A marvel to stand the test of time.

Rating: 10/10 (26 April 2019)

I'm a huge marvel fan, even to the annoyance of some of my friends, and I think that marvel has produced some of the best to be movies to be released in the past decade. I think films like Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor Ragnarok, and the Captain Americas will age as a definitive part of my generation's history. When the first avengers movie released, I was twelve. It would be no exaggeration to say that the movies that followed were a big part of my teenage years. I'm not even a big action movie guy, but I believe in importance of superheroes.
This was also possibly the best theater experience I've ever had. Watching this with a theater full of fellow fans is an enjoyment of it's own. Watch this with friends. There were plenty of times I couldn't even keep my mouth closed shut.
Even if you're not a marvel fan though, I'm willing to bet you'll still have a blast. The cinematography and effects are nothing if not masterful. Often, the visuals will be enough to stun you completely. The sci fi elements are creative enough to keep the main plot interesting. The character writing is some of the best I've ever seen. The Russo boys really killed it this time, for one last show.
The second act of this movie ends up essentially (but debatable, depending on which movies were your favorites,) a kind of "Best Hits of Marvel" mix-tape. Then, in the third act, things get so nutty that you can only see it for yourself. The movie is able to call back to the many movies it is, in a sense both a sequel and tribute to, and yet still hold a new and exciting plot elements to explore. It's this balance that holds the whole thing together.
Somehow, this movie is able to wrap up almost everything the MCU has left open in creative and fun ways. It's satisfying, but more than that, it feels deserved. This is clearly, to anyone who sees it, the height and end of the long, brilliant saga which began with Jon Favreau's Iron Man.
Infinity War was far from perfect, and honestly didn't blow me away in any significant way. This movie did. A million times over, it felt like. It's not just the climax of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it's a beautiful monument to the works of Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Jim Starlin, and countless others. Avengers Endgame is best described as the ultimate comic book movie.
It's over. And at the same time, it's not.
"...I posit we are in a universe which favours stories. A universe in which no story can ever truly end; in which there can only be continuances. If we are in such a universe, as I hope, then we may have a chance"
-- Neil Gaiman, Marvel 1602
Just go see it. And then see it again. Maybe i'll see you there.