By Brett Blake This is going to be a shorter review, because if the intention is to remain spoiler-free, AVENGERS: ENDGAME is basically an unreviewable film. In some ways, that’s a convenient cop-out that I will happily take to make this review easier to write, because to try to describe the absolutely insane plot would be extremely difficult. So I’m not going to say anything about the story or the narrative! What I will say is that the filmmakers (specifically directors Joe and Anthony Russo, and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely) have done a borderline-spectacular job of gifting every single one of the movie’s central characters (of which there are a dozen+) meaningful and impactful moments. Everybody gets to shine, and whether you’re Team Cap, Team Iron Man, or Team Anybody Else, you will get to see your favorites done-right-by. If the movie had nothing else to offer but these characters bouncing off each other, it would still be an impressive achievement. But it does have more to offer. In the spectacle/action department, the Russos have fully blown the doors off and cut loose, delivering cinematic superhero action on a scale that even their very impressive previous MCU entries (CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR and AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR) only scratched the surface of. The scale of action which eventually arrives in the third act is massive in a way that I don’t think can plausibly be topped anytime soon just for the sheer “comic book wonderment” of it all. I can also say this, which is both a positive and a negative: ENDGAME deeply relies on the viewer’s knowledge of events from not just the previous AVENGERS movie... but basically all of the Marvel Cinematic Universe entries up to this point. The upside of that is that it gives the film a resonance for the faithful viewers that have followed the MCU, and that heightens the big pay-off of longform storytelling that ENDGAME provides. The downside, however, is that if you’re just a “casual” fan, somebody who’s seen more of the movies than not but probably not every single one and probably not more than once... a lot of the connective tissue and the callbacks will likely fall flat. There are specific moments here designed to expand the appreciation for everything that has transpired in the MCU up to this, and I suspect some of the intended effect will be lost on the more casual members of the audience. There are also a couple of other flaws in the script, but they’re so scene-specific that I can’t really talk about them; they’re not enough to damage the movie beyond repair, though. There is a lot here. Too much, probably, to the extent that the story starts to strain under its own weight occasionally. My initial reaction is that the first AVENGERS, CIVIL WAR, and INFINITY WAR are all stronger movies, overall, and I don’t expect that reaction will change much with further viewings (thought it might). Those films are simply more streamlined and feel more focused, while ENDGAME - by design, granted - is completely unable to function on its own as a complete story in itself. As its title suggests, it’s the culmination of 20+ films, not a discreet, standalone entry. However, ENDGAME offers highlights of the very highest sort. An argument could be made that its best moments (and there are so many great ones) rise above the best of those previous movies mentioned. If you like these characters, if you find them engaging, and if you have even a slight emotional investment in them, it’s almost guaranteed that you will find ENDGAME quite satisfying, and perhaps even moving at times. It is big, it is cluttered, and it is somewhat unwieldy from a plot-mechanics perspective, but it is also a massive, terrific entertainment.
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By Brett Blake
We are are back to break down all the big movie releases coming to theaters over the next several months! Breanne Brennan and Brenton Thom join me for an extensive discussion of the most notable movies to look forward to (or perhaps not look forward to!) coming our way.
On the agenda (click on the titles to view the trailers):
April 26th - AVENGERS: ENDGAME May 10th - DETECTIVE PIKACHU 17th - JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 - PARABELLUM 24th - ALADDIN 24th - BRIGHTBURN 31st - ROCKETMAN 31st - GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS June 7th - DARK PHOENIX 7th - THE SECRET LIFE OF PETS 2 14th - MEN IN BLACK: INTERNATIONAL 21st - CHILD’S PLAY 21st - TOY STORY 4 28th - ANNABELLE COMES HOME July 5th - SPIDER-MAN: FAR FROM HOME 19th - THE LION KING 26th - ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD August 2nd - THE NEW MUTANTS 2nd - FAST & FURIOUS PRESENTS: HOBBS & SHAW 9th - ARTEMIS FOWL 9th - MIDSOMMAR 9th - SCARY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK |
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