By Shane Conto
I sat in the theater awaiting the start of Avengers: Endgame after 11 years of waiting. 11 years of slowly becoming invested in a cast of heroes that should never have been and a franchise that never should’ve worked. After three hours of emotional rollercoasters and spectacle, I sat with tears in my eyes and tears running down my face. I cannot think of another film quite like Endgame and I am not sure I will ever see another one again. Kevin Feige has acted as the grand wizard of this magical ride but The Russo Brothers are the ones who are behind the camera that have successfully brought the finale of The Infinity Saga to the big screen. They successfully created a third act that is so amazing and awe-inspiring that I cannot quite believe that it was real. They balanced a tightrope of truly emotional impact, laugh out loud humor, and action that is hard to fathom. They also made one of the most satisfying endings to a film that I have ever seen. The hyperbole might seem excessive but I cannot stress enough how thankful I am to Marvel for what I witnessed tonight.
For a three-hour film, I never once felt board nor did I feel like the pace lagged at all. I do admit that some moments (especially in the second act) feel a little rushed. Some of the scenes feel excessive with their CGI but honestly this film follows in the tracks of Infinity War with its impeccable effects (that were egregiously snubbed by the Academy Awards). There are some moments that the humor might come off as tonally deaf (particularly with one of the main heroes) but most of the humor feels so organic and connects deeply to their characters (yes, I am talking about you Scott Lang and your beautiful humor). One of the best assets of this film is the musical arrangements. The score composed by Alan Silvestri is top notch and proves that Silvestri is still a force of nature in the world of cinematic music. Not quite on the level of Silvestri’s score in Infinity War, but this one surely does this epic film justice. The other songs chosen throughout the film are nearly perfect in everyway (thank you Guardians!).
Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely are the dynamic duo that brought this superb script to reality. This film is full of surprises and unexpected moments that will keep you on your toes at any given moment. The marketing campaign was genius as it did not give away any of the best moments in the film or even any of the major plot points. How this film builds up to the finale is super impressive and third act is written with so much packed in but some how never falters. The character arcs that our characters travel along, especially our original six, are so impressive and resonant that the film works so well in its quietest moments. The strongest of arcs left me emotionally satisfied in a way that I could never expect. Do all of the moments really work perfectly? No, they do not. There are a few moments that should work considerably better than they actually do but they are offset by all of the ones that actually do. Does ever bit of the story make perfect sense? Unfortunately, they do not. But you are so invested and affected by the story as a whole that those moments do not detract too much from the payoff of the film.
I had the pleasure of watching one of the greatest casts ever assembled (I thank you again) and they all delivered on a magnificent level. Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, and Mark Ruffalo in particular proved inspired performances that take this film to a whole new level. Downey and Evans both get to shine in this film. Every single hero gets some form of moment to shine and flex their heroic juices and this is done while balancing so much. Thanos himself would be so proud. Avengers: Endgame is perfectly balanced…as all things should be. Can someone pass me another tissue?
Grade: A