Endgame closes off a decade of storytelling in suitably epic fashion

Rating: 8/10 (29 April 2019)

Avengers: Endgame, the culmination of eleven years of storytelling spanning twenty-two movies, represents a very peculiar time in the history of film. It is at once an incredibly ambitious project and the product of twenty-two mostly reasonable, inoffensive films made to appeal to the broadest audience possible. It is a celebration of something I'm not sure should be celebrated, the concentration of the box office and blockbuster culture at the expense of artistry, done so by an aggressive corporation that conquers more and more of Hollywood's creative landscape each day.
And it's absolutely magnificent.
Endgame is the sequel to last year's Infinity War, an average movie elevated by a truly shocking ending. For the first time, we went into our twice-a-year dose of Marvel movie expecting the expected victory and were greeted with bitter defeat. Our heroes had been tossed aside, their ideals shattered and in many cases lives ended, all to give this purple raisin man a happy ending complete with a farm and an infuriating little grin. It was incredible because it was unexpected, and unexpected not because it wasn't a possibility, but within the Marvel Cinematic Universe the concept of the unexpected seemed as foreign to their writers as original storytelling.
To say I dislike the Marvel Cinematic Universe would be an overstatement. I have seen all twenty-two of its installments, and while liking only a few of them, there have been fewer still that I've actively disliked. For the most part, they've been perfectly reasonable ways to spend a couple hours on a Saturday afternoon, undercut by low stakes and the inevitable joke that follows every dramatic moment.
But although Endgame is a part of this franchise, its storytelling feels decidedly different. Where the MCU is comical, Endgame is dramatic. Where the MCU is superficial, Endgame is expansive and thorough. Where the MCU is formulaic, Endgame is unpredictable. Where the MCU is cynical, Endgame is emotional. And where the MCU is always building to a conclusion that it seems will never come, Endgame is that conclusion. Of course, this isn't to say it doesn't retain some elements of what's made the MCU so popular. The humour and characterization are there, though a little less fleshed out than in previous installments.
This relative lack of characterization and humour makes sense given the context of the film. We've already seen twenty other films, which served not only the purpose of building to where we are now but familiarizing us with the characters that populate this story. Understanding it felt rewarding, as if I'd studied for the last ten years and proceeded to do well on the exam, a feeling I'm hardly familiar with. And what characterization there is is generally well thought out, even if the dialogue lacks the snappiness of Whedon's takes on the franchise.
But what the film does have is power. Emotional moments take center stage, with more a scene than not delivering a tear-inducing moment, doubtlessly rendering the invested viewer an emotional wreck by the time the credits roll. The Russos very clearly understand that they're delivering the final adventure - at least of this particular saga - and imbue their film with powerful nostalgia enhanced by melancholy and exhilaration in equal measure.
This isn't to say Endgame is a masterpiece. The story's logic often threatens to cave down on itself and the film as a whole is somewhat short on action. Thor's arc isn't handled nearly as gracefully as the others, which is a shame because he became one of the more interesting Avengers after Ragnarok and arguably the most after Infinity War. The pacing of individual scenes occasionally feels unnecessarily drawn out, usually to service a limp punch-line that reduces whatever emotion the respective scene was striving towards. The second act feels underdeveloped compared to the first and the third, offering an interesting concept while failing to exploit its thematic potential. But there are moments when all the pieces come together, delivering something it seems only this film can, a soaring, kinetic, exhilarating joy that had my audience applauding and me wanting to. And it's moments like these when Endgame is untouchable.
How the hell they follow this up is a question for a new era of actors, storytellers, and the corporation that towers over them all. But I'm going to bet that they don't.
As for me, I think I'm finished with superhero movies. That being said, they've been putting smiles on my face and tears in my eyes for almost my entire life, and for that I'm grateful.