avengers: endgame (anthony and joe russo, 2019)

This movie was not made for me. I've now seen 11 MCU movies (I think), and for the most part, I prefer Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Not to mention Agent Carter. As I have noted before, I think all of the Marvel movies I've seen are OK, with Black Panther far and away the best, and the two Guardians of the Galaxy movies the worst. But the main reason I've seen as many as I have is that my wife is a fan. And so today, on opening day, she suggested we check out Endgame.

I should note that we saw it at the worst theater in Berkeley, a theater I hadn't gone to in a few decades. But it had available seats. This also meant we didn't see the IMAX version. It also means the seats were uncomfortable. Basically, this theater hasn't gotten any better in 30 years.

The acting was good, as it usually is in these movies. I thought we had to wait too long for Black Panther to turn up ... when he finally appears, I thought, "About time!" Captain Marvel kicked some serious ass, which resulted in some screenplay chicanery ... early on, she explains that there is so much trouble in the universe that she has to cover a lot of ground. Thus, she disappears for a good part of the movie, only returning when she is needed to kick ass. If she had stuck around at the beginning, the movie might have been half as long.

Still, Endgame serves the hardcore fans well. Each character gets screen time, and just as the film itself serves as, well, as an endgame for the series so far, the end of the film gave the audience one last chance to see their faves. I wanted more Black Panther and Captain Marvel, but that wouldn't have been appropriate. What Endgame does is take care of the main characters that have been there since the beginning.

And I'm not one for spoilers, so I'll only say that there was even a little scene at the end that brought a tear to my eyes. Once you've seen it, you'll know what I mean, if you've read anything I've written about this universe over the years.

Comments

[Tomás]

We love it. I was really impressed at how much of the 3 hours wasn't about action but about characters and their stories. And I agree about the tear.

[Steven Rubio]

I read something today that suggested that last scene, rather than being tear-inducing, was a cheat, and unfair to one of the characters. (How's that for avoiding spoilers?) I don't know the characters well enough to say whether they were right or not. Nor did I care. After three hours of satisfying fans, I liked that they gave me a little shout out, too. I'm reminded of a couple of years ago, when Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson was asked who his TV crush was. "I’m going on record right now: Hayley Atwell."

[Señoramasoo]

Better review than I thought it would be!

[Steven Rubio]

I'd say I wrote it with you in mind, except I never think you read here.