Era-Defining Cinema

Rating: 10/10 (29 April 2019)

With universal critical and moviegoer acclaim, as well as an army of fans celebrating in unison, accompanied by the small accolade of utterly demolishing the worldwide opening weekend record with its $1,200,000,000 in receipts, literally doubling the record set by its predecessor, Infinity War, it would seem that even a cursory glance to an outsider would evince this film's status as an undisputed masterpiece.
What is special about this movie is something I've seen curious little attention about. See, with 11 years of careful guidance and incredible investment by Disney, culminating in a veritable universe like no other, that at this point seems to eclipse even the likes of Star Wars, Rings, and Thrones in terms of scope, possibility, and world-building, it still really could have been marred by an unsatisfying conclusion.
In an age of derivation and dwindling originality, it could have been all too tempting for the Russo brothers to have opted for the artistic approach of defying expectations a-la Rian Johnson, and essentially fumbling the attempt at goal.
Life is short, so when a fanbase has loyally invested over a decade of their lives across 21 movies, there was so much pressure on to provide not just a satisfying conclusion, not just another excellent movie, but something truly spectacular.
So, how did the Russos fare? How did they take Disney's monstrous $400 million budget, the expectations of millions of devoted fans awaiting with bated breath, the dozens of stars cast, the 50+ characters, and the delicate task of working with fabled comic book material guarded by legions of acolytes, and work with it?
They created a movie that will forever stand the test of time, setting the bar so far beyond reach of the chasing pack, it is doubtful it will ever be attempted to be beaten again.
One could even argue that Endgame is not just the conclusion to the first three phases of Marvel's cinematic universe, but to the very concept of comic book movies building towards a giant story arc and spanning movie upon movie.
After all, how else can you top an ending battle whose proportions make even its own predecessors seem small scale?
How else do you top a main villain so nefarious in his goals that the stakes are literally universal? A main villain so menacing that it takes an army of superheroes in effort to stop him?
How do you top a tapestry of imagination come to life, of intertwined powers and abilities unfolding through impeccable practical effects and CGI? How do you top it when all that is exhibited by fully fleshed out characters, now known and loved through their own precursor adventures, which also proved to be great films and successes for Marvel in their own right, which built relationships and history among these characters over years?
You just... don't.
Not much is known at this point about Marvel's future MCU plans, and with the acquisition of X-Men and Fantastic Four, we may see a reboot or offshoot of the MCU, whether through a loosely tied universe or one that exists completely separate to the current one.
Whatever the future movies have in store we can only guess, but it would be sensible bet that Marvel aims more for sole comic book outings that focus more on themselves rather than tying into their huge cinematic universe, if they take place within it at all.
Indeed DC seems to have thrown in that towel with the failure of Justice League, and them now focusing on solo outings. Their dreams of matching Marvel's monumental saga are surely effaced with the decent successes with solo efforts Aquaman and Shazam, and their upcoming Joker experiment that offers no connection to their expanded universe at all
Suffice it to say, for Marvel and Disney there can be no shame in them resting easy and dialling down the ambitions, knowing their Endgame really was the crowning jewel... the absolute masterclass conclusion that will assuredly be the most iconic of its genre probably forever... that not just rose to expectations, but easily exceeded them, and etched their incredible saga into stone, defining this entire decade of cinema.