Smooth landing to an amazing 11 year ride

Rating: 10/10 (26 April 2019)

This is made by people who do, for people who do, and this movie itself, does, love the MCU. You can think of it as a TV show finale. After 21 episodes that are all feature length. And before you can even say "oh no those are all terrible", this immediately proves itself to be an exception to that rule. Where the equally masterful Infinity War was almost one long action climax, this is less about fights. Which doesn't mean it doesn't have any. Or that they're anything less than excellent. And this film is definitely never boring. This focuses on character exploration. Every member of the original Avengers team, and a handful individuals that aren't, all get significant depth. I remain one of the few people who argue that Age of Ultron did deliver that, albeit in small concentrated format. This easily tops that. Everyone is pushed into a situation new to them. The trailers hint at some of these, whilst leaving others as incredible surprises. Make sure you avoid spoilers before watching this.
This picture moves fast and packs a lot into its not quite lean running time. In other words, it's directed by the Russo Brothers. The length is justified. I wouldn't cut anything from this. The emotional moments don't feel sappy. The countless callbacks and references don't feel like they're just there to make you feel good for paying attention to all that lead to this one. The acting shows just how well all of these performers understand the characters. And the screenplay does the same for the writers. The effects are astonishing, yet again getting us to care about individuals that we know are all CG. It uses the varied skills, equipment and the like, of the unique heroes and villains, creatively. This delivers deeply satisfying closure. It truly is a conclusion. It's not trying to get you back to the theatre for the next adventure. The few currently confirmed entries into this franchise don't need hyping, anyway. Spider-Man with Mysterio? Another Black Panther story? The unfairly fired James Gunn returning to round out the trilogy of the Guardians of the Galaxy? Solo Black widow, *finally*? More Dr Strange? Shang-Chi, The Eternals, Blade? Keep 'em coming.
I recommend this to everyone who's taken this entire journey. And if you're someone who's skipped some, or held off on this series up to this point, this is an excellent reason to address that. Unless they're simply not to your liking. This is not going to change that. It's not meant to. 10/10