Movie Review: Avengers: Endgame- This Is How You End a Series (Spoiler Free)

I’ll only give my thoughts on the movie overall. I won’t mention any plot points, anything specific that happened in the movie. All the images and gifs are from the trailers.

22 movies. Over a decade in the making and here we are. Marvel pulled it off. This is how you end a series.

Before seeing Endgame, my friends and I were discussing how many movies led to this point and which ones we’d seen. I was going to say all of them until I remembered I hadn’t seen any of the Hulk movies. I didn’t actually like him until Ruffalo. At the time, I hadn’t known they released 22 movies. So, just for fun, I made this for my reference and yours.

Hmm. I only missed one. Don’t plan on seeing The Incredible Hulk. You don’t really need it to understand Endgame. You really only need to know his general story.

Avengers: Endgame punched me in the feels one moment and had me fangirling the next. It was dark but it had enough humor and light moments to make it uplifting. Ever leave a movie feeling pumped? You’re 100% energized and inspired to take on life. That’s Endgame. That’s what a good story does, at least for me.

Endgame did not feel like 3 hours. The pacing was well done. Though, it did move a bit fast at the beginning. I wouldn’t have minded it if they slowed down a little. I understand why they did it. Once they got into it, the movie gave everything their proper weigh.

Just like Infinity War, Endgame had a lot going on. They managed it well. I was never confused, overwhelmed or bored. It got me thinking of the Transformers movies. Stay with me here. The first three were stupid fun but I gave up after 4. Too much was going on. They didn’t manage it well. 4 stuck in my mind because it was the first time an action movie left me tired. Endgame didn’t leave me bored or exhausted. You’d think something that big wouldn’t work but it did.

Gif Source: https://gfycat.com/gifs/search/avengers+4+endgame

I watch a lot of CinemaSins on Youtube. If a scene goes on for too long, then they go, “this goes on for some time” and they sin that scene. Funny enough, I started doing this for books and movies. If I’m reading a scene that goes on and on then I go “this goes on in for some time.”

Endgame had a good balance of action and narrative. The dialogue was interesting enough that even the none-fight scenes were entertaining. They dropped some heavy knowledge on us but they didn’t drag it on. They gave us what we needed and moved on. One scene did go on longer than I felt was needed but, didn’t ruin the movie and I didn’t sin it.

I won’t talk too much about characters arc because I wouldn’t be able to dive into it without giving away some plot. Character growth too was well done, especially with the original 6. I understood how each movie led them to this point. I never had a moment where I thought, they wouldn’t say or do that. 

Marvel didn’t get lazy because this was the “last” movie. The original 6 still had some growing to do. Remember, Endgame’s the first time Tony and Steve are face-to-face since Civil War. The movie handled that in a way I hadn’t expected. It broke my heart but it was believable.

Remember them fighting like children in Avengers. Endgame showed us fully how the orignal 6’s relationship has evolved.

Marvel knows how to do special effects. I don’t just mean the aliens, the ships or the settings. They can work some magic to make someone look older, younger, skinnier or bigger. This is how you do CGI. Marvel, you can’t go back to bad CGI after showing us how it’s supposed to go be done. I don’t know if this is CGI or if  Robert Downing Jr made himself look that skinny for the movie.

Endgame was a good example of a studio who knows their audience. They knew what people wanted to see in Endgame and they delivered.

What’s next for Marvel? I’m not going to speculate. The real question is, can they pull this off again? Other franchises have tried to create cinematic universes. None succeed, at least not on Marvel’s level. Others have predicted, we’re going to get tired of superhero movies. Remember when almost every movie that came out was an adaption of a YA book? See how that fizzled out? I, personally, don’t see myself getting tired of superhero movies unless Marvel Matrix itself. I never thought I’d get tired of Harry Potter but I kind of want J.K. Rowling to stop.

If I had the funds, I’d see Avengers: Endgame again and again. Like I said, it was a lot of movies and I’m sure I missed something. Some review headlines mention plot holes. I can’t think of any but maybe I’d find them in the rewatch. I doubt it would change my opinion, though. I’d want to own this. Get one copy from Amazon to watch on my tablet whenever I want. Hopefully, Marvel will release and Infinity War/Endgame box set. I’d also buy that and add it to my DVD collection.

Did you see Endgame? What did you think? Please keep your comments spoiler free.