In a movie franchise that has been continuously labeled as formulaic, expensively average, and shallow, the most anticipated movie of all time (this is not an opinion, check the numbers) turns out to be a 3 hour love letter to the fans, cast, and crew that gave the Marvel Cinematic Universe it's wings in 2008. This reaction/review contains SPOILERS. SPOILERS are ahead. Like, seriously, DO NOT read this article if you haven't seen this movie (or if you're a chaotic neutral, then by all means, feel free).
Ok, that was your last warning. Now onto the meat and potatoes.
Iron Man - Trailer [HD]www.youtube.com
In 2008, Marvel gave official word that Robert Downey Jr. was casted to play Tony Stark in a theatrical version of Iron Man, a storyline never before touched in live action. Downey Jr. was just crawling out of a desolate period of his life plagued with scandal, drug abuse, and a fall from grace that most believed to be insurmountable.
Downey Jr. was chosen as a forefront for a project that was revolutionary at its time. Superhero movies had been done before, especially being released in the midst of Christopher Nolan's brilliant Dark Knight trilogy, but Iron Man was different. The campiness of the film resonated well with the comic-true adaptation that movie-goers originally clamored for when the film was announced. For a post-9/11 character study, the movie was well-received, largely in part to RDJ's impressive turn as a genius, billionaire playboy philanthropist, Tony Stark. The movie was quite successful, and with the first of many end-credit scenes to come in the MCU, we were treated to the news of more to come.
On came Thor, a solid entry at its time that managed to give a foundation for the bond between magic and science within the MCU, a concept well-explored later in the series. Then onto Captain America: The First Avenger, a war story of perseverance, heroism, and the pure goodness of mankind (yet another concept well kept in later entries of the MCU.
These three movies built a strong, rallying start to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and now 11 years later, we've finally come to the end of an actual era. The decade was highlighted by triumphs in comedy (See Thor: Ragnarok), excellence in thriller dramas (See Captain America: The Winter Soldier), destined flops turned box-office killers (See Guardians of the Galaxy), and a trio of movies so impossibly well done (disregarding the lost traction of Age of Ultron) that the Avengers, as if they weren't already, became a worldwide phenomenon.
Here in April of 2019, we finally reached the summit of this building story arc that spans diegetic decades and will transcend many to come in the real world. Avengers: Endgame is an achievement. It should (and will be) celebrated for many things. The performances, the visual effects, the storyline, the BUDGET. I mean WOW. But, seriously, no movie has ever pressed as many tickets or gone as viral on the internet or destroyed box office competition like this film.
To get it out of the way, many characters' roles in the movie are played for laughs, with "Fat Thor" and "Professor Hulk" taking the reigns. Banner's achievement of bonding with the Hulk is a literal representation of the emotional compromise he has to make with his gamma radiating alter-ego. Thor, after finally exacting revenge and decapitating Thanos, takes to one too many kegs of beer to solve his issues, but is given his lobotomy as he meets his mother on her death day. With Rene Russo, the actress playing Thor's mother, having nearly six more lines in this movie than her past two film appearances combined, the directing Russo Brothers obviously planned to drive home his need to reconnect with a figment of his decimated past from the very start.
The route taken to accommodate every single storyline and full-circle character is so deeply satisfying. Beginning with the surviving heroes post-snap, Hawkeye is immediately given a blow to the chest, losing his entire family in the snap. Becoming Ronan and traveling the world as a ruthless assassin , all he longs for is comeuppance and justice to fill the void in his heart,. When he crosses Black Widow, we see him at his lowest. Hawkeye has never been the fan-favorite, with many questioning his place in the Avengers after the original blockbuster, but Endgame is the true payoff. He isn't the only one to have lost, with Black Widow Natasha Romanoff eventually doing "whatever it takes" to bring back those gone too soon. The ending for her story is grounded in human redemption, as her self-sacrifice gives weight to the Avengers' mission and closes her arc with a meaningful and heartbreaking scene.
Seeing Nebula get caught up with her literal past self both in the past and in the world post-snap shows the dichotomy between an abuse victim warranting her own escape from the situation she feels stuck in. She eventually kills her past self (quite literally in the chest), adopting her fate as a hero.
Getting to the heart of the story, Steve Rogers, played by Chris Evans, is given a satisfying conclusion to his turn with the mantle. Rogers battles himself in the past at the battle of New York and eventually even whispers "Hail Hydra" to secret operatives to fulfill his mission. It gives so much more gravitas to his vow to avenge the dead and makes his new image straying away from the "patriotic poster boy" a realness that resonates well as the story goes on. His resilience throughout the third act of the movie is absolutely aid off with the reveal of his ability to wield BOTH Mjolnir and StormBreaker, actually proving his worthiness, both mentally and physically. He is proven worthy of many things: the leader status (finally assembling the full Avengers team on the final battlefield), a second chance, and a happy ending. He finally is able to have his dance with true love Peggy Carter, with his committal to carrying her picture around being reminded early in the movie in the Benatar (the GotG ship). Passing the mantle to Sam Wilson also feels right, with his loyalty to Cap being proven ever since The Winter Soldier. he represents the spirit of the Captain America mate with his every move.
Finally, the importance of the above gif cannot be understated. This moment is from Iron Man near the end of the movie when Stark finally accepts and announces himself as Iron Man. This moment in that film was in from of a room of press and live television, just for the world to hear. Flash forward years later to the final act of Endgame and we get to relive this moment, except with a completely different meaning. Doctor Strange's vision of the only future where the Avengers win requires an in-the-moment sacrifice. Stark, even until the middle of Endgame, has always been an arrogant, somewhat selfish person basking in his demons stemmed from alcoholism, PTSD, and the feeling of abandonment from his father. Meeting Howard Stark earlier in the film, we see him see a part of himself in his father for the first time, helping his father adjust to the feeling if being a parent pre-Tony's birth.
The whole conversational scene between the two gives such a double-layered scheme with the screenwriter's giving as much room to play with emotion and realization as possible. Tony eventually wields all of the Infinity Stones after Thanos utters a motif of the film, his line "I am inevitable", to which Tony responds "I am Iron Man". On the surface, this moment is a triumphant fan-service, practically begging you to stand up in your chair and applaud. The deeper callback asks you kindly to sit back down and appreciate. It was at this moment of watching the movie that I realized how much society has taken the MCU for granted.
Is it a collection of the best movies ever put to screen? No.
This doesn't discredit the lightning in a bottle that is the MCU. Nothing like this franchise has ever been achieved. Downey Jr. has been the alpha and omega for the whole journey, and seeing his final moments in the films sends chills down the spine of many and tears down the face of many more. The parallel scene of his mortal wound finally "letting him rest" in Pepper Pott's words being coupled with Tom Holland's ability to induce waterfalls with a simple "Mr. Stark" is enough to make any audience member feel the close of this amazing string of movies.
Seeing Ty Simpkins reprise his role as Harley from Iron Man 3 at Tony's funeral makes for a satisfying cameo and represents's all of our widespread appreciation for Tony Stark's inclusion in this journey.
Is Endgame a perfect film? No.
In fact, it's not even my favorite movie in the MCU. But this movie is the perfect goodbye to a decade dominated by the efforts of one actor: Robert Downey Jr. I fully believe that he deserves nominations for Best Actor (as many different committees love rewarding achievements over a period of time), and especially if he truly lost weight to show his starved self drifting in space, he deserves a nod for his range of emotion and wit still shown in this movie.
Avengers: Endgame is a fully-developed conclusion to 21 prior movies and does it nearly flawlessly. Every laugh is gut-busting, every tear is gut-wrenching, and every moment is pure joy. It is a beautiful movie, never ceasing to amaze with the blend of deaging effects, beautiful landscapes, and the elements of space (except for ships running out of gas and ceasing to move because that's not quite how physics work).
Go see this movie if you haven't already. Its 3 (bladder-filling) entertaining, fulfilling hours of fun. I can't wait to see where the MCU goes from here. I'm already prepared for Spiderman: Far From Home to carry on the successful run of Marvel movies in July, but this movie is sure to leave a good taste in my mouth for years to come.
