*MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS*
Since the release of Iron Man in 2008, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has become one of the most successful franchises, with the majority of their films impressing both critics and at the box office. Based on the comic books by the late Stan Lee, each film has provided entertainment for fans of superheroes. Avengers: Assemble, which was released in 2012, saw the titular team appear on screen for the first time and the result was successful as it earned over a billion dollars at the box office. Featuring a team of memorable characters, including Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man, Chris Evan's Captain America, Mark Ruffalo's Hulk and Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, and exciting action sequences, Avengers: Assemble proved to be one of the greatest superhero films. Three years later, its first sequel, Age Of Ultron, and, while it wasn't as good as its predecessor, it was still a solid successful and it was great seeing the Avengers team up again. It wasn't until 2018 when a second sequel, Infinity War, was released and it was a huge improvement over its predecessor, in terms of story, character development and action. The film saw the characters face their biggest threat yet in the form of Thanos (Josh Brolin) who wants to restore balance in the world by destroying half of humanity. However, he can only achieve that by collecting the Infinity Stones. The majority of Infinity War focuses on the characters trying to stop Thanos, unfortunately, they are unsuccessful, leading to a shocking and emotional cliffhanger.
Avengers: Endgame sees the remaining characters dealing with the aftermath of Thanos' actions. After an unsuccessful attempt to reverse his actions, they are left hopeless, until Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) turns up after being trapped in the Quantum Realm for five years. He reveals there may be a way to bring everyone back, however, the plan requires bravery, teamwork and personal sacrifice in order to succeed. Together, the remaining team, which includes Tony Stark (Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers (Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Natasha Romanoff (Johansson), Bruce Banner (Ruffalo), James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), Rocket the Raccoon (voiced by Bradley Cooper) and Nebula (Karen Gillian), become determined to succeed in their plan and bring everyone back. However, the plan is easier said than done as it involves time travel.
Creating a conclusion that satisfies fans and meets their expectations was always going to be a challenge, fortunately, the directors, Joe and Anthony Russo, have succeeded. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with what they've created. Together, the brothers have created four of the best films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, including Endgame, Infinity War and two of the Captain America films, The Winter Soldier and Civil War. They clearly understand what each of the characters have been through, making them the best choice to direct the final two films in the Avengers franchise. With Endgame, they've created a satisfying conclusion that is, at times, emotional and full of action.
The majority of Endgame focuses on the main characters as they travel to different points in time to collect the Infinity Stones before Thanos does. In this sequence, we return to events we've already experienced and view them from a different perspective, which made for a fun watch. In one scene, we see Stark, Rogers, Banner return to New York in 2012 with Lang when Loki (Tom Hiddleston) caused havoc with the Tesseract. This is also one of the more lighthearted scenes in Endgame and is full of comedic potential, especially when Rogers accidentally encounters his past self, leading to a fight between the two. It's during the time heist, as the characters call it, where Endgame is at its most entertaining. Another scene sees Thor finding closure with his late mother, Frigga (Rene Russo), in a moving scene. However, as mentioned earlier, the plan requires personal sacrifice. After Romanoff and Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) arrive on Vormir in order to retrieve the Soul Stone, the pair are surprised to discover that a sacrifice must be made, leading to a tragic death. This scene is similar to one in Infinity War, where Thanos sacrifices his adopted daughter, Gamora (Zoe Saldana), to retrieve the stone.
With most superhero films I've watched, there doesn't seem to be much at stake and I've always found the stories to be lacking in tension, as it's obvious that the superhero will save the day. However, with Infinity War and Endgame, there's a lot of stake, with half of humanity having vanished from existence. With so many superheroes teaming up together to defeat him, you'd be forgiven in thinking that Thanos would be an easy villain to defeat. However, Infinity War proved that theory wrong and that he's stronger than a team of superheroes. In Endgame, Thanos still threatens the Avengers, even after his death early on in the film. This is because a past version of Thanos learns, through Nebula, of future events, leading him to become even more determined to defeat them, making their plan even harder to successfully achieve. While there have been a lot of villains in the MCU, Thanos is, undoubtedly, one of the best and is portrayed brilliantly by Brolin.
The most impressive aspect of Avengers: Endgame is its ensemble cast, which consists of the most talented actors working in Hollywood. The stand-out performance comes from Downey Jr. who gives his best portrayal of Tony Stark yet. In his first appearance in Iron Man, the character came across as a cocky billionaire. However, since then, he has developed into a more mature person. In Iron Man 3, we saw Stark suffering from anxiety, following the events of Avengers: Assemble. I thought that this was Downey Jr.'s best dramatic performance yet, however, with Endgame, he has improved and has developed Stark into a true hero. Like Logan did with Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, Endgame provides a farewell to a beloved character. The MCU started with Iron Man, it's only fitting that it should conclude with him as well. While I think that every actor involved did a great job with portraying their characters, I think that Downey Jr. deserved a special mention.
While I enjoyed the time heist sequence, I thought that Avengers: Endgame was at its best during yhe final battle sequence, which is exhilarating throughout. The sequence sees the lost characters successfully return and team up to defeat Thanos once and for all. With so many characters featuring in the battle, it was always going to be difficult to make sure they all each get their time to shine, however, the Russo brothers succeeded. With her film, Captain Marvel, having recently been released, I was expecting Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) to have more screen time, however, she's only seen in the beginning and during the final battle sequence. Despite her limited screen time, she still leaves a lasting impression and I can't wait to see more of her in future sequels.
While Endgame may be the final Avengers film, the final scenes hint at future films, including the upcoming Spider-Man sequel, Far From Home, and a third Guardians of the Galaxy film. While I doubt any future film in the MCU will ever come close to matching the emotions that Endgame leaves you with, I'm still looking forward to future instalments and seeing what direction the story goes in, following the events of Endgame.
Overall, Avengers: Endgame is a successful conclusion to over a decade's worth of films and will satisfy fans.
8/10
With most superhero films I've watched, there doesn't seem to be much at stake and I've always found the stories to be lacking in tension, as it's obvious that the superhero will save the day. However, with Infinity War and Endgame, there's a lot of stake, with half of humanity having vanished from existence. With so many superheroes teaming up together to defeat him, you'd be forgiven in thinking that Thanos would be an easy villain to defeat. However, Infinity War proved that theory wrong and that he's stronger than a team of superheroes. In Endgame, Thanos still threatens the Avengers, even after his death early on in the film. This is because a past version of Thanos learns, through Nebula, of future events, leading him to become even more determined to defeat them, making their plan even harder to successfully achieve. While there have been a lot of villains in the MCU, Thanos is, undoubtedly, one of the best and is portrayed brilliantly by Brolin.
The most impressive aspect of Avengers: Endgame is its ensemble cast, which consists of the most talented actors working in Hollywood. The stand-out performance comes from Downey Jr. who gives his best portrayal of Tony Stark yet. In his first appearance in Iron Man, the character came across as a cocky billionaire. However, since then, he has developed into a more mature person. In Iron Man 3, we saw Stark suffering from anxiety, following the events of Avengers: Assemble. I thought that this was Downey Jr.'s best dramatic performance yet, however, with Endgame, he has improved and has developed Stark into a true hero. Like Logan did with Hugh Jackman's Wolverine, Endgame provides a farewell to a beloved character. The MCU started with Iron Man, it's only fitting that it should conclude with him as well. While I think that every actor involved did a great job with portraying their characters, I think that Downey Jr. deserved a special mention.
While I enjoyed the time heist sequence, I thought that Avengers: Endgame was at its best during yhe final battle sequence, which is exhilarating throughout. The sequence sees the lost characters successfully return and team up to defeat Thanos once and for all. With so many characters featuring in the battle, it was always going to be difficult to make sure they all each get their time to shine, however, the Russo brothers succeeded. With her film, Captain Marvel, having recently been released, I was expecting Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) to have more screen time, however, she's only seen in the beginning and during the final battle sequence. Despite her limited screen time, she still leaves a lasting impression and I can't wait to see more of her in future sequels.
While Endgame may be the final Avengers film, the final scenes hint at future films, including the upcoming Spider-Man sequel, Far From Home, and a third Guardians of the Galaxy film. While I doubt any future film in the MCU will ever come close to matching the emotions that Endgame leaves you with, I'm still looking forward to future instalments and seeing what direction the story goes in, following the events of Endgame.
Overall, Avengers: Endgame is a successful conclusion to over a decade's worth of films and will satisfy fans.
8/10
No comments:
Post a Comment