Avengers: Endgame was always going to be the grandest finale of them all. A movie 10 years in the making, it has already annihilated all box office records with a $1.2 billion global opening. A massive hype juggernaut coupled with critical acclaim has ensured that fans turn up in droves to watch this granddaddy of all superhero blockbuster movies made till date.
Ever since its ambitious launch with Iron Man in 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has gone from strength to strength over the past decade. Offering a medley of popular superhero characters like Iron Man, Captain America, and Hulk to lesser-known figures such as Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant Man, the MCU has stamped itself into popular consciousness by serving a delectable dish of astounding special effects, large-scale action, and delightful humour. On that rare occasion, it has also broken cross-cultural barriers a la Black Panther, an Afrofuturistic superhero film infusing tribal pride with tech marvels.
Finally, the grand culmination of 22 movies, starring characters that are now a global, pop cultural phenomenon is here with Avengers: Endgame, which wraps the Infinity Saga in the most spectacular way possible.
While every remotely casual fan of superhero movies will certainly turn up to watch Endgame, Avengers: Endgame is itself a love letter to all the ardent Marvel fans who have followed every single film in the MCU and also stayed abreast of all the action and controversies in the world of comic books.
It is a powerful swansong for the iconic superheroes with whom we have laughed and cheered and clapped, and a thrilling conclusion to the epic clash with the mad titan Thanos. If Infinity war was the dreaded knell of doom for our band of superheroes, then Endgame is the antidote of glory and valor. And lest you forget, let us mention again – the fan servicing with Endgame is through the roof!
Here is a simple, spoiler-free breakdown of Avengers: Endgame and why it is among the best in the MCU, if not the best!
An Ode To All Marvel Fans
This biggest reason why Avengers: Endgame works out so beautifully is the fantastic payoff it provides to all the fans who have invested themselves emotionally in the MCU franchise. The film starts off straight from the time around when Infinity War ends and the next two hours are spent on building an intricate time-travel plot, musing on the meaning of life and how one should approach the troubles one faces, and the ensuing camaraderie among the original Avengers team.
Several of them have lost their friends, families, and protégés (yeah, we are referring to Peter Parker) and consumed with grief, rage, and denial, they all handle it in different ways. While Thor, Rocket, Ant-Man, and Hulk provide the wisecracks with their banter, others like Iron Man take solace in their settled family life.
Some, like Hawkeye, take the more sinister path but it becomes inevitable that they must all regroup together for a final attempt to undo Thanos’ doing and get their loved ones back.
The way the first two hours pan out is nothing short of brilliant. The audience revisits all the seminal events surrounding the Avengers and the Infinity Stones, and the interactions our superheroes have with the characters during those timelines is a mixture of joy, intrigue, and poignant emotions. In fact, these two hours are a pure delight for the discerning comic fan who gets their kicks from the small details in the storyline.
A Fitting Conclusion To Deliver a Perfect End
If the first couple of hours were all about building the hype and tension towards a grand battle with Thanos, the final act of the movie is all about delivering the crowd-pleasing scenes of action and destruction. In an extended sequence surpassing the scale of battles in The Lord of the Rings, the warring forces of Thanos and the Avengers clash in the most epic way possible.
Continuing the fan service frenzy, Endgame dishes out one magnificent scene after the other, eliciting the biggest cheers and applause from the audience. And finally, the climax is as gut-wrenching as expected, guaranteeing oodles of tears from everyone *wipes tears himself*
When a movie franchise has been so well-crafted that it becomes an indelible part of the collective consciousness of superhero fans, then it deserves all the accolades and encomiums (e.g. compare the disastrous attempt by DC with atrocious movies like Suicide Squad and Justice League).
Avengers: Endgame transcends the superhero genre by making itself a personal, treasured memory for its legion of fans. It will be a long time before any movie franchise (even MCU in fact) can build and sustain this hype to make a film that is less a conventional movie and more a global celebration cheered by fans and critics alike.
The movie is going to stay in theaters for a long time. Make sure you are done with your 2nd and 3rd viewing ASAP!
Bonus : If you plan to watch all the MCU movies again, this is the correct chronological order!
