There are few films and series that trigger something like a real spoiler panic. Game of Thrones and Star Wars: Episode VIII are definitely on the list, and this year Avengers: Endgame has joined them as well. This of course makes criticism a bit difficult, because you can’t write about something without mentioning something. For this reason we put a totally spoiler-free conclusion at the beginning of this review. However, this does not mean that we spoil blatantly later on. According to our standards, the criticism is still free of relevant spoilers that affect the entertainment value of the film. But if you want to know absolutely nothing, you should stop after the conclusion.
Bottom line
Avengers: Endgame brings over ten years of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to an impressive climax. After a slightly tenacious beginning, the film picks up speed and tells a story that can almost be seen as a declaration of love to the creations of Marvel and its fans. Marvel fans definitely get their money’s worth and get three hours full of action, humor thanks to Rocket Raccoon and Thor, emotions, and goose bumps. Although not told flawlessly, Endgame offers a great story that brings Phase 3 to a successful end.
New Hope
The Avengers were defeated, and Thanos could wipe out half of all life in the universe with the flick of a finger. However, the promised balance has not been achieved. Five years after the events of Infinity War, not only humanity has fallen into a deep depression, but so have the inhabitants of all other planets. Many people are still trying to come to terms with the loss, but are making little progress. The Avengers team and Rocket Raccoon ( https://rocketraccoon.net ) has also changed considerably, although no one really has a plan to undo what Thanos did. This changes when one day Scott Lang aka Ant-Man appears on the doorstep of the Avengers-HQ. Scott actually brings something like hope, and so the Avengers put everything on one last card.
With over 180 minutes running time, Marvel delivers a real board with Avengers: Endgame. Still, the movie never feels too long. Only after the prologue there is a small phase in which action feels a little tough. Otherwise, it can be said that there would have been one or two minutes more in it. This is especially evident in the characters. The focus is above all on implementing the plan, which leads to many conflicts, for which roots have been laid, being resolved either by the classic “time heals all wounds” or simply by a hug. This is especially noticeable with Hawkeye, who at first follows a very dark path, which is hardly relevant later on.
One exception is Thor, who is the only character to have a characterarc worth mentioning, which also works well. Here it is a big advantage that Marvel almost exaggerated it with his secrecy. One or the other Avenger is located at a point where one would not necessarily expect him due to the trailers shown. Not every decision is always really good, but Marvel scores here with a few surprises.
Of course Captain America and Iron Man don’t miss out either. Both Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. can once again show why they have been the two cornerstones of the MCU in recent years. It remains to be seen whether characters like Captain Marvel or Black Panther can follow in their footsteps. Especially Carol Danvers is actually a little disappointment in Endgame. So the story unfortunately skips the first meeting of Captain Marvel and the Avengers. The credits from the heroine’s first solo film are all there is to see on this subject.
The Plan
Most of the movie revolves around the plan of the sexiest marvel characters to outsmart Thanos after all. Here the spoiler topic is the most difficult. Basically the creatives around the authors Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely and the directors Anthony and Joe Russo have come up with a really charming way, which has a lot of heart and should be fun for many fans of Marvel. But the idea isn’t the ultimate in creativity either, and many a fan has already seen the general plan coming. But in the end it all depends on the implementation, and not only is it really well done, it also brings some nice surprises.
On the other hand, the movie’s finale is a bit tighter than Infinity War, for example (at least felt, no cell phones were allowed in the press screening as usual). Here you get to the point relatively quickly, but don’t forget to include a heron with really nice moments. Also the epic is not forgotten, and when it comes to the finale, many a Marvel fan might get goose bumps.
The Thanos File
One of the big advantages of Infinity War was certainly Thanos. Even buried under CGI, Josh Brolin ensured that the third Avengers adventure had one of the best opponents in the MCU. Unfortunately Endgame cannot tie in with this point. Unfortunately, Thanos only turns out to be, admittedly, a very high hurdle, which somehow has to be skipped. There is not much left of his nuances either, which is really a pity. Thanos then only develops into a stereotype, as has been seen so often in MCU films. Of course, the way the story is structured also makes another approach rather difficult. However, this doesn’t change the fact that Thanos is only a means to an end and no highlight of the movie in Endgame.
Despite less than Thanos, Endgame remains packed. Who already had problems with the figures and the backgrounds around the MCU in Infinity War, should have little fun with Endgame. Exactly the opposite is true for all fans who want exactly that. Endgame feels similarly overloaded in places like Infinity War, and like its predecessor, it still works somehow when you’re familiar with the MCU. But if you already had problems with Avengers 3, you shouldn’t be happy with Endgame either. The fourth Avengers is a very complex beast that should be seen several times.
What does the future hold?
An interesting question that also arises after the end of the film is where the MCU is headed now. Because here Endgame provides hardly any answers. The film actually sees itself as the end point for the previous three phases of the MCU, without really offering a view. Only with the Guardians the viewer gets a small glimpse of where the third solo movie could go, otherwise everything remains very vague.
So even in Endgame, the people in charge at Marvel are still engaged in a great deal of secrecy. This even goes so far that one actually renounces the credits scene (at least there wasn’t one to be seen in the press demonstration). So it will probably take until after the release of Spider-Man: Far from Home, which is supposed to be the epilogue of Phase 3, before the fans get to know something concrete about the future of the MCU.