So many memories; Infinity Gauntlet up!

Rating: 6/10 (25 April 2019)

It's fascinating how the geeks who are most devastated during a typical Marvel movie are often the same geeks who need to know everything about everything before the film in question comes out. The same people who wonder which of the superheroes erased in Avengers: Infinity War will return, and who will die for good in its sequel, are also well aware that actors like Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Holland still have pictures announced and that the contracts of Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. have at long last expired.
Here's another hint: by the start of Avengers: Engame, a mostly thunderous follow-up to Infinity War that brings 20+ films and multiple series to a climax, only the original Avengers plus good old Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper), are left to fight the mighty Thanos (Josh Brolin, as terrific as the CGI), now resting after snapping his Infinity Gauntlet and "balancing the Universe". If it wasn't obvious that Engame would be their swan song on some level, then I'm happy for ya.
This means that Tony Stark/Iron Man (Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Evans), Thor Odinson (Chris Hemsworth), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Dr. Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), and James Rhodes/War Machine (Don Cheadle) are leading the charge, and they are rejoined by Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), another survivor from the original crew. Additionally, Scott "Ant-Man" Lang (Paul Rudd) emerges from the sub-atomic Quantum Realm, which holds the secret to how one defeats Thanos, even if he wields Dr. Strange's Time Stone. It doesn't involve any journeys up the mad titan's rectum, as the Internet has hoped.
A pissed Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and Thanos' cyborg daughter Nebula (Karen Gillan) are also with our heroes but trust me, no matter how long I go on, I won't do justice the brawl on which this movie ends or what a grand finale it is to everything we've seen since Iron Man. Is this too much info already? Does it kill the surprise twist that Endgame ends with a bunch of superheroes attacking the baddie?
I won't explicitly spoil anything, but how does one watch this franchise religiously and still fear that the damage dealt by Thanos in Infinity War would last? Do none of you remember when Loki took over Asgard but it was fixed without hassle? Or the devastating fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. which was fixed in Ultron before much could happen? Indeed, throughout this titanic saga, there have been some brisk solutions to problems created by other filmmakers in previous chapters, and some of what the Russo brothers do in Endgame is no exception.
However, there IS time for the aftermath of The Snap to sink in and the way the characters act is still completely consistent and understandable, given the events they've seen. People often cite Thor and how his eventual sense of humor (itself a coping mechanism) makes perfect sense, considering his time spent with jokester Tony Stark and company, and need I mention the evolution of Cap?
Endgame does well with its characters in general, particularly at the start where everyone is at a low point following The Snap. I also find that I enjoy Captain Marvel a lot more when she is working off the others and, get this, actually has bit of an arc that involves learning about teamwork. There are some unexpected but welcome cameos as well, during the wonderfully trippy second act especially. So many memories.
You can watch Endgame on its own and enjoy it (just brace for a few rushed effects and needless jokes), but even filler like Ant-Man 2 helps us understand where all these characters have ended up. Among MCU directors, the Russos seem to be the best at incorporating callbacks to previous Marvel films without making it distracting, or like said films are mandatory viewing. Having seen them all before the finale, however, is quite rewarding. They even fill in some blanks I didn't know we had.
The MCU isn't perfect, especially after Captain Marvel and I guess Homecoming messed with the continuity somewhat, but the fact remains that few cinematic projects have been this meticulously planned and ambitious. As I am weary of superhero movies, I hope this is indeed an ending for the craze. And as such, it could have been far worse.
I'm not saying it's the end. To be more realstically cynical, I have no misapprehension that Disney will abandon this money-well just because Endgame would make a good final movie. I'm sure they'll try to top it. After the Fox merger, they do have access to Galactus, Apocalypse and, worse yet, Deadpool.