Marvel Studios pulls out all the stops in a spectacular superhero epic with ‘Avengers: Endgame’

Long live the Avengers.

For this review, I felt compelled to start off by honoring these comic-book heroes that have touched the lives of millions of fans around the world, both new and old. Since 2008, Marvel Studios has been on a superhero odyssey; creating memorable moments, whole standalone franchises and bringing the comic books to life.

After the devastating end to last year’s Infinity War, there had to be one last sequel in order to set things right in the universe.

I know I’ve always mentioned that my reviews are spoiler-free. That is especially true for this film!

After the events of Infinity War, the surviving members of the Avengers rally with their allies in order to reverse the damage caused by Thanos.

Avengers: Endgame returns audiences with the promise of many things: revenge, redemption, the return of the original six, a run time that defies the limits of most street parking meters. And this movie delivers in almost all aspects; splashing beloved characters, eras, and not-quite insurmountable challenges in its challenging three-hour narrative to create a beautiful portrait that you want to continue to stare at so it won’t end.

The story opens with our surviving heroes taking account of the damage and hardly see up to mounting a counterattack: Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is lost in space with Nebula (Karen Gillan), Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johannson), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) are crushed as the death toll on Earth rises after Thanos’ decimation.

Even newcomer Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) has other galaxies to worry about that have been affected. However, the Ant-Man of the team comes with the biggest plan: Paul Rudd’s ageless, shrinkable and comedic relief Scott Lang provides the spark of hope that allows the original team to reunite with their friends and execute a dangerous plan to change current events.

Before the movie charged into theaters to shatter box-office records, we knew that this was the last film for the Avengers’ original six members. That means one more chance to see Chris Evans’ Captain America do things with his reclaimed shield and thousand-yard stares, Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye (and second masked persona, Ronin) shoot multiple arrows and slash villains with his blade. But we also get to witness the Hulk complete his arc that was started way back at the end of Avengers: Age of Ultron and Thor: Ragnarok, displaying the balance between man and beast, to follow along as Stark and Thor make peace with their pasts, to bask in the banter of bounty-hunting talking raccoons and dry-witted billionaires.

Voiced by Josh Brolin, Thanos is still a formidable antihero, filled with ominous proclamations and that he won’t go away quietly. And the cameos; the sibling directing duo, The Russo Brothers, veterans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, max out their Rolodex in every scene, making audiences laugh, sigh, and sometimes cry. Trust me, you will shed tears before the credits start rolling.

With nothing less than 50% of the free world and universe on the line, there’s an expected urgency in our heroes’ mission, but also a somber undercurrent – not just for what is gone, but for what will not be coming back.

11 years. 22 films. With that much work done, there was obvious pressure to stick the landing. And Marvel Studios did with this film, closing the book on what has been called The Infinity Saga. I cannot speak more highly of this movie and would tell any fan of the MCU, that’s either a veteran watcher, casual viewer, or newcomer, to spend your money to see this masterpiece of the superhero genre.

Thanks for reading, everyone! Think you’ll check out this movie? Definitely leave a comment! Also check out my Facebook page for this blog  and show some love! Until next time!