I finally got to see Avengers Endgame and what an amazing finale to the 22 movie-long MCU film series.
SPOILER ALERT: I will be talking in great detail about many specific things from the movie and revealing how the film unfolds so please stop reading now if you don't want to be spoiled.
*****
Let me start by saying that, as expected, this movie was pretty emotional. There were two scenes in particular that I found moving. First: the Soul Stone scene. Unlike the similar scene in Infinity War where I couldn't really connect with Thanos' supposed loss of Gamora, this one was quite powerful. The other scene was of course Iron Man's demise. I could see many people wiping away tears during that scene and the scenes that followed. His death scene was really well-directed and the actors performed tremendously well (reminds me what a great actress Gwyneth Paltrow is).
The big scene when everyone returns to life and fights off Thanos' drew massive cheers from the crowd, and deservedly so. I will be a bit of a naysayer here and say that I wasn't really affected by Infinity War because I was kinda expecting everyone to come back. As such, while everyone was tremendously happy seeing the return of the people who disappeared in the previous film, I was just waiting for it to happen. Still, it was an amazing climax and it was great seeing everyone back and fighting together.
Of course, the big thing about this movie was its involvement of "time travel" through the quantum realm. Personally, I am not always a fan of time travel films because it can be a bit iffy. That said, in this case, it has its good points and bad points.
On the very positive side, it is this going back in time that allows End Game to pay homage to the past 21 movies of the MCU. Characters had to go back to scenes from their previous films, resulting in a tremendous amount of nostalgia. Captain America seeing Peggy, Tony talking to his dad Howard, Thor talking to his mother, Starlord dancing in Morag during his first screen appearance, The Ancient One protecting the earth, the Avengers beating Loki, and Captain America in an elevator with Hydra were all very sentimental. These scenes allowed Endgame to pay a very fitting tribute to many of its previous films and tie everything together.
The bad points are the consistency and impact of changes in the timeline. When Tony Stark and Antman attempt to take the Tesseract, a mess ensues that allows Loki to take the Tesseract back and disappear. If he did after the first Avengers movie, how would that have impacted the timeline? He certainly wouldn't have been locked up in Thor: Dark World anymore. Also, Captain America decides to go back in time and stay there to rekindle his love with Peggy Carter and it is implied that they end up together. If they do, what happens then to Peggy's granddaughter, Sharon? And would that also mean that there would be two Captain Americas at some point? It's all too confusing, which makes me not a huge fan of time travel in these kinds of situations. (I also initially had issues about the 2019 Thor taking the Mjolnir when he goes back to 2013 during the Dark World setting. I was thinking that if he did that, then the 2103 Thor who was battling the Dark Elves would have then lost his Mjolnir. Then I was reminded by a friend that Captain America, who could now lift the Mjolnir, went back to that moment and he could return 2013 Thor's Mjolnir.)
One of the elements I loved the most was the major twist where Thanos learns of this time-traveling plan to prevent half the world from being wiped out. That just added an incredible layer of complexity and made it significantly more compelling to watch. Another moment I loved was when all the female characters and superheroes stand in front of Captain Marvel to prevent Thanos from taking the new Infinity Gauntlet. While the Avengers started off with a heavily male cast, a lot of powerful and amazing women have become integral to the story and it was great seeing them together, making a powerful stand.
On the flipside, there were also other elements I wasn't happy with: Thor was made to be tremendously powerful in Infinity War and here he was made to be a joke. Also on consistency, Captain Marvel blew up Thanos' ship and she can fly at tremendous speeds yet she wasn't able to prevent Thanos from taking the gauntlet back from her. I also didn't particularly like this half-Bruce, half-Hulk incarnation. I also felt the first 30 minutes where maybe a bit too slow. (I remember looking at my watch to see how much time had elapsed because I couldn't wait for the action.)
That said, while there are things I wasn't happy with, these are nowhere near enough to make me displeased about Avengers Endgame. It was truly nostalgic and emotionally charged. As the film wraps up, there's a bit of a heavy feeling when you realize you've become emotionally invested in these characters and their story lines that you've followed over the last 11 years and now we have come to the end. The effects, the action sequences, the twists and turns, and even the performances make Avengers: Endgame a truly incredible film. The question on my mind now is whether this movie will manage to knock Avatar off the top of the all-time worldwide gross list.
SPOILER ALERT: I will be talking in great detail about many specific things from the movie and revealing how the film unfolds so please stop reading now if you don't want to be spoiled.
*****
Let me start by saying that, as expected, this movie was pretty emotional. There were two scenes in particular that I found moving. First: the Soul Stone scene. Unlike the similar scene in Infinity War where I couldn't really connect with Thanos' supposed loss of Gamora, this one was quite powerful. The other scene was of course Iron Man's demise. I could see many people wiping away tears during that scene and the scenes that followed. His death scene was really well-directed and the actors performed tremendously well (reminds me what a great actress Gwyneth Paltrow is).
The big scene when everyone returns to life and fights off Thanos' drew massive cheers from the crowd, and deservedly so. I will be a bit of a naysayer here and say that I wasn't really affected by Infinity War because I was kinda expecting everyone to come back. As such, while everyone was tremendously happy seeing the return of the people who disappeared in the previous film, I was just waiting for it to happen. Still, it was an amazing climax and it was great seeing everyone back and fighting together.
Of course, the big thing about this movie was its involvement of "time travel" through the quantum realm. Personally, I am not always a fan of time travel films because it can be a bit iffy. That said, in this case, it has its good points and bad points.
On the very positive side, it is this going back in time that allows End Game to pay homage to the past 21 movies of the MCU. Characters had to go back to scenes from their previous films, resulting in a tremendous amount of nostalgia. Captain America seeing Peggy, Tony talking to his dad Howard, Thor talking to his mother, Starlord dancing in Morag during his first screen appearance, The Ancient One protecting the earth, the Avengers beating Loki, and Captain America in an elevator with Hydra were all very sentimental. These scenes allowed Endgame to pay a very fitting tribute to many of its previous films and tie everything together.
The bad points are the consistency and impact of changes in the timeline. When Tony Stark and Antman attempt to take the Tesseract, a mess ensues that allows Loki to take the Tesseract back and disappear. If he did after the first Avengers movie, how would that have impacted the timeline? He certainly wouldn't have been locked up in Thor: Dark World anymore. Also, Captain America decides to go back in time and stay there to rekindle his love with Peggy Carter and it is implied that they end up together. If they do, what happens then to Peggy's granddaughter, Sharon? And would that also mean that there would be two Captain Americas at some point? It's all too confusing, which makes me not a huge fan of time travel in these kinds of situations. (I also initially had issues about the 2019 Thor taking the Mjolnir when he goes back to 2013 during the Dark World setting. I was thinking that if he did that, then the 2103 Thor who was battling the Dark Elves would have then lost his Mjolnir. Then I was reminded by a friend that Captain America, who could now lift the Mjolnir, went back to that moment and he could return 2013 Thor's Mjolnir.)
One of the elements I loved the most was the major twist where Thanos learns of this time-traveling plan to prevent half the world from being wiped out. That just added an incredible layer of complexity and made it significantly more compelling to watch. Another moment I loved was when all the female characters and superheroes stand in front of Captain Marvel to prevent Thanos from taking the new Infinity Gauntlet. While the Avengers started off with a heavily male cast, a lot of powerful and amazing women have become integral to the story and it was great seeing them together, making a powerful stand.
On the flipside, there were also other elements I wasn't happy with: Thor was made to be tremendously powerful in Infinity War and here he was made to be a joke. Also on consistency, Captain Marvel blew up Thanos' ship and she can fly at tremendous speeds yet she wasn't able to prevent Thanos from taking the gauntlet back from her. I also didn't particularly like this half-Bruce, half-Hulk incarnation. I also felt the first 30 minutes where maybe a bit too slow. (I remember looking at my watch to see how much time had elapsed because I couldn't wait for the action.)
That said, while there are things I wasn't happy with, these are nowhere near enough to make me displeased about Avengers Endgame. It was truly nostalgic and emotionally charged. As the film wraps up, there's a bit of a heavy feeling when you realize you've become emotionally invested in these characters and their story lines that you've followed over the last 11 years and now we have come to the end. The effects, the action sequences, the twists and turns, and even the performances make Avengers: Endgame a truly incredible film. The question on my mind now is whether this movie will manage to knock Avatar off the top of the all-time worldwide gross list.
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