Five stars. Rated PG-13, for dramatic intensity, sci-fi action and mild profanity
By Derrick Bang • Originally published in The Davis Enterprise, 4.26.19
Like, wow.
When reflecting on what has brought us to this point — 21 cleverly interlocking earlier films, starting with 2008’s Iron Man, all of them stitched together with the meticulous expertise of a master weaver — we can only shake our heads in wonder.
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| In desperate need of some good news, the remaining Avengers — from left, Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson), Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) — are startled by what has just descended from the night sky. |
The flow chart alone must’ve been a nightmare.
The Marvel Universe series has delivered impressive highs and regrettable lows, but even the latter have maintained the all-important continuity. And with respect to the former, one team has stood proud since 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier; co-directors Anthony and Joe Russo, allied with co-writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. They subsequently brought us 2016’s Captain America: Civil War and both halves of the all-stops-out Avengers blockbuster that concludes with this skillfully crafted Endgame.
As the saying goes, this one has it all (and them all). Thrills, chills and spills. You’ll laugh; you’ll grit your teeth; you’ll be on the edge of your seat; you’ll cry. Indeed, you may cry a lot, depending on the degree to which you’ve bonded with this galaxy of characters.
Few of today’s so-called epics can justify a protracted length that feels self-indulgent long before the final act. Ergo, the mere thought of this one’s 181 minutes might be intimidating. Don’t worry. Russo & Russo, working closely with editors Jeffrey Ford and Matthew Schmidt, make every minute count. They understand the crucial importance of quieter, character-enhancing moments.
I haven’t been this satisfied with a marathon finale since 2003’s The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King. (And that was even longer, at 201 minutes.)
This isn’t merely a lot of tedious sturm und drang, like most of the grimly dour, landscape-leveling entries from the competing DC universe. Markus and McFeely work on our hearts; the awesomely huge cast makes us care. They believe in these characters; as a result, we can’t help doing the same.
One crucial element becomes more obvious, as this film proceeds. Despite the fact that Steve Rogers’ Captain America (Chris Evans) has long been teased as the Avengers’ quaintly clichéd rah-rah, always quick to offer corny pep talks, he’s not the heart and soul of this franchise. That position belongs to Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark/Iron Man, who has always — as he does again here — brought just the right dignity and spirit to these ginormous adventures.
The essential emotional component is apparent from the brief prologue: a quiet heart-stopper that gives Jeremy Renner’s Clint Barton — aka the bow-wielding Hawkeye — one of the most powerful moments the entire series has delivered. (But not the last to be delivered by this film. Goodness, no.)
This prelude hearkens back to the final scenes from last year’s Avengers: Infinity War, when the celestial titan Thanos (Josh Brolin) casually erased half the living creatures in the entire universe. And not just alpha species, but also dogs, cats, birds, dolphins, pygmy marmosets and their lower-order counterparts on countless planets, in incalculable galaxies.
A gut-punch of a gesture — the literal snapping of fingers granted such power by a glove containing six “infinity stones” — executed by a callous being who viewed this as the ultimate form of population control and environmental restoration.
We witnessed the results: beloved characters dissolving into ash, scattered by faint breezes.
Five years have passed, since that celestial calamity. Unfortunately, Thanos’ “ultimate solution” had a flaw: Everybody remaining remembers everybody missing. People haven’t been able to move on, and there’s a disturbing suggestion that Earth itself has become geologically unstable.
Steve leads a therapy group, his shield forgotten, as he tries to bring hope to the hopeless. Natasha (Scarlett Johansson) monitors the Avengers HQ mission board, coordinating the super-heroic remnants in their efforts to manage global hot spots.
Tony and Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow) spend most of their time in a lakeside home far, far away from everything — and everybody — else. Tony still hasn’t forgiven Steve’s apparent betrayal during the events of Civil War; the breach between these two former friends remains a deep wound.
Clint has become a rage machine, taking out his anger on drug cartels, human traffickers and anybody else who preys on the weak. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) has … well, that would be telling. Let’s just say that if you thought his losing an eye in 2017’s Ragnarok was serious, that’s nothing compared to what happens here.
And then … a surprise. Scott Lang’s Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), absent during this saga’s first half, unexpectedly winks back into existence, having spent the previous five years trapped at the microscopic level of quantum singularities, where time itself behaves very strangely. Once reunited with his fellow Avengers, he babbles — with more enthusiasm than logic or common sense — about the possibility of “hijacking time.”
(Hey, we all knew the only possible way out of this mess would involve time travel, right?)
Which leads to the last-possible-chance, Hail Mary plan: snatching those six infinity stones from points in the past, before Thanos gets them.
This film’s lengthy second act subsequently adopts the successful Star Wars template: Divide the cast into separate groups in different times and locations, in order to facilitate increasingly suspenseful cross-cutting, as best-laid plans go awry. And since these new missions logically intersect with past events, we’re immersed in the delightful “meeting of identical selves” — or attempts to avoid same — that made 1989’s Back to the Future, Part II and the famous Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode, “Trials and Tribble-ations,” so much fun.
That’s another important key to the success of this film, and of the best Marvel Universe entries: the skillful application of light-hearted humor. Even when things are the most dire, these characters don’t take themselves too seriously. Except that they actually do, of course; the snarky one-liners are well-timed gallows humor, borne of desperation and determination.
It’s a fine line, and Markus and McFeely walk it unerringly.
By the time we reach the highly anticipated climax — and boy, we’re sure ready when it hits — our emotional involvement is at fever pitch. Even here, Russo & Russo don’t over-indulge with the “Hulk smash!” pyrotechnics; the inevitable battle royale is just long enough to give everybody a chance to shine. (A stand-out moment: the explosion of gal power led by … well, that would be telling.)
And, actually, what happens next is even more compelling.
Hollywood impresario Mike Todd coined the phrase “cameo” for the roughly four dozen stars who pop up briefly during 1956’s Around the World in 80 Days. I never expected to see that quantity surpassed in a single film, but Endgamedoes just that, by granting face time to just about every significant character who has appeared since 2008. And since some of them have played key roles in their respective films, the emotional resonance is far stronger than all those token appearances in Todd’s film.
Production design and tech credits are excellent throughout, whether dealing with the bucolic surroundings of Tony and Pepper’s cabin; or the Tolkien-esque horrors of the mysterious planet Vormir; or the retro authenticity of a lengthy visit to 1970.
Alan Silvestri’s orchestral and synth score is richly thematic — even offering a touch of jazz — as it deftly weaves established character and event cues into these proceedings, in the manner of John Williams (Star Wars) and Howard Shore (Lord of the Rings).
Watch for the all-important cameo by the late and deeply lamented Stan Lee. And don’t blink, or you’ll miss several of the other cameos. (I was particularly pleased to see James D’Arcy.)
Perhaps the best and most stylish touch, however, comes as the end credits begin by borrowing a leaf from 1991’s Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. By which point, you’ll likely be a wreck. (In the best possible way.)
Oh, and there’s no pointing wading through the 10 minutes’ worth of credits that follow that classy sequence; unlike all preceding Marvel Universe entries, this one doesn’t have any provocative cut-scenes.
And that, in itself, is provocative…
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