Avengers: Endgame (2019) - USA
Reviewed by Andrew Chan (Film Critics Circle of Australia)
As far as a fitting finale of an epic scale as big as Avengers, the “Endgame” is probably as dramatic and action packed as it gets. Directors Anthony Russo and Joe Russo crafted a blockbuster with plenty of pauses, emotional moments and enough space for each superhero to immense their presence. By the end of the film, each of the superhero seems like humans to us, our friends and easily a part of our lives for the least of 3 hours and snippets of memories of the prequels and Marvel movies over the years.
After setting the dark tone with the six stones wiping out half the universe in the “Infinity Wars”, we get a chance for redemption, , sacrifices, hope and inspiration against the odds for the “Endgame”. “Iron Man” Robert Downey Jr. gets to semi lead the “team” and becomes one of the film most touching moments. Sometimes, moments like these are tough to pull off and here it works spectacularly. Chris Evans (“Captain America”) gets to go back in time to face off against himself in one of the film highlights and ultimately answers the question of what it takes to be truest human. Scarlett Johansson (“Black Widow”) adds to the emotional arc and perhaps the most scene stealing and fun character goes to Thor (played with perfect comic timing and a pot belly by Chris Hemsworth. Meanwhile, Mark Ruffalo (“Hulk”) shows that sometimes you need to merge two extremes (monsters and human) to create a norm. Captain Marvel (played by Brie Larson) shows why the Avengers missed her presence in the previous battle.
All in all, “Endgame” is not really just the end, it’s the beginning of something positive, a light or hope. The universe is in a chaotic state and so is our world right now, with all the unpredictable forces happenings, we live in a time that a superhero is needed to save us all. It’s a fanboy dream that “Endgame” manages to succeed in creating hope and redemption in a reality where second chances is a rarity. Perhaps only the magic of movies and Marvel can manage to create a satisfying yet bittersweet ending for the masses. As for the present reviewer, a light of hope is probably what we needed.
I rated it 9/10