Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo

Synopsis:
Five years after Thanos wiped out half of all life in the universe, the surviving Avengers and their allies devise a plan to undo the damage.

Impressions:
I know I'm a little late to the party on this, but I couldn't very well be left out on the biggest cinematic event of the year for too long. I'll admit that like many people, I'm getting a little worn down by the prevalence of comic book movies, so I didn't feel quite so compelled to go out and see this in the theaters, knowing that I'd eventually get my shot viewing this as in-flight entertainment. While I don't feel this film was as effective as Infinity War, it does a pretty good job of hitting the emotional notes, delivering some solid action, and really feeling like it's tying a bow on a package comprised of over ten years and twenty films of Phases 1 to 3 of the MCU. I felt the second act was the strongest part of the film, with a lot of continuity callbacks that feel fairly rewarding for fans of the series. The finale is a bit overwrought as these massive CGI battles tend to be, but if you're here for the spectacle, it shouldn't disappoint.

Infinity War was truly Thanos' movie and after seeing him get such an excellent portrayal there, his presence here feels quite a bit underwhelming by comparison. He does what he needs to do as the big bad, but not much more.

There's no way to discuss the central gimmick without some spoilage, so avert your eyes if you want to keep it a surprise. The way time travel is handled might make you scratch your head a bit. They insist that it works differently than other forms of time travel fiction but never really explain how it works differently, nor does it sort out some paradoxes that show up. I guess you're not supposed to think about it too much.

In the final tally, we get what is overall satisfying closure for a number of our core cast members. Although we've got Phase 4 ahead of us, for a lot of people this feels like the end and it's not a bad way to end it. I don't imagine we'll see anything quite like this again, a grand project of such breadth and scope. It was quite a ride and if you've come this far, you ought to see it through. Give it a watch at the very least.

Rating:
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