So a little under a year ago in one of my early reviews, I talked about a little known film called Infinity War. With the moderate success of Infinity War, Marvel decided to follow that with a continuation but called this film End Game. With End Game, we close the last chapter on this era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
At the conclusion of Infinity War, Thanos loses the battle of Wakanda but wins the war. With a snap of his fingers, he eliminates half of the life in the universe. End Game picks up from that point. The remaining Avengers have to learn how to move on. Much in the way life moves on in HBO’s Leftovers. They have to figure out their purpose in life after this massive failure. Through a series of random events and the SOS message sent to an old friend, the crew believes there is a way to repair this wound and prevent Thanos’ grand plan.
Critical Commentary: this is the fourth Marvel film by Joe and Anthony Russo. If they were Charlotte a Cavatica it would be their Mangum Opus. If they were Michael Jordon this would be their sixth championship ring. If they were Jay Z this would be their Black Album or Blue Print. This is the 1972 Miami Dolphins. While not perfect it is very close to it. I do have to admit, didn’t like the Banner characterization.
If I had 1,000 years to figure out this storyline, I never would have succeeded. The Russo brothers created for the second year in a row the best picture of the year. Unfortunately, movies like this are not nominated although Black Panther may have broken that mold. I thought Infinity War was one of the best movies I had ever seen and it still is, but End Game is hands down the best movie I have ever seen.
The movie just like Thanos’ desire is balanced. The laughs, the cries, the wonder and mystery, all balanced. The realism and pain were tremendously balanced. The action sequences and the dialog all balanced. Josh Brolin again delivers an Academy Award performance as Thanos. Robert Downey Jr gives you the full range of Tony Starks. Chris Evans rises to the leadership role like never before. There were dozens of easter eggs. I just can’t comment enough about this film. I loved it. I am not sure if I will follow the next era of Marvel the same. This might be my End Game also.
The Xennial Cinephile 