Colin’s Column: “We’re in the Endgame now”
By: Colin Bauer
Staff Writer
Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner
Director: Anthony & Joe Russo
Synopsis: This epic film is a culmination of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s previous 11 years of films. With Tony Stark left adrift in space, he sends word to Pepper Potts letting her know he’s alive. Elsewhere, the remaining superheroes from 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War attempt to form a solution to restore the world to the way it was before Thanos brought everything to a living hell.
Review:
Walking into Avengers: Endgame, audience members are able to realize how much of a finale and endgame the film truly is. From start to finish, this three-hour epic takes audiences on an emotional journey unlike any other. The movie accomplishes this task by its story, pacing, cinematography, direction, and performances.
Culminating after 11 years of 21 films, Marvel Studios knew exactly how everything needed to converge. Without spoiling anything, this film takes every Marvel movie before it and brings it all together, truly illustrating how each movie was vital in leading up to the endgame. Even films that didn’t seem significant such as 2013’s Thor: The Dark World and 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron become quite relevant in this outing. Although these films were forgettable on their own, they are crucial to the overall MCU plot.
Clocking in at three hours and one minute long, this movie is one of the longest films ever released and the longest in the Marvel franchise. After sifting through some of the drawn-out sequences in Infinity War, the Russo brothers were able to pinpoint everything that was necessary to conclude any storylines. This film never overstays its welcome and the three hours pass by with ease as the story moves along quite fluently.
With epic action sequences comes the need for epic camera shots. Being shot in the IMAX format, certain scenes were put together specifically to draw audiences in and show how massive this film is, given its estimated $350-$400 million dollar budget. If there’s one element that this film never sacrifices on, it’s the action. It is honestly breathtaking to behold.
The direction of the Russo brothers showcases their impeccable talent as filmmakers. To be able to bring to life such memorable characters and tell deeply moving stories is something that Hollywood doesn’t see every day. This dynamic duo will go down in history as some of the greatest directors of this generation because of their tireless effort to make sure they delivered an epic conclusion to what is now deemed “The Infinity Saga.” Audiences will clearly be able to tell why the brothers felt it necessary to film the movie the way they did and why they incorporated so much into a three-hour film that fit together so well.
With so much to write about for this movie, I would be remiss without mentioning the performances of the characters. The film focuses on the main characters from 2012’s The Avengers. Each hero truly has an arc in this movie and is able to get their moment in the spotlight. The performance that seemed to resonate the most with audience members was Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. Downey was able to put heart and soul into his character and the series of films showcases a lot of character growth and development in Tony.
Avengers: Endgame is a must see this spring and a great way to kick off the blockbuster season. No matter if you’ve followed this franchise closely since the start or it’s the first MCU film you see, this movie will truly resonate with you on a human level. Do yourself a favor and see the Endgame, but don’t spoil it for others!
SCORE: 9/10