Posted by This is it. After 11 years and umpteen films the saga has finally got an ending. Taking off where the wonderful yet dark Infinity War left off, we see a world that has fallen into chaos and despair. Thanos has won but not if our stubborn heroes can help it, as the enormous ensemble of super heroes plot a way to undo the havoc the purple one wreaked upon the universe.
Directed like Infinity War by Anthony and Joe Russo, Avengers Endgame is an emotionally intense and surprisingly fast three hours. Right from the off you really get a sense of the void left in the wake of that snap, and the turmoil it left our heroes in. Everyone from Black Widow, Captain America, Hawkeye, Iron Man and Thor to name but a few are broken. You see how they try to move on, how some flourish and find peace, and others only inertia, darkness and pain.
Endgame is a well crafted love letter to the fans, that bathes itself in nostalgia and their trademark sense of humour. Although it is predictable, how they go about foiling Thanos’ deed is to be expected and leaves quite a few questions in its wake. To paraphrase Dr Who it is very ‘wibbly, wobbly, timey, wimey’ and befuddlement is a natural consequence of this. The climactic battle scene is reminiscent of that in Ready Player One, a gargantuan explosion of colour with things happening at every turn. Fun is certainly had but it is a bit bewildering as so much is going on at once.
Captain America and Iron Man are the stars of the show, with Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr captivating from start to finish. Nebula is pivotal to the plot and Karen Gillan’s dark, serious yet caring portrayal more than matches her prominence. The route taken with Thor and Hulk – Chris Hemsworth and Mark Ruffalo respectively – was different but after a bit of getting used too quite refreshing, although the Hulk of old was sorely missed in the big battles. Despite much potential and her God like power Captain Marvel, Brie Larson, is sorely underused and when she is it is rather piecemeal.
A fun, emotionally intense and crowd pleasing climax to the saga that is a tad too predictable and leaves too many questions for it to better Infinity War.
6.5/10
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