‘Avengers: Endgame’ review: An emotional, thrilling conclusion to a storied fandom

‘Avengers: Endgame’ is a befitting conclusion to 22 stories filled with imagination and cinematic vision, intertwining year after year, across heroes, powers, galaxies and time.
‘Avengers: Endgame’ review: An emotional, thrilling conclusion to a storied fandom
‘Avengers: Endgame’ review: An emotional, thrilling conclusion to a storied fandom

Heroes aren’t like us. They’re stronger, braver, more patient, more practical and more virtuous, more than we could ever be. And yet, the whole Avengers franchise, right till the epic that is Avengers: Endgame, is a constant reminder that heroes are nothing but a version of us that we aspire to be – an aspiration that is always within grasp, but elusive, nonetheless.

Nothing personifies this ideology like Endgame does, which is a mixture of an unprecedented cinematic scale, a testament to courage and a farewell to those who were the best amongst us, all peppered with a brand of humour that perhaps makes the tragedy a little easier to deal with.

The film starts where Infinity War leaves us. The world is still coping with the loss of half of the world. The Avengers are in pieces, some literally, some crumbling under guilt and rage. But to quote Andy Dufresne (Shawshank Redemption), “Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things.” And so it is. What transpires will most definitely be categorised as a spoiler. And in the spirit of #DontSpoilTheEndgame, there shall be none.   

Without a shadow of a doubt, this film is a befitting conclusion – the conclusion to more than a decade of imagination and cinematic vision, of 22 stories, intertwining year after year, across heroes, powers, galaxies and time.

The legacy of the Avengers is hefty. And so it is only justified that the first half of the film, set straight after Thanos’s snap, feels heavy. Not just through its dialogue, but the film’s cinematography and colour scheme – lots of greys, a lot of smoke and often no background music. The planet feels lonely. And even in a theatre full of fans waiting with bated excitement, one can’t help but feel lonely. At times, while that does make the tension and loss to leak across the fourth wall, it also feels dragged. The exposition feels a little long, the mourning a little too overdramatic.

But through it all, shines a faint beacon of hope. And honestly, it’s nothing more than Robert Downey Jr’s effortless swagger and ambition, Chris Evans’s earnest and humble honour, Chris Hemsworth’s comedic timing, Mark Ruffalo’s infectious goofiness and the undying loyalty and faith between Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner.

These heroes, the original Avengers, champions in their own right, are what make the film familiar even in the darkness, much like recognising your home even when the lights are out. The supporting cast, this time the survivors of the snap, also chip in and not without their own baggage, their own goals, their own pain ad their own courage.

Not to mention Paul Rudd and his young-as-ever smile, which, in moments good or bad, is the one thing that never fails to light up the screen.

The second half makes it all worth it, though. For through the tears and the guilt and pain, is a desperate, almost stupid attempt at fighting for a second chance. The second half is an exhilarating, action-packed, emotional experience and the film leaves you with an unsettling sense of satisfaction – one that is heavy to handle, yet with time, easy to come to terms with.

Because with Avengers: Endgame, what directors Anthony and Joe Rosso have done, much like Infinity War, is to tell us that heroes are, at their core, very much like us. What makes them different, is that they choose to be brave, brave enough to be who they are, instead of who they are supposed to be.

Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Neither TNM nor any of its reviewers have any sort of business relationship with the film's producers or any other members of its cast and crew.

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