‘Avengers: Endgame’ Review: An homage to Marvel films past, present, and future
WARNING: REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS
11 years ago, Marvel released the critically-acclaimed Iron Man. The film was a long shot, and the creators had no idea of the impact it would have. Iron Man was preceded by over a decade of films that pushed the boundaries of the superhero genre, and provided us with a glimpse at a world where the battle of good vs evil takes to new heights. The films are brought new life with the latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Endgame.
The hype behind the film was greater than any Marvel film before it, as it represented an era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe coming to an end, and an emotional conclusion for some of our favorite character’s stories.
Despite the emotions, I managed to keep my composure throughout the film, and got through the three hour showing. The length of the film was daunting, but it didn’t feel dragged on in any way, nor did it feel too rushed and choppy. The length was almost perfect for the film, as it gave time for the characters to each get a shining moment, be it heroic sacrifices, comedic gags, or the occasional reference to Captain America’s butt.
The film starts where Avengers: Infinity War left our heroes: separated and lost, both physically and emotionally. The heroes dejectedly decide that, after seeing they can’t change anything with the stones gone, they can’t leave their hopes high on finding a way to get their friends back, until Ant-Man comes up with an idea that nobody managed to think in the five years that he was gone: time travel.
It became very clear as the film went on that time travel was a smart direction to take with Endgame, as it not only gave us a new angle at our favorite Marvel movies, but provided insight into the history of the infinity stones and their whereabouts throughout the years. As our characters travel back to different periods of the MCU’s past, we also witness how these actions in retrieving the stones affect the the time period, possibly setting the grounds for new films in a newly expanded multiverse.
The emotion captured by the characters make the scenes feel so much more powerful, and it made losing some of our favorite characters even more heartbreaking. Many heroic sacrifices were made in the process of reviving half the characters and defeating Thanos, and the effects are likely to be long-lasting on the fans and characters alike, as can be seen the in the latest Spiderman: Far From Home trailer.
The film is bound to be remembered as a classic, a retrospective of the MCU’s 11-year history, and I can’t wait to see how it sets up the next generation of Marvel films.
