Critics of superhero films disapprove of the genre because of the space ships, flying saucers and super powers. They describe it as make-believe.
But for fans, all fiction is make-believe. And so, a great deal of the excitement is in appreciation of the time, effort and creativity studios like Marvel put in, to develop superhero characters. The journey to “Avengers: Endgame” has taken a decade. And 22 Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films have culminated into “Endgame.”
Directors Anthony and Joe Russo, “The Russo Brothers,” make magic with “Avengers: Endgame.” Magic not in fairy-tale sense. But in powerful storytelling that tugged at our heartstrings. This is the beauty of “Avengers: Endgame.” While there are spaceships and an epic battle, every fan will truly revel in their heroes’ emotionality. And feel their pain.
At the end of “Avengers: Infinity War” Thanos, the super-villian, had taken custody of all six infinity stones. At the snap of his fingers, several superheroes including Doctor Strange, Black Panther and Spiderman became dust. They fizzled into the unknown.
In “Endgame,” the Avengers – Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and Thor (Chris Hemsworth), need to find a way to bring back their allies and about half of the world’s population.
The movie opens with Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) teaching his daughter to play darts. Hawkeye who had taken time out to be with his family gets a taste of the concluding events in “Infinity War” with the sudden disappearance of his wife and kids. Meanwhile, Iron Man (Tony Stark) and Thanos’s daughter Nebula (Karen Gillan) lost in space. They would be out of oxygen in 24 hours. So Stark sends an SOS message to Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow).
The latest introduction to the MCU, Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) comes to the rescue. It pleases the audience but there is a gap. At the end of “Infinity War,” Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) sends a message to “Captain Marvel” using his pager. In the post-credits’ scene, she arrives and meets Black Window. But Endgame does not pick-up from there. Rather, it leaves the audience to figure out how she integrated with the Avengers.
Captain Marvel is much like you remember. Strong. And except for a smirk which she gives Thor and a nice new hair cut, her character is still not very personable.
Trusting in Captain Marvel’s extreme strength, the Avengers agree to go after Thanos. Josh Brolin is ever so compelling as Thanos. He tells the Avengers that he destroyed all the infinity stones. Back home, Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) convinces the team that their only solution is time travel. As such, they plan a time heist. Nonetheless, defeating Thanos is no mean feat.
As far as technicality goes, Marvel excels in cinematography and use of CGI. The de-aging and aging of characters is remarkable. But time travel theories are complex. And could throw anyone who has not seen all the movies leading up “Endgame” off-balance. Here is how Hulk explains the time theory.
“If you travel to the past, the past becomes you future. And your former present becomes the past, which can’t now be changed by your new future.”
Bruce Banner
It is a convoluted explanation. Furthermore, the possibility of Steve Rogers aka Captain America returning all infinity stones within five seconds is questionable. Except for the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) who willing surrendered the time stone, the Avengers faced several bottlenecks in retrieving the others.
But Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely screenplay is a big winner so we overlook the complexities of time travel. The time heist includes some of the most memorable moments in “Endgame” which appealed greatly to the audience’s emotions. Those scenes give the audience a chance to connect more with the characters. It is deeply touching when Iron Man, Captain America and Thor run into loved ones in their past. The cast get an A-plus for their performances. The only scene more memorable is the sombre moment after the battle.
In “Endgame,” there is also enough humour to go round. So much so that you won’t notice when three hours flash by. And there were surprises too – look out for Thor!
Much like most superhero films, “Avengers: Endgame” is about defeating the villain. In this case, it is Thanos. But in “Endgame,” family, friendship and sacrifice ring true. And Tony Stark’s, “I love you 3000,” will forever be engraved in our hearts.
