A Tour de Force of Cosmic Proportions

Rating: 8/10 (27 April 2019)

After watching this movie I had to wait a few hours before writing this review because of how drained I felt after. So many characters and so many moving pieces unite for a visually stunning finished product that wraps up decades of works from thousands of people.
Honestly, it was all a lot to take in. The many twists and turns and careful attention given to each character made me think this would be much more manageable as a mini series or even a full season of a TV show. Since that is not commercially viable, we have an elongated character-driven action film that tries to focus on over 20 characters and their emotions and motivations.
Since we have been introduced to these characters before, we feel invested in their journeys throughout this film. These leads to a speedy 3 hour emotional roller coaster ride as we are quickly taken through the many actions of reactions in so many characters in such a tight time frame.
While the planning and execution of this was done well, I couldn't help but feel that there were many distractions that disconnected me from the story and reminded me I was watching a movie. Matthew Berry from ESPN on a speaking role? Why? Joe Russo as an emotional man in a strange therapy group talking about crying during his date? Why? Referencing films during the movie that some of the actors in the movie actually started in... All of these serve to distract from the final product and the central themes and developments of the plot for very little payoff.
However, overall this was a well made movie. Great visual effects, a great cast, a well-written story, and good management of all of the central characters. Yet, there were those glimmers throughout the movie that kept poking you to remind you that you were watching a Marvel movie. This, at times, felt like too much. This was a great end to a long and well thought out project. Yet, somehow I don't believe for a second this will actually be the end. It seems like this movies will keep coming out until audiences have had enough, which won't be anytime soon.