Movie Review: Avengers: Endgame

It's been almost a week since we witnessed the end of a story that began with the very first "Iron Man" in 2008 - Marvel Studios triumphantly released an EPIC CONCLUSION to their tale of heroes gathering to defeat the foes no single one could withstand... And it was the end of a journey that began with six unlikely heroes who gathered together to fight evils and helped inspire a new generation of heroes to follow in their footsteps as well.

That's as general a summary I'm going to give about "Avengers: Endgame" as anyone you can ask around that doesn't want to spoil the endgame for you, but this review literally comes days after release because this is the kind of film you need to experience firsthand. If you ever watched a movie by Marvel Studios and shared in the long entertaining journey of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in the past decade, then this is the culmination of all our efforts and investment in the characters that have been brought to life from the comics and given modernized origin stories and adventures in our time today. Endgame is a direct sequel to Infinity War yes, but it is also a homage to so many past films that have come and gone - as well as a "passing of the torch" of three phases worth of Marvel Movies to the next. What comes after owes to the events depicted in this film, and though I personally did not find this finale perfect - it absolutely is a fitting finale to several story arcs that have played out, especially that of the original six Avengers.

I have seen this movie a total of four times in full and six times with sneak peeks in and out after events (suited up as Captain America in his new armored Endgame suit no less), and honestly the three hour mark is a testament to fandom, patience, and investment. Endgame cannot be viewed alone and you must have some knowledge of some past Marvel films - particularly the ones handled by The Russo Brothers, aka the most invested directors who themselves are comic book fans and have directed some of the best in the latter two Captain America films and of course Infinity War. If you have your Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor backgrounds intact as well as the history of Earth's Mightiest Heroes in the MCU - then you are good to go. Prepare for an emotional ride - this is the tale of how superheroes rallied after defeat and did whatever it takes to win the day and avenge the fallen.

Movie Review: Avengers: Infinity War

Everything has led up to this moment.

For the past decade we've been treated to a historic cinematic superhero journey of epic proportions - starting with Robert Downey Jr. putting on his armored suit and becoming Iron Man; Chris Hemsworth lifting that mighty uru hammer Mjolnir as Thor and introducing us to the kingdom of Asgard; Chris Evans emerging as the finest Super Soldier hero the world has ever known and wielding the shield as Captain Americ; And inevitably the gathering of Earth's Mightiest Heroes together in one solid team-up film in "The Avengers" that literally opened the door to new possibilities. The Marvel Cinematic Universe has truly been quite the ride... And now it faces its ultimate test with the arrival of Thanos and his quest to gather the Infinity Stones in "Avengers: Infinity War".

In other words - this is THE film celebrating 10 YEARS of the MCU, as well as all the heroes we've come to know and follow with their respective storylines finally converging in this event that threatens the universe as we know it. Together with the rest of the world, we've all waited for ten long years for things to come together like this, and to see characters like Doctor Strange and the Guardians of the Galaxy interact with Iron Man, Spider-Man, and the rest of the Avengers is quite the spectacle. Years of patience and perseverance paid off, and Kevin Feige and his team from Marvel Studios deserve all the credit and accolades they get for making this entire thing possible.

After seeing the film a couple of times, I can honestly say that everything here will shake you to the core. We've been so used to our heroes coming out of any situation unscathed... But they've never faced a threat like Thanos - and he is very much an unstoppable force that will test our heroes AND the audience as well as you watch this two and a half hour flick directed by The Russo Brothers. Again, EVERYTHING has led up to this moment, and here is my review of "Avengers: Infinity War".

Naturally, this may contain SPOILERS, but "Thanos Demands Your Silence", so that's a fair warning and I will go light with the reveals.