A fitting farewell to an incredible era

Rating: 8/10 (24 April 2019)

DISCLAIMER- This is a spoiler FREE review
Well, here we are.
After 11 year's of top quality entertainment and planning that started all the way back with 2008's surprise smash hit Iron Man (do you feel old yet? I sure do), this part of Marvel's world domination comes to an end with what's likely to be one of, if not the biggest film's of all time, The Avengers: Endgame.
It's a somewhat odd, occasionally emotional and fitting experience sitting back and concluding this part of the Marvel universe and while we know there's countless more Marvel film's coming our way, Endgame really does feel like the culmination of year's of hard work and adventures, that while not perfect, feels like a fitting tribute to what's come before and what still lays ahead.
It's incredibly hard to talk about Endgame in depth without ruining the narrative the Russo brother's and their team have created but suffice to say the creative minds behind the scenes have given us another top quality piece of blockbuster filmmaking, that's likely to please diehard fans and more casual cinemagoers alike, the only problem is, when compared to it's genuinely surprising and perfectly paced predecessor, Endgame does feel slightly more formulaic and long in the tooth.
It's picky for sure, but Infinity War gave us a Marvel experience that was unexpected, hilarious, emotional and epic and while Endgame has this in parts, it's not as all encompassing as last year's experience, even if by the rulebook, this was never going to be the case when tying up so many loose ends and finalising so much of what has come before it over the year's.
A lot of these endings and plot tie ups will please those that have invested so much into a series that has been operating on an extremely high level for a number of year's, it's just that Marvel almost outdid themselves in Infinity War, making the more by the numbers plot threads and leaps of logic found in Endgame more highlighted than usual.
The other minor nitpick with the film is Endgames much talked about epic 3 hour runtime and while the film starts with some unexpected and emotionally charged instances, there's a clear late beginning and middle section of the film that at times drags and cover's similar ground one too many times, even if by relative terms, the runtime in the Russo's film never is too detrimental to the fun to be had.
This fun comes in many forms, with particular highlights being Thor's new found lifestyle, the Hulk's more prominent role and Captain Marvel's addition to the Avengers family, while the films big action scenes (that must be said aren't that abundant) are a sight to behold, with Marvel once more showing off their ability to handle spectacles as good as, if not better than, everyone else.
At the end of the day, it's been an incredible period for Marvel, with arguably no outright failures and an abundance of big winners, we've been spoilt for 11 straight year's and while Endgame may not be the best of the best, it's still a mighty fine and emotionally charged finale that does the beloved cinematic universe proud.
Final Say -
While not as surprising or even as Infinty War, Endgame is still a top quality and fitting end to so much good work that's come before it and while it's sad to say goodbye to this particular era, it's exciting to see what lays in store for Marvel moving ahead.
4 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches out of 5