Talented. Brilliant. Incredible. Amazing. Show stopping. Spectacular. Never the same. Totally unique.
Y’all know the inspirational Lady Gaga meme yeah? It was her talking about Ryan Murphy, but it’s also become well…a meme that describes something that matches all of those attributes (either truthfully or sarcastically).
I couldn’t help but have it come to mind immediately when thinking of Avengers: EndGame. I can even support this by stating that I’ve been lucky enough to see it twice already, so I really felt those things about this film.
While a lot of its initial hype will be because it’s following the events of Infinity War, it’s going to become something so much more than that. Because when Marvel President Kevin Feige declared this as the end of the Infinity Saga, it is the end.
But it’s also about the beginning.
The grave course of events set in motion by Thanos that wiped out half the universe and fractured the Avengers ranks compels the remaining Avengers to take one final stand in Marvel Studios’ grand conclusion to twenty-two films, Avengers: Endgame.
Imagine not really knowing where the story of Iron Man was going to head, and then ending up 21 films later with Avengers: EndGame. While they’ve had their flaky moments, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has entrenched itself within the social lexicon for it’s hard work to create this…giant cinematic universe. And with the closure of this saga, we see these 22 films concluded in a manner that I still haven’t figured out as having any sort of parallel.
Picking up from the Decimation at the end of Infinity War, we see events unfold across 3 hours of film.
Yes, they weren’t lying when they said they needed 3 hours to finish the story.
What’s incredible about this is the fantastic pacing which makes this experience pass exceptionally fast. The Russo Brothers really have shot to the forefront of the giant ensemble flick, and this is reflected in the way they not only maximised their usage of time (it wasn’t 3 hours just because it could be) but also with how well they tell everyone’s story. Everyone gets their hero moment and resolutions, all the while running alongside the overall storyline.
This may also be thanks to screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who have done an incredible job of weaving together everything that has come before it. They manage to pick up subtle points across the Marvel Cinematic Universe and answer them in ways that surprised and exceeded my expectations.
Not only that, but kudos to the whole production team who managed to create a film that not only rewards those who have invested their time into this universe, but allows those who haven’t to enjoy it just the same. Cramming humour, loss, grief, redemption, avenging and so much more into one film is no easy feat, but EndGame absolutely nails it in a freaky way like “HOW…“.
And the action…oh the action. Just think about a lot of different set-pieces you’ve wanted to see throughout the MCU so far, and whether or not those would come to light. Well they do. Remember how I said the story exceeded my expectations? The action is very much the same.
Ultimately, EndGame is about payoff. It’s about a lot of time and a lot of work leading to…an inevitable, per-say.
Part of the journey is the end.
This is an end. But it’s going to lead to new beginnings. New changes. While I think the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home won’t jump from the mark too much, from there on out we’re going to see a shift.
And after this…after this MASSIVE story that took place over a decade across 22 films, well I am very, VERY excited to see what happens next.
Summary
I always used to have massive FOMO about not getting to experience the original Star Wars trilogy and those moments that film created throughout pop-culture.
But I have that now with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and EndGame could very well be this generation's Jedi.
Except the part of this journey that is the end...is just a new beginning for the continuation of this epic entertainment juggernaut.