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Date: 5/1/2019
What I’m watching: like everyone else on the planet, “Avengers: Endgame”
So what can anyone writing a review about this film do? What is allowed? The cry against spoilers has led many a reviewer to go through great linguistics gymnastics to avoid reporting anything that will spoil a viewing of the film.
I will attempt to do that as well but I’m inclined to let a couple of things out of the bag.
First, though, one has to acknowledge that “Endgame” represents something that to my knowledge has never been attempted before in the history of films: a series of 22 films that are linked winding up with a massive two-part conclusion that essentially sets the stage for a new series of films featuring new or rebooted characters.
There have been plenty of film series from B-movies in the 1930s and 40s such as the Charlie Chan film, the Hopalong Cassidy movies and The Blondie series to big budgeted films such as the James Bond series. None of these films used their stories to mesh with another film.
There are plenty of sequels that are linked either thematically or by characters, but again none that through design yield a series of films with different lead characters whose stories are coupled to others.
Also the Marvel Cinematic Universe was first to be able to build a narrative in which the lead characters are increasingly aware of one another. DC Comics had superhero hits before with the Christopher Reeve Superman films and the Batman series started by Tim Burton and then the next Batman film series by director Christopher Nolan.
Because movie producers bought the rights to simply one hero and his or her associated supporting characters, movie fans would never see with DC what they’ve seen with the Marvel films. The Marvel folks were smart enough to know that since they owned the rights to most of their characters – Fantastic Four, Spiderman, X-Men and Deadpool being the exceptions for a long time – they could mix and match.
It was a genius move and what helped is that many of the films were actually good and had more substance than simply being a good guy versus bad guy narrative.
Does “Endgame” live up to the hype? Does it satisfy? I would say it does although there are elements about the film that under scrutiny unravel a bit. That’s because of a story device that I’ve always found to be a dicey one: time travel.
The film opens with a scene that should be at the end of the story: the remaining Avengers confronting Thanos. Once that scene is over, the main story begins five years in the future. The Avengers are attempting to figure out their place in the world. And unlike other movies in the MCU there is no communication with the government. In fact, there is never a discussion of how is the world. I must admit I was wondering if “the snap” would have actually solved our problems as Thanos predicted.
Instead with the appearance of Scott Lang (Antman played by Paul Rudd) an idea is hatched: could we go back into time and collect the Infinity Stones and re-snap things so the universe is back to normal?
From there the film launches into several storylines as our heroes seek the stones.
Okay, as I would lose my license to be a fanboy, I won’t reveal any plot twist and turns. I won’t say what happens to our heroes.
I will say one thing: largely the outcome is both logical and satisfying. Tissues should be ready, by the way.
The key to any movie that includes time travel is to accept the rules of time travel as they are presented. Don’t try to second-guess the physics or the logic. You will fail. No matter if at the end you’re scratching your head about how certain plot points are presented, just roll with it.
For fans, my advice is to keep your eyes open. There is a lot going on in this film and you might miss a cameo or two. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo do an admirable job trying to make sure the various stars get their turns and to make sure the supporting characters from the various films are seen as well.
The three-hour running time goes by pretty quickly and like everyone else concerned with bathroom breaks, my advice is make sure your stay in your seats for the final hour.
Performance-wise, Robert Downey Jr. (Ironman) tends to be the center of the film, although as usual I much preferred the understated and far more interesting work of Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America. Scarlett Johansson has a few good human moments as the Black Widow while Chris Hemsworth is also excellent as a demigod trying to find his way in a new world.
I was prepared not to like this film simply because I pretty much despised the predecessor, which I thought had some very sloppy story telling. Much to my surprise I did like this film much, much better.
And even though no one is asking, here are my favorites in the MCU: “Captain America: The First Avenger,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” the two Guardians of the Galaxy” films, “Thor: Ragnarok,” “Black Panther” and “Ant-man and the Wasp.”