No arcs in the last 11 years were left forgotten and left in the dust.
As an epilogue to the now titled "Infinity Saga", this film works best as the season finale of a long running cinematic television epic. If you see it that way, you'll understand the motivations behind the creative decisions that the filmmakers made. Each plot point may feel overused or something you've seen before, but the people behind the scenes know it and even acknowledge it within the film. It doesn't mean they are unmotivated, but rather the opposite, they use it to stunning effect for incredibly emotional payoffs that honestly feels like a miracle that they managed to pull it off.
In the end, what more is there to say about this movie? Aside from its consistently stunning visuals, creative cinematography, coherent action set pieces, and kick-ass musical score, this film is all about emotion and getting the catharsis you've always wanted as a fan, a normal moviegoer, or as a little kid. Some people grew up with the MCU, 11 years is a damn long time and I'm definitely part of those who did. I guess this is what those kids in the 70s-80s felt when they saw Star Wars.
Verdict: 4.8/5