Avengers: Endgame (2019)

 

Well, this is it. The culmination of all those previous entries into the MCU, the big Wahoonie, the conclusion after the events of 'Infinity War'.

And it is glorious. 

There is nothing more satisfying to see heroes at their worst and most beaten, only for them to rise up once more and see if they can stand successfully against the forces of darkness and mayhap overcome the odds in their favour. 

The biggest concern right now is how they'll ever be able to top this one. It's a tough act to follow. 

The universe is in ruins after Thanos snapped his fingers and obliterated half of life all over. The few Avengers that are left, are dishevelled and distraught. They want revenge but can not find Thanos. Until Nebula and Rocket manage to find him on a verdant planet, only to discover that he has destroyed the Infinity Stones, so things will remain as they are. Thor beheads him and we skip to five years later, when the world and the universe are still slowly trying to piece together a semblance of a normal life. 

That is when Ant-Man shows up again, after having been stuck in the quantum realm. 

It turns out that time moves differently there (because of course it does) and it opens up the possibility of time travel, which may be the only way they can undo what Thanos has done. So they set forth to dive into certain parts of time to retrieve the stones, but alas, thanks to a minute little oversight, the Thanos of 2014 becomes aware of their plans. 

Thus the plot thickens, culminating in a massive brawl. Who shall stand? Who shall fall? 

This one feels a little more disjointed than 'Infinity War', but that has to do with the time travel idea, which makes this jumping back and forth a little confusing at times. It also means that it is necessary to do this, as the characters all split up in their quest for the stones. But because we have all come to know and love these characters, this is not the biggest point. It's not easy, this juggling act, but the directing Russo brothers pull it off. 

This film also does a good job at balancing the emotions. Sure, there are funny moments, more often than not thanks to Paul Rudd, who is always enjoyable as Ant-Man, mostly because it feels as though much of his dialogue is improvised and he is just a funny guy. That's a nice touch, but there is also a lot of melancholy for things lost and despair, because they all failed to stop Thanos the first time. You see, even though this is a big budget action adventure, the focus here is for the most part on the characters and that works. It even takes a very long time for this film to get going and become all comic book-y. They took their time setting it all up before it all steps up a notch and leads up to a battle scene that will have your blood pumping. Trust me, it will because the build-up is so good. 

There are several moments where you will almost be shouting: "YES!" at the screen, not only through winks and nods, but just because it is that awesome. 

Okay, maybe I'll give away just one: that moment when all of a sudden it turns out that Captain America can wield Mjolnir and Thor shouts out: "I knew it!", well, if that doesn't give you a warm and fuzzy feeling inside, I don't know what will. 

And yes, there are sad moments as well, as not all of our beloved characters make it to the end. It's like saying goodbye to an old friend, because they have been with us for so long. Yes, there might be tears, I am not afraid to say it. 

Naturally, this one works best in tandem with 'Infinity War', but as a whole, it is also just a damn fine film. But it does raise the question: what's next? 

I sure hope it's the 'Secret Invasion'-story arc. But that's just me.