For a decade now the folks at Marvel Studios have been cranking out fantastic superhero movies based on the incredible characters that populate the landscape of the Marvel Comics Universe. In 2008 they opened with Robert Downey, Jr. in a career-saving role as Iron Man. At the time, Spider-Man and the X-Men, along with the Hulk, were perhaps the most beloved characters that had been brought to screen from that universe (of over 5,000 characters, by the way, and growing).
From that initial breakthrough film, two sequels followed and other characters were introduced and brought together to form The Avengers. Captain America: the First Avenger made Chris Evans a household name, and had two highly succcesful sequels. Chris Hemsworth, meanwhile, brought theNorse God of Thunder to life in Thor and its two sequels (the best of which was the last one, Ragnarok).
Along the way we met Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow and Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye. Putting them together was the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Samuel L. Jackson’s Nick Fury, along with his right hand woman Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) and right hand man Phil Coulson, played by Clark Gregg. Coulson’s character became so popular that after they killed him off, they resurrected him (scientifically with alien technology, led by Dr. Streiten, played by the late great Ron Glass) and built an entire ABC weekly hour-long drama series around him, and the sixth season of that show, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,premieres May 10 with an episode directed by Gregg.
The Avengers franchise began with a record-shattering $1.5 billion entry directed by Joss Whedon in 2012, followed by more sequels, including last year’s phenomenonal Avengers: Infinity War. Now, as most of you know, over the past few years they have also introduced films for Dr. Strange, another role Benedict Cumberbatch was born to play; the Guardians of the Galaxy (2 films so far); Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and its sequel Ant-Man and The Wasp (Evangeline Lilly);Spider-Man (now played by Tom Holland, and rescued from Sony at last); this spring’s Captain Marvel (Brie Larson); and last year’s stunningly sensational Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman).
So at this point you’re saying to yourself, why is all this backstory being given and nothing said about the film this article is s’posed to be about —Avengers: Endgame. Well, the bottom line is that the new film is so mind-blowing and amazing, especially considering the events of its predecessor, Infinity War, that to detail the content of the film would spoil it for you.
Suffice it to say that Avengers: Endgame is one of the finest films ever made, even as a sequel. You might wonder why they need three hours and change to tell this story, and the first time you see it you will know why. And then you will go back to try to take it all in and process the movie magic you just experienced. Please do yourself a favor and plan ahead. This is a very long film with no intermission, so I highly recommend no fluids for several hours beforehand, because there is no let-up, no downtime that you would want to miss on a bathroom break. Get the big popcorn, some candy, and skip the soda.
The Rotten Tomatoes Critics Consensus: “Exciting, entertaining, and emotionally impactful, Avengers: Endgame does whatever it takes to deliver a satisfying finale to Marvel’s epic Infinity Saga.” 96% Fresh based on 106 reviews. Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and some language.
SEMI-SPOILERY FINAL NOTE: This film calls back to every Marvel film before it and pays tribute while tying up loose ends and bringing ‘the feels’ about many of our favorite characters and their family relationships over the course of the twenty-odd films leading up to it. It is a tremendous ending to the first three phases of the MCU. You may read elsewhere about character deaths and such but I am not going to spoil the movie for you. It starts with a BOOM not a bang and doesn’t let up as it changes from one ‘type’ of film seemingly to another, while maintaining the integrity of the story and delivering a thoroughly rewarding cinematic experience. Expect it to smash many existing box office records, and even if it doesn’t get Oscar attention, it is a magnificent achievement, the crown jewel of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
