Says it in the title,
people. Full and complete spoilage ahead. Don’t read if you don’t
want to know.
Writing my Endgame review posed a challenge, because there was so little I could actually
say. It was a lot like writing up a Doctor Who season finale, only
with the knowledge that it was the culmination of 10+ years of stories, so the
no-spoilers stakes were even higher than usual. As such, while I did take
the liberty to say I liked it, I couldn’t say much of anything about what “it”
in fact was. So today, with the (again) full and complete
spoilage ahead, I’m making it a little easier to say whatever I want.
We’ll start with my
issues. Some of the time-travel business gets a little haphazard, and it
feels like the rules they set up for it aren’t all that consistent (I still
haven’t gotten my head around how Nebula kills her younger self.) Also,
there are definitely moments where the story feels steered in such a way to
make things happen the way the production team wants, which can make certain
developments feel kind of manufactured (case in point, my dear Natasha and the
Soul Stone – I admit that, as much as I hate to lose her, I’m glad that it’s
her choice, but I still feel that her and Clint being the ones to end up on
Vormir in the first place is fairly forced. And come on, guys, you already fridged an important female character in the last movie! Did you really need to take Widow too?)
Finally, I don’t think the film on the whole strikes the right note with
Thor. I completely understand him
falling apart from his guilt after Infinity War, and the movie brings his
story home when it really counts, but it feels uncomfortable to mine so many
cheap laughs from Thor being fat and drunk when both are so rooted in his
intense trauma and misplaced guilt.
The issues aren’t what
have really stuck with me, though. While I recognize they’re there, I pay
way more attention to the way my heart grows three sizes for basically the
whole duration of the movie because of all the meaningful moments and impactful
scenes. That time-travel confusion doesn’t matter as much to me when it’s
our vehicle to revisit so many familiar scenes and characters from the
franchise’s history (the Battle of New York!
Thor and Frigga, my heart! Peter Quill dancing as he collects the
Power Stone! All that and so, so much
more!) Each of these, over and over,
feels like a thank-you to the fans for loving these characters and following
them across franchises, ever since Tony Stark first created the Iron Man suit.
While I of course
would’ve loved to see the dusted characters return sooner, along with more
Carol Danvers(!), keeping the main story a little tighter is, I think, the
right call. We need time to make our goodbyes to the original six, and
this is the first team-up film that really gives prominent space to all
of them. Yes, Tony and Steve still have the biggest storylines, but
Natasha, Thor, Bruce, and Clint all have a lot to go through as well – really,
I wouldn’t say any of them get shortchanged, even if I still think there are
too many Fat Thor jokes. And the additions to the core team are
well-chosen. Obviously, Scott’s Quantum
Realm connection is vital to the “time heist” resolution, and it also just
helps so much that, having been in the Quantum Realm when the Snap
happens, he joins the team with a lot more freshness and optimism, valuable to
people who’ve been ground down for the last five years. And I’m really
happy to see so much Nebula – it makes total sense, of course, but going in, I
knew there was gonna be a ton going on in this movie and was worried that there
wouldn’t be much room for her. But she’s integrated into the group as she
should be, considering the strong personal stakes for her. Rocket represents the Guardians well, and
although Rhodey doesn’t have quite as well-definied a role (other than being
the one person of color on the team?), I’m glad he’s there. I had no idea
that Rhodey and Nebula bonding scenes were something I needed!
The climactic fight is
just everything, really all the things. I love seeing Thor find his
strength again. Of course Steve
is worthy of lifting Mjolnir (we all knew it!), and that moment is every bit as
awesome as it ought to be. And when the dusted characters return… boy
howdy. Considering just how many
characters are packed into the final battle with Thanos and his army, the movie
does a splendid job giving basically everybody standout moments while still
including important character beats! It’s pretty much a straight fangasm
from start to finish.
As for the ending,
again, time-travel head-scratching, but emotionally, I’m okay with how it
shakes out. Between Tony having an adorable daughter and getting one last
moment with Howard in the past, it’s not too much of a surprise that he winds
up being the one to sacrifice himself in the end. And even though he would
obviously have preferred a different outcome, I like that he seems mostly at
peace in making the choice, and that Pepper is there at the end to tell him he
can rest (okay, so I for-sure cried in the theater, and I teared up again just
writing that sentence now.) And while I’m sad that Steve and Bucky will
never have that time together again, I understand Steve’s decision to stay in
the past with Peggy after returning all the Stones (and yeah, I cried) – after
all that Steve’s given, he deserves whatever he wants. It seems like Bucky knows what’s about to
happen, and I like Steve passing the shield and the title onto Sam. One
thing’s for sure: I’m now even more
pumped for the Sam-Bucky series on Disney+.
(Also, Thor as a Guardian now?
Yes, please!)
Because of course, it
keeps going. I’m sure the MCU will be in good hands with our new heroes,
but if the ones who started it all had to move on, I’m glad they got to go out
in such a memorable way, with this heartfelt film celebrating all they’ve been
to us over the last decade.
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