Avengers: Endgame Is a Movie of a Lifetime

By Avik Basak

Before I begin reviewing this movie which came with epic expectations, I would like to explain why it took so much time for me to pen it down. As we all know, anything you say about Avengers: Endgame can seem like a spoiler to someone, hence I was waiting for the spoiler ban to lift or to be honest a substantial time to pass after the release of the movie. So, one can consider this to be my view on the movie rather than a typical review. Well, now that we have got past the explanation, let’s get down to it.

I remember when I reviewed Avengers: Infinity War, I mentioned about those rare movies which exceed expectations even if the hype is sky-high. If Infinity War’s expectations were sky-high, you would need to invent a new word to describe the same for Endgame and yes, still it manages to deliver something no one had hoped for, something no one thought was possible. Yes, it is that kind of a movie, something you should definitely watch on a big screen (Biggest, if possible); whatever it takes!

As far as the plot is concerned, the only thing I can divulge is that it is about how the remaining Avengers and others, who survived Thanos’ snap or “decimation” as they have officially termed it, deal with their losses. As Captain America narrates in the teaser that they have lost a part of themselves along with their friends and families. It is their approach to this “unreal” reality that makes Avengers: Endgame different than all the Marvel movies that came before it.

If the plot of Infinity War was moving at supersonic speed from the word go, Endgame takes its time and gives its characters new shades to play with and still moves at a substantial pace. With a runtime of 3 hours and 1 minute, it is the longest Marvel film to date, yet it has the merit to make its audience ask for more. If Infinity War ended with an unorthodox conclusion where the bad guy wins, Endgame begins with that unorthodox approach and keeps you guessing what happens next.

Once again, Thanos is back as the big bad here. In Infinity War, he was kind of the protagonist and no matter how cruel his plan sounded, we could relate and felt for the purple Titan. In Endgame, the Avengers reclaim their centre stage and we just cannot help but perceive Thanos’ will as sheer obsession or even madness this time around. It makes you hope that the Mad Titan gets what he deserves, a taste of defeat, and a taste of failure. Josh Brolin once again shines in the role with his incredible motion capture performance and deep voice but when the character’s arc is concerned, it is the writers and the directors who deserve a round of applause for pulling it off in such a magnificent way.

Unlike its predecessor, Avengers Endgame barely has a significant action set piece during most of its mammoth runtime. Yet, it still manages to keep you at the edge of your seat with its perfect concoction of thrill and humour. It does not begin like any other Marvel movie and definitely does not go about its business like a usual Marvel movie, yet it still somehow has that same spirit at the core. Everything is so perfectly balanced that I found myself utter more than once, “Oscar-worthy.” Maybe the Academy will not see it that way as there are plenty of plot holes to go about as well. But as fans of cinema, we can overlook those for its sheer creative brilliance.

Avengers: Endgame would not have been half as great a movie as it is if it were not for the performances, especially from the original six, which are its heart. While Tony Stark and Thor had meaty roles in Infinity War, Cap, Romanoff and Hulk did not have much screen time, whereas Hawkeye did not even appear. It made sense as they were building Thanos. But as these two movies together are supposed to draw curtains on the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe), as we know it, they all were owed more attention and Endgame pays that debt in full.

There is plenty of time to explore the different layers of these characters and none of the actors portraying them put a foot wrong. Yes, Robert Downey Jr. stands out with his imbued Stark persona, but the others are not very far behind. Moreover, all of them have been given emotional subplots or little Déjà vu moments that bring out the best from them and put this film in the league of greats.

The Russo brothers do a tremendous job here and so do the writers Christopher Marcus and Steven McFeely. They all bring their A-game for this giant culmination of The Infinity Saga. Cinematographer Trent Opaloch once again brings a different feel to this new Marvel adventure and I am quite thankful that editors Jeffrey Ford and Matthew Schmidt do not become stricter with their scissors as we could have easily sat for another 20 to 30 minutes. Alan Silvestri once again creates a brilliant soundtrack that will stay with us for years to come. All of them do their work so efficiently that “epic” would be an understatement to define what we see in the last half an hour of the movie.

Overall, to describe Avengers: Endgame, I would say what I said for the first Avengers movie. It is a movie of a lifetime. It is so emotionally powerful that you will find yourself choked and you will struggle to hold back tears during those goodbye moments if you are a true MCU fan. So, if you have not seen it yet, run to the nearest theatre immediately or you never know, Thanos might snap that chance away from you.

P.S.: There is not a post-credit scene here, but you might want to sit through the amazingly designed credit sequence to pay your tributes to the MCU itself or to get some hints in the form of a sound clip.

5 Out of 5 Stars from Me…