A tribute to the fandom and an undoubtedly epic conclusion to this franchise.

Rating: 9/10 (29 April 2019)

Avengers: Endgame may have just become my favorite installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and will also be remembered for decades to come in cinema history for most of the same reasons. I'd like to point the various shortcomings of the film first, the fallout of The Decimation from Infinity War is ultimately heartfelt but at times slow and the same can be said for around the middle of the second act as the time traveling shenanigans drag just a little bit. For the former I feel like because most of the trailer footage was from the beginning of the film the beginning felt like just watching the same thing again and the latter because of how convoluted it got with the time travel logic. It makes no sense, the plot is solid but these films are character driven stories and that's what Endgame greatly succeeds at throughout the 3 hour run-time which personally didn't bother me at all. There were a couple of character decisions I didn't like such as Thor's portrayal being well done but a bit forced (Fortnite). It's the same thing with Professor Hulk, I didn't like how he just became the way he was off screen. That's all I didn't like, now get ready for overwhelming praise. Avengers: Endgame is structured so well and in a completely different way from the previous Avengers flick but the two compliment each other in the best ways and they feel like one story that's of a colossal length but the films handle it so differently while still making it feel cohesive. Like I previously mentioned, the movie is character driven and it seems like the team behind the film really understand the ins and outs of these characters and their purpose in making the narrative more compelling. The arcs and storylines come full circle while still setting up Phase 4 enough to not need a Post-Credit scene which doesn't hold the movie back at all as it's clearly the culmination of the stories from the past 11 years. Tony has been defending the world for years and he's never truly gotten to rest until now since he finally could save the world he'd been defending. Cap finally gets to some good for himself and gets to live a life after willingly sacrificing his chance to live one in fighting for the good of people. Thor finally is able to be who is instead of having to attempt to live up to what destiny says what he's supposed to be. Bruce finally comes to piece with his supposed enemy the Hulk and finds a way to ease the conflict between the two. Nat finally clears the red in her ledger after sacrificing herself and ending the turmoil within herself that was caused by her past. Clint finally reunites with his fallen family after being so consumed by his guilt and dread that he resorted to violence to cope with his emotions. I said finally a lot there and for good reason because the thematic elements are from the depth found within the characters. Avengers: Endgame progressively gets more intriguing as it continues, the third act is by far the strongest with the resurrection of the fallen heroes and what is most likely the largest scale battle we have ever seen in a movie. The fan service in the third act greatly benefits the story in my eyes, I love how it was all built up. Cap wielding Mjolnir, the exchanges of meaningful dialogue and by far my favorite, the moment in which all the characters stand together on the same battlefield and charge toward's Thanos and his massive army after Cap says some of my favorite words a character has ever said: Avengers, assemble. The cgi wasn't even a flaw here, it didn't matter to me. The whole thing was amazing, people often throw around the word epic and don't use it in the right context. This is how you use it correctly, this epic. I walked away from the theater stunned by the conclusion to the film, the arcs of these memorable characters end in the most satisfying way possible and the final battle was indescribable. Despite the issues I mentioned earlier, I loved Avengers: Endgame as it provided a remarkably satisfying ending to the previous 21 MCU films in a beyond epic conclusion which balances comedy and an entire range of powerful emotions ambitiously and successfully.