A Near-Perfect Finale

Rating: 10/10 (27 April 2019)

It has been eleven years and 21 films until this point and whether or not you have been a fan of each and every film or not, it's undeniable that what producer Kevin Feige has been spearheading all these years is unprecedented and will probably be at least another decade until something like this is even attempted again. Even though Avengers: Infinity War felt like every storyline was colliding last year, Avengers: Endgame is the true finale of what they are now calling the Infinity Saga. Beginning with Iron Man in 2008 and finishing with Avengers: Endgame in 2019, this is a franchise that was made for fans of this newfound genre in superhero filmmaking and Avengers: Endgame is a near-perfect conclusion in every way.
Picking up shortly after the events of Avengers: Infinity War (and don't worry, I won't be spoiling anything from this movie), we meet the team at their lowest point in the entire franchise. The first act of this film is really just about them coping, but shimmers of hope begin to arise, giving them ideas and possibilities for a new future going forward. The journey this film takes you on is absolutely astounding and there are some moments that will have you thinking the franchise has officially peaked, but I feel that fans have earned those moments for being invested through thing many films. There's honestly only so much to say without ruining the experience, so I'll move on to some specifics here.
Robert Downey Jr. has always been great as Tony Stark, but due to the circumstances left by the previous film, I truly don't think he's ever been as good on-screen as he is in this film. He carries the emotional weight of the film on his shoulders and I just wanted to applaud every second he was on camera. On top of that, everyone from Karen Gillan (Nebula) getting more Tod do than she has ever done, to Chris Evans truly earning back his character's name, to even Jeremy Renner, who hasn't exactly had many standout moments until now, every cast member brings their all here and I could go on for days about how Avengers: Endgame features the most devoted cast any of these films have seen. I would also like to commend Scarlett Johansson, as it has been years since I've seen her this committed to a character.
Audiences will flock to this movie hoping for a lot of big-budget spectacle, and although there are some of the craziest sequences in the franchise thus far, I have to admit that fans of drama will also probably appreciate this movie more than most of the films in the franchise. The impact the previous film has on this movie is severe and it really shows throughout the first two acts. From some great cinematography and new visuals we've yet to see until now, this is the definition of a film that has it all.
There's so much I would like to dive into here, but I'll just say this is the definition of a movie that people dream up when watching a franchise. Story threads are tied up nicely, the spectacle is dialled up to a million, the performances are probably the best that this franchise has ever seen, and the humour is absolutely still present and well-balanced with the drama in a way that feels needed for this heavy movie. Overall, Avengers: Endgame isn't a perfect movie, because really, no film of this size can truly be perfect, but this was one of the best theatre-going experiences I've had in years. This is a true finale that earns every second of it's three hour run time. Here's to a bright future for the Marvel Cinematic Universe.