Hey gang, Valkor here. What started with Marvel's Avengers, continued with Age of Ultron and followed up with Avengers: Infinity War has now come to an awesome conclusion with Avengers: Endgame. This is the film that has been ten years in the making and all but concludes Marvel's Phase 3 of its cinematic universe. And let me just say that this film succeeds on all fronts. But ultimately, Endgame is (for now) the best film Disney/Marvel has produced! If you haven't watched the film yet and you've come across my review then beware of spoilers because there's plenty!
When we last left the Avengers, or what's left of the team, in Infinity War, Thanos had collected all of the infinity gems and performed his snap that wiped out half of the earth's population, which included much of the Avengers. Those that survived, which include Captain America, Thor, Rocket, Black Widow, Okoye, Nebula, Banner, and Captain Marvel, devise a plan where they would track down and attack Thanos, retrieving the Infinity Gauntlet and hopefully bring everyone back. But when they find Thanos, he's living his life on some planet with a banged up gauntlet sans gems (Thanos destroyed them). So Thor does what he should have done before this whole mess started – he slices Thanos's head right off. But now the team needs a new plan to come up with the infinity gems.
And that plan comes in the form of Antman aka Scott Lang, who was trapped in the quantum realm from the film “Antman and Wasp”. He theorizes that they could use time travel, to go back in time and retrieve the stones that would undo what Thanos did. And while the team has Banner/Hulk to come up with some sort of contraption that would take them back, it ultimately comes down to Tony Stark to make it happen. He was hesitant at first, but the way his mind works, he couldn't stop thinking about it. And thus a time machine was born. And from then onward, a good chunk of the film follows the Avengers as they skip around at certain points in the MCU's past, where they could retrieve the stones and not cause much damage to the time frame. But getting the stones won't be an easy task – especially retrieving the soul stone as that requires a sacrifice. However, the biggest threat comes in the form of past Thanos, who at that point in time, is looking for the stones; he gets wind of what's going on and now he's once again the biggest threat the Avengers will face. And by the end of it all, we the viewers will go through a wave of emotions as we watch the final battle play out. And it is, by far, the best big screen I've witnessed since Helm's Deep from Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.
Normally, you sit through an MCU end credit for a post-credit scene. However, Avengers: Endgame is sans that; what you do get is a pretty cool photo montage showcasing all or most of the Avengers, up until the original crew along with their autograph. After that, you can walk out and let all that awesomeness you just saw marinate. And trust me, it will resonate long after you've watched it because it did with me. And I can't wait to watch it again... and again... and again... and...
The Good:
Avengers: Endgame is the culmination of 22 amazing films that comes to an almost perfect finale, yet it's perfect in every way! This film came with the highest of expectations, especially after Infinity War, and it doesn't let down – not by a long shot. Do you want hot action? You get tons! Do you want a cast of amazing, colorful characters well represented on screen? You got it! Do you want a film that will cause you to run the gamut of emotions from happy, sad, thrilled, shocked and awed and beyond? This film has it in spades! Endgame is by far, the best film the Marvel Cinematic Universe has to offer. And while it may be an ending for some of the characters, the future does look bright with the new cast that will carry on the torch. There's really nothing more that needs to be said as the film is simply amazing! If you haven't seen Endgame yet, then stop wasting time and go see it right stat now! And if you've already seen it, then, by all means, go see it again. You know you want to!
The Bad:
My only negative about the film stems from the final credits and the one person missing from the crew – Clark Gregg aka Coulson. I know he's dead in Agents of SHIELD, but he should have been represented at the end since it was Coulson who was the glue to the Avengers even coming together in the first place. The dude was there from the very beginning and deserved a place with the others. Even Colbie Smulder's “Maria Hill” was represented – and she didn't show up until the first Avengers film. But we have season six and possibly seven of AOS, so I guess I'll stay happy with that.
The Ugly:
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Avenger: Endgame is currently making the theatrical rounds and it's 3 hours of awesome that you SHOULD NOT miss! This is especially the case if you've been following the films from it's Iron Man beginnings. It is the must-see film of the year and the perfect ending for the MCU Phase 3 films... even though Spider-Man: Far From Home is the last of the phase 3 films. But regardless of that, out of TOV 5 stars, I'm giving Avengers: Endgame a perfect 5!