REVIEW: ‘Endgame’ ends the game on a high note

GRADE: A

Marvel fans will be happy to call “Avengers: Endgame” a cinematic masterpiece. Watching beloved superheroes come together to fight one more epic battle perfectly satisfies so many fans’ desires, and manytears will be shed as the bittersweet ending to the beloved franchise draws to a close. As a diehard lover of almost all of the Marvel films to date, I found “Endgame” an incredible final bullet point that manages to tie together dozens of individual films and plot threads into a thrilling, moving conclusion.

Social media feeds have exploded with fan theories and excitement since the “Endgame” trailer dropped Dec. 7, and when fans heard this would be the last Avengers movie, there were mixed reactions. Fans who grew up watching the Marvel movies were pretty devastated because the complex storylines of all the heroes that became apart of their lives was finally coming to an end.

Spoilers for “Avengers: Infinity War” ahead, since “Endgame” ties directly into its storyline:

After suffering a brutal defeat from Thanos’ catastrophic use of the Infinity Stones, which randomly wiped out half of all living things on Earth with just one snap, those left behind are devastated. The Avengers that survived the snap are desperate to bring back their lost loved ones. The conclusion to the Avengers franchise picks up with the remaining heroes thinking up a plan to get their disappeared friends back. With help from Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), their initial attempt ends up creating more problems for the group. Left completely hopeless, Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) shows up knocking on their door, restoring some of their lost hope.

The chemistry between all the heroes is what makes “Endgame” work. When they fight together, you see them all work together by combining all of their special talents. There is nothing more empowering than seeing all of the female superheroes come together to confront Thanos and protect the Infinity Gauntlet. One pair-up that never fails to entertain on the big screen is Thor and Captain America. In this final battle, they have a lot of scenes together where they kick some major butt!  

Having a knowledge of the movies leading up to this one will be extremely helpful, but it’s actually not as necessary as one might think. At the very least, viewers will need to have seen “Avengers: Infinity War” so you at least know what brought the characters to where “Endgame” picks up from. The full force of the emotional rollercoaster in the last 45 minutes of “Endgame” definitely hits a lot harder if you consider the weight of nearly 11 years of buildup leading to this moment.

One thing that Marvel has recently added into their newer movies is a lot more comedy. With all the emotional and action packed scenes flashing back and forth, there are funny lines/moments that give the audience much-needed comic relief. It gives fans a time to connect with their favorite hero because they see they are a normal human just like they are, cracking a few jokes here and there to lighten the mood. The action balances out both intensely tragic, touching emotions and lighthearted comedy to give viewers an amazing three-hour long film.

“Endgame” is long, but given that Marvel is wrapping up literally 11 years of action, love and heartbreak, it’s nearly unbelievable that three hours is enough. I will definitely miss watching all my favorite heroes, as will all other Marvel fans, but “Endgame” is a fantastic farewell.