Review: We’re in the Endgame Now
Marvel’s final entry into the Infinity Saga is a masterpiece. Like any film (read: anything), it has its flaws, but they are easy to push aside when the end result is one of the most entertaining, emotional, and fulfilling finales in the history of entertainment media. That may sound hyperbolic, but I have never felt this way about another movie, game, comic, or book, and probably won’t for a very long time (or maybe until December… time will tell). This is my first 10/10 awarded in a Spinchoon article. Everything from here on out will be FULL OF SPOILERS
Seriously… from this point on, if something is spoiled… that’s on you.
You understand that if you continue reading, and you haven’t seen Avengers: Endgame, you are making multiple poor life choices.
A Dusting of Devastation
Endgame’s cold open sets the stage for everything to come. Clint Barton (Hawkeye) is spending time with his family as they are slowly snatched away from him in The Decimation; this resets us to the emotional tone that closed out Infinity War. I have speculated that this scene would open the movie since the trailers debuted. Regardless, I was not ready for it. Jeremy Renner’s acting chops truly shine, as he wanders the open space in pure panic and disorientation, searching for his loved ones. There is a moment where he whistles, as if to summon a dog. It is a haunting choice, as you realize he simply has no idea what else to do. In this moment we are Barton, vulnerable and helpless.
Timing is Everything
As you start to fall apart emotionally, the Marvel logo kicks in and some music plays, as we swoop in to see what Tony Stark (Iron Man) and Nebula are up to. The following scenes lift your spirits a touch, providing some much needed relief from the previous heartache. Tony and Nebula are bonding, working, and even playing a little flick (paper) football, as we learn it has been 22 days since the events on Wakanda transpired. Though you get a laugh and a smile throughout these scenes, Tony rips your heart out as he leaves a final message for Pepper Potts, and surrenders himself to sleep. Just as a single tear rolls down your cheek, Captain Marvel appears in Tony’s last moment to rescue him and Nebula. The roller coaster starts traveling up the tracks again. The Russo brothers nail the timing and constantly pull you out of a spiraling depression; this will be a consistent mechanic throughout the rest of the film. Just as the situations become too much to bear, a perfectly timed joke, comment, or callback will lift your spirit. After all, these guys are making a movie to entertain you. The material is for audience members of all ages. They intend (and succeed) to keep you engaged for the entire 3 hour runtime, making you feel every emotion you can imagine. Anthony and Joe Russo are master craftsmen.
Now and Later
Our remaining heroes track a Decimation-like energy signature to a peaceful planet where we find Grimace (Thanos). The energy signature was caused by the destruction of the Infinity Stones. Realizing all is lost, and filled with feelings of unrelenting rage and failure, Thor “went for the head”. This quote is pulled as a callback to Thor’s folly in Infinity War, where he missed his opportunity to end the purple-people-eater just before the snap. The troop — and audience — take a brief breath of satisfaction. Now that our rage has been expelled, we are left cold and alone in a world that is broken and can’t be fixed. We jump ahead five years, and the movie truly starts. Everything up until this point could easily have been included in the finale of Infinity War. Lucky for us, this is not our writers’ first rodeo. The true accomplishment of this film is how the creators put the audience in the emotional state needed to fully understand the gravity of every situation. The Infinity Saga’s finale is one movie, split in two parts, with a year long intermission between. If you want to get meta, those five years our heroes live between the opening events, and the rest of the film, mirror the year the audience waits between Infinity War and Endgame. Life went on for the audience, but not for the remaining Avengers. This brutally distressing prologue immediately snaps (heh) the audience into alignment with our broken and battered heroes’ emotional state.
It’s OK to be Wrong
Five years later the team barely resembles its former self. Some have been able to move on, but those who haven’t are crippled with guilt. It’s in this post-Avengers future that we meet our Deus Ex Machina. Some may take issue with Scott being freed from the Quantum Realm by a scavenging rat, but I find it hysterical. It’s chaos and it jives with the unknown nature and possibilities of this universe. I also feel compelled to point out that the rat, and any other odd choices, are part of the single successful outcome of the 14,000,605 outcomes Dr. Strange witnessed as he seizured through possible timelines in Infinity War. Therefore, if you have a problem with how anything goes down in Endgame, you either wanted them to lose, or you’re wrong. I see you Russo brothers. I see you, and I respect you… Well played.
Time Heist
The entire second act of the film is, unapologetically, a heist movie. They even call it a time heist to make perfectly clear that, yes, this is what we are doing. Who doesn’t love a good heist flick? Witty banter, incredibly high odds, a team assembly, a montage, and a plan so crazy… IT JUST. MIGHT. WORK! It’s exciting, its laugh out loud funny, and it brings the team back together, putting differences aside to work together just as you remember from the first Avengers.
Paul Rudd is a national treasure. He plays Mr. Exposition for this entire third of the movie, yet you never tire of him and his relentless charm (I adore you space puppy). We get a lot of chuckles during this comedy half-hour, including, but not limited to: Rocket petting Scott, numerous references to time travel flicks, the introduction of Professor Hulk, and most importantly, fat Thor. This is, quite possibly, the most shocking thing that happens in the movie. Not only do we see Thor has traded his six pack for a keg… he keeps it… for the rest of the movie. Way to commit to the bit! This portion of the movie is, again, incredibly important for tone and audience response. You can’t not have a good time. You can’t not let your guard down. This plays out to tremendous effect, as we transition into the third act, and round out the movie with gut punch after gut punch (heh x2).
This second act contains its own miniature three act story. Act 1 — Avengers Assemble: The group comes back together and we collect the remaining living Avengers. Act 2 — The Mission: we travel through the MCU timeline to pay copious amounts of fan service supplemented with wonderful cameos. We enjoy another perfectly balanced mixture of humor and heartache. From (Captain) America’s Ass, to Tony getting to hug his dad; From re-watching Quill’s entry into the MCU, to witnessing our part machine heroes (Nebula & Rhodey) bond over their pain and circumstance; From Thor finding he’s still worthy, to Scarlett Johansson and Jeremey Renner acting their asses off — actually making me feel something for those characters. Act 3 — Success at a Cost: Acquiring the stones in the past took a toll. I never really cared for Black Widow; I blame that on the writing of the character, until this point. She is finally given purpose and Scarlett Johansson DELIVERS! While the sacrifice scene almost cost us the universe — that was a little much — the climax and permanence hit you like a freight train. When you go back and rewatch Endgame, pay close attention to the music that plays when Black Widow finds Barton. It’s the devastating music of Vormir, played in Infinity War when Thanos sacrifices Gamora. They reprise the track, yet again, as Black Widow scores a perfect 10 on her dive… I’m not proud of that joke… but I also didn’t remove it.
Snap, Crackle, Pop
The third act of our film is the much anticipated Round 2. With all 6 Infinity Stones, it’s time for one of our heroes to take the Iron Nano Gauntlet for a spin. Jolly Green assumes (correctly) that he is the only one of Beatles (throwback to Infinity War) that can take the brunt and maybe live (Where you at Danvers?) After The Incredible Bruce snaps his fingers (and nearly looses an arm), we slowly start to realize… something is different. First, we witness Scott hearing birds chirping, but then it happens. We get a phone call from Linda Cardellini (Barton’s previously ashed wife). It worked! That was easy… or was it? Queue time traveling Barney from 2014 as he rains fire upon the Avengers strong hold, turning upstate New York into a giant crater. The final showdown had me on the edge of my seat, gasping, cheering, and yes, shedding a few tears (and not just the first time I watched it). The remainder of this article will be a celebratory breakdown of the finale as I gush over some of the finer details.
Feelings, Such Strong Feelings
- The braided beard — In a fury of thunder and lightning, Thor summons his garb. I fully expected him to transform into his usual ripped-seductive-god-of-thunder self. Instead the only physical change he undergoes is a subtle braid in his bird’s nest of a beard. Chef’s kiss😚👌
- Cap’n drops the hammer — We have been waiting for this since Age of Ultron, when Cap jostled Thor’s hammer (heh part 3). Recently the Russo Bros. stated that Steve Rogers was always able to lift Moljinr. However, since he’s such a stand-up guy, he never did. He wanted to spare the other Avengers from embarrassment. I love this added nugget; it’s so true to form for Steve’s character. While I expected him to use the hammer, I did not expect him to be so adept at wielding it. This mechanic was used to tremendous effect and received thundering (heh IV) applause.
- On your left — I will be honest, I didn’t hear this line the first time I watched Endgame. I heard about it after the fact and paid close attention on my second viewing. When the time came, this callback to Winter Soldier delivered straight-up CHILLS.
- The heart and soul of the MCU — I am, of course, referring to Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. The music swell as he swings through a portal into the arena will make your Spidey Sense tingle. I challenge, nay, DEFY you not to tear up as Tony embraces Peter. This is the most emotional scene in the saga. We’ve been building to it for 10 years, as we watched Tony grow emotionally. Tony makes a full evolution from only caring about himself to only caring about everyone else. Experiencing his loss, as Peter dusted away in Infinity War, was the most traumatizing scene in the history of the MCU. Bringing that full circle, with a father-and-son-like embrace, just yanks on the ol’ heart strings with incredible power.
- Polite Peter Parker — Alliteration aside, Tom Holland will carry the torch as we enter the next phase of the MCU. After all these years, we couldn’t ask for a better Spider-Man. He plays the character with such heart and honesty that you can’t help but adore him. His innocence, and true good-nature, shines through as he swings into battle introducing himself to other Avengers that he has yet to meet.
- A-Force — Assembling all of these super, bad ass female heroes protecting Peter, as they push him to the background, and march into battle, was an incredibly powerful moment. I just wish we stayed with it a bit longer and got an extended scene of them all kicking ass.
- Last Words — “I am Iron Man” was a tremendous line to lay Tony to rest as he wins the war. It should have been unbeatable, but it pales in comparison to his final line delivered, postmortem, to his daughter. “I love you 3000”… here I go, bawling again.
- Cheeseburgers — If you get it, you get it. Happy gets it. Just when I thought “I love you 3000” was unbeatable, “I’ll get you all the cheeseburgers you want”. This is a callback to the first Iron Man, delivered by the man that made it happen, is a perfect close.
This was one incredibly wild ride. If you liked it, and want more, check out our Flix and a Six episode on Endgame. It kicks off with our most memorable intro yet.
Read more from Anthony here at The Spinchoon, or listen to Flix & a Six. Follow us on Twitter @TheSpinchoon & @AEJCostanzo.
