Following last year’s Infinity War, which saw the Mad Titan Thanos successfully wipe out half the universe with a click of his fingers, Marvel Studios bring us Avengers: Endgame, the conclusion to a saga spanning 11 years and 22 films, which arrives as one of the most anticipated films of a generation.
With their numbers decimated, the remaining Avengers must regroup in order to recover the six missing infinity stones.
Directors Joe and Anthony Russo, together with writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, reunite, after delivering last years smash hit. This time taking on the even more daunting task of bringing this long running story to a satisfying conclusion. Something the achieve spectacularly.
Once again the Russo brothers prove themselves adept at managing the huge cast of characters and fitting them into an engrossing narrative.
Robert Downey Jnr and Chris Evans return as Iron man and Captain America alongside many others, whilst Brie Larson’s Captain Marvel is a welcome new addition.
Unlike last years action heavy instalment, Endgame takes its time to establish the stakes and spends much more time on character development.
The sense of loss in the first act is palpable as the remaining Avengers struggle to come to terms with their crushing defeat.
The fact this is the final part of a long running arc, increases the threat level considerably, but despite the raised stakes, Marvels trademark humour is still evident throughout, supplying some much needed levity.
As the story progresses, the writers introduce a clever time travelling aspect to the story which not only gives our heroes a shred of hope but gives audiences the chance to revisit some of their favourite Avengers moments from the past. It’s execution, albeit slightly messy, brings a sheer nostalgic joy to proceedings and contains a number of laugh out loud moments.
It’s testament to the quality of the film, that despite its three hour runtime, it never feels like it. The films epic final battle lays everything out on the table, and is full emotional highs and lows.
With an outstanding script choc full of surprises, Avengers: Endgame delivers the perfect pay-off for long running fans of the series. This is Blockbuster event cinema at its brilliant best.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Paul Steward
@Grittster
27/04/19