A worthy farewell.

Rating: 10/10 (7 May 2019)

After the devastating conclusion of last year's bombastic Avengers: Infinity War, the remaining Avengers who were fortunate enough to survive the 'Thanos Snap' (in which half the population were reduced to ashes) find themselves in a position they've never before found themselves: defeated. Thanos succeeded in his mission to restore balance, leaving all those who survived to mourn those they tragically lost. With the mad titans whereabouts unknown, the Avengers devise a plan to retrieve the Infinity Gauntlet in order to bring back everyone they lost. Meanwhile, Tony Stark (Downey Jr) and Nebula (Karen Gillan) remain adrift in space with oxygen and food gradually running out, along with their hope of somehow being rescued.
Joe and Anthony Russo (directors of previous MCU entries The Winter Soldier and Civil War) had a monumental task on their hands. Infinity War was staggeringly ambitious, but Endgame serves as the conclusion of The Infinity Saga, a 22-film epic that began with Iron Man in 2008. With so many character arcs and storylines to bring to a satisfying conclusion, it's an absolute wonder that the Russo Brothers pull it off as spectacularly as they do, because Avengers: Endgame certainly delivers a fantastic finale worthy of the 11-year journey.
Picking up not too long after the shocking events of Infinity War, Endgame reintroduces our beaten heroes in a sombre state of mourning, marking a dramatic shift in tone when compared to the action-packed openings of the previous Avengers films. It isn't all despairing gloom, however, as the traditional MCU humour that has been present in every entry of the series thus far is carefully sprinkled throughout, creating a carefully constructed balance between solemn drama and light hearted comic relief. Fortunately, neither one of those elements overshadow the other. With a film of such a broad canvas (running at a precise 3 hours, the longest MCU instalment to date), Endgame serves as a greatest hits montage of sorts, highlighting various plotlines and memorable moments of previous instalments, resulting in a film that provides an overwhelming tidal wave of fan service. This, of course, is no bad thing, and what's commendable about the whole ordeal is that the plot never gets lost in the noise.
Just like Infinity War, the film crams in an army of diverse characters. An inevitable factor of the film is that a select few of this mighty ensemble are shuffled off to the side-lines, but the core focus of Endgame are the original six Avengers that started it all, and rightfully so. Iron Man, Captain America (Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Johansson), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) take centre stage here, and the film very much feels like a glorious celebration of their time in the MCU and an emotional goodbye to their iconic characters that many have grown up with over the past 11 years. As their sprawling character arcs come to their satisfying conclusions, it's difficult not to feel the emotional weight of it all, and Endgame packs more than its fair share of gut punches. One of the more underutilized characters of the MCU is undoubtably Gillan's Nebula, but here she is thrust into the spotlight on several occasions, highlighting the complex journey that Nebula has taken throughout her time in this cinematic universe, from one dimensional side-note villain, to one of the most complex and emotionally rich characters we've seen so far.
Endgame's triumphant third act is an absolute marvel to behold. It's an explosive, chaotic battle between good and evil that crams so much magnificent spectacle in every single frame that it's almost impossible to take it all in on first viewing. What the Russo's capture during this final conflict is a comic book fans dream come true, with top tier cinematography by Trent Opaloch. It all leads to a staggeringly awesome yet emotional climax that will undoubtably go down in history as one of the most iconic moments in comic book cinema.
The MCU revolutionised the comic book movie, cementing their place in pop culture and even captured the imaginations of those who may have never before read a comic book in their lives. Comic book movies today are what spaghetti westerns were in the 60's and 70's, and it seems as though the MCU still has many more stories to tell in the years ahead. Endgame ultimately delivers a worthy ending, concluding The Infinity Saga in an epic fashion. It's visually brilliant, emotionally driven, and is the MCU's greatest achievement yet.