Avengers Endgame, the fourth installment of the Avengers and the 21st installment in the MCU. It has officially been a month since this film released back in April, and after watching it two times, I have to say it is by far one of the best blockbusters not only of the MCU, but of Hollywood, as a whole.
Endgame takes place directly after and in the years following the events that transpired in 2018’s Infinity War. The main cast are the survivors of Thanos’s snap, many of whom were the original 2012 Avengers. These include Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, Chris Evans’ Captain America, Chris Hemsworth Thor, Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye, Mark Ruffalo’s Hulk, and Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow. We also see Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man, Brie Larson Captain Marvel, Bradley Cooper’s Rocket Racoon, Don Cheadle’s War Machine, and Karen Gillan’s Nebula. The legendary Josh Brolin also reprises his role as Thanos in this film.
Most of the actors in this movie played their roles exceptionally well, especially Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Bradley Cooper, and Jeremy Renner, who provided the major emotional points of Endgame. Each one of the actors mentioned above have already proven that they have mastered their roles in previous MCU films, and you can really see it in Endgame. From the looks on their faces to the body postures to the emotional and thought-provoking dialogue, Endgame would simply have not been a good film. Unlike Infinity War, where Josh Brolin, playing Thanos, drove the film with his stellar acting and amazing dialogue, Endgame relied once again on it’s heroes to tell the story, and they did a very fine job of doing so. Paul Rudd, Don Cheadle, MArk Ruffalo, and Chris Hemsworth also were excellent in this film, however their roles were mainly comedic in nature, and so they didn’t really drive the film the way other characters have.
One actor I did have a problem with, and I think I will continue to have a problem with, is Brie Larson. No offense to anyone, but when the sole point of a character is to be a strong female lead, you end up with a bland, boring character that feels forced and unrelatable. While that is mainly a screenwriting mistake, Brie Larson’s acting didn’t help either. She could have been replaced by a literal rock and would have carried the same emotional weight. Captain Marvel in both her movie and Endgame are so boring and bland, it genuinely feels that Brie Larson is being forced to play Captain Marvel for a school play or something,
Hanifa Rahman, a senior here at Edison loved the film and he especially liked the actors’ performances. She said “They all really captured the essence of the characters that they were supposed to play, just like they always have. Especially Robert Downey Jr.. No spoilers, but when he was on screen it was really emotional, throughout the whole movie. It reminds you that everything in the MCU starts with Tony, and that it is his story.”
The movie was beautiful, as is to be expected of an MCU money backed by the most money. A lot of the shots in this movie are well crafted and stunning. No spoilers, there are some really epic and really nostalgic scenes that really make Endgame a wholesome end to Phase 3 of the MCU. The films ending was the part that really brought everything together, as many fans were not expecting it.
The Russo Brothers really do know how to successfully and satisfyingly subvert our expectations. Rahman was one such fan, as she says “The ending definitely caught me off guard, and in the best and probably the saddest way way… It isn’t what I thought it was going to be at all, but I think the ending was better than whatever any fan was expecting. It definitely paid homage and tribute to the fact that the MCU has been a decade long endeavor.”
As good as the movie was, there are of course some things wrong with it, as no movie is perfect. As I have already touched upon, Brie Larson’s acting, and the character of Captain Marvel need a lot of reworks if the character is ever going to receive as much love and praise as everyone else in the MCU. The plot in the beginning of the movie is also kind of confusing the first viewing. Luckily, it all makes sense by the end. That is all I can say without spoiling anything. My last grievance with the film is Thor. Although Chris Hemsworth was great, as he always is, the way Thor was written in this movie was in very stark contrast to how he was in Infinity War, where he was a main driver of the plot. Instead, Thor took the comic relief role of the film, but took it to the extreme. I’m not going to lie, it was hilarious, but it just seemed a bit much and a bit out of place. While the change in his character from Infinity War to Endgame makes sense, it still doesn’t feel right. Besides these few caveats, the movie was excellent.
Despite my criticisms of the film, I still give Endgame a 9.9 out of 10. It is a genuinely well thought out and well developed movie, and both encapsulates and displays the true quality of the MCU. Would I recommend you watch it? Of course, especially if you’ve invested yourself in the rest of the MCU. It the perfect conclusion to Phase 3 and I highly recommend you watch it if you have not already.