“Even if there’s a small chance that we can undo this, we owe it to everyone not in this room to try,” says Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). “If we do this, how do we know it’s going to end any differently than it did before?” asks Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo). “Because before you didn’t have me,” answers Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) who has joined what’s left of the Avengers to take on Thanos (Josh Brolin) in the highly anticipated film finale of this phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Endgame.
Everyone’s grieving after losing to Thanos at the end of Infinity War. Thanos snapped his fingers while wearing a glove with the six Infinity Stones and wiped out half of the population on Earth, including members of the Avengers and their families. Beaten, battered, and still in mourning, Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and what’s left of the Avengers and their allies assemble once again to take on Thanos. Their mission: try to undo Thanos’ horrific actions and bring everyone they lost back…whatever it takes.
Epic, stirring, and full of pathos, Avengers: Endgame is an incredibly entertaining, humorous, and poignant film that brings the Avengers saga to a very satisfying and touching end. The film brings back the surviving Avengers for one last desperate attempt to take out the evil space lord Thanos and to bring back everyone they lost.
Robert Downey Jr. once again shines as Tony Stark/Iron Man who’s taking the loss of his friends, especially the web-slinging “kid,” extremely hard. Stark is filled with anger, resentment, and mostly sadness, and Downey Jr. displays all of these emotions brilliantly. Credit must be given where credit is due; the Marvel films wouldn’t have been the success they are without Robert Downey Jr. in the pivotal role of Iron Man from the beginning.
Scarlett Johansson delivers her most powerful and moving performance as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow. Romanoff can’t seem to get over the gigantic loss to Thanos and is the first of the team to be completely on board with doing “whatever it takes” to bring everyone back. This is a little softer and more emotional Black Widow than the audience is used to. She desperately wants to bring those she lost back and hold onto those she still has with her, who she considers family. It’s perhaps Johansson’s most touching and best performance on film.
Jeremy Renner is back as Hawkeye, who was missing in Infinity War, to team up with his old friends on the fight of their lives. Renner displays both sides of Hawkeye: the love he has for his family and his cold and lethal side when taking out those deemed unworthy to be breathing air. Renner has wonderful chemistry with Johansson and their scenes together as Hawkeye and Black Widow are filled with energy and emotion.
Karen Gillan reprises her role of Nebula, the once devoted daughter to Thanos who now sides with the Avengers. Gillan is wonderful at conveying so much under the blue coating she wears and all the CGI effects which give Nebula her look. Gillan shows subtly the budding friendship she feels toward Stark and Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper), and the pain of losing her sister, Gamora.
Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth. and Paul Rudd as Bruce Banner/ Hulk, Thor and Scott Lang/Ant-Man infuse most of the needed humor and levity to the film. Particularly laugh-inducing is Hemsworth’s take on Thor in this outing, but that’s all that can be written here about it.
The action scenes are fast-paced, thrilling, and impressive, especially the battle near the end of the film which is both colossal and heart-wrenching. It’s one of the best superhero fight scenes in cinematic history.
With soul-stirring action scenes, touching and heartfelt moments, humor and outstanding performances, Avengers: Endgame is an excellent end to this chapter of the Marvel saga.
GRADE: A-
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and some language
Release Date: April 26, 2019
Running Time: 3 hours 1 minute
Directed By: Joe and Anthony Russo
