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5 out of 5 Star Rating!
Oh my goodness I'm so excited to be writing this review and sharing it with you all! Avengers: Endgame is now finally in cinemas across the world!
The Marvel Cinematic Universe and of course Marvel Studios have given us a diverse and fantastic film franchise over the last ten (almost 11) years, which spans across 22 movies, following the origins and adventures of Marvel Comics most beloved heroes and heroines.
The 22 film franchise all began with Robert Downy Jr's Iron man hitting the silver screens back in 2008. The team of superheroes known as 'The Avengers' actually didn't appear on screen together until 2012 which included Robert Downy Jr as Tony Stark/Iron Man, Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow, Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk and last but certainly not least, Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye.
The team of heroes became a household name to a whole new generation of people. Many before loved to read the graphic novels released before hand, but to some, these heroes were a brand new obsession.
So with the backstory, briefly explained, it's time to tell you all about Avengers: Endgame!
Directors, the Russo brothers have once again delivered to fans of cinema all over the world! While still processing emotions left behind from the shock factor of Avengers: Infinity War, we are now given a three hour and two minute long masterpiece (officially the longest film within the MCU) which will undoubtedly become one of the most, if not THE most successful film of all time. And no, I'm not wildly over emphasising that comment at all!
The film is set immediately after the catastrophic events that took place at the end of Avengers: Infinity War (Avengers 3). Our heroes are riddled with guilt and grief as they come to term with the loss of their fellow heroes and failing to save half of all humanity after that fateful snap from Thanos (Josh Brolin) turned half of all life to dust.
Due to 'the snap', Avengers: Endgame mostly focuses on the six original Avengers. Fans around the world have had a year to mourn the loss of some of their beloved superheroes including Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Wanda Maximoff/Scarlett Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Peter Quill/Star Lord (Chris Pratt), Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), and most devastatingly Peter Parker/Spiderman (Tom Holland) as he turned to ashes in the arms of his hero and mentor, Tony Stark.
Endgame was highly promoted with the release of multiple trailers leading up to it's release date on April 25th. However it was later revealed that a lot of the footage shown prior to the film's release was actually fake or edited to keep not only the film's plot but it's overall look very much a secret. Endgame, much like Infinity War gives us the shock factor. Thanos himself would be proud as the film also gives us the perfect balance of raw emotion and humour. I myself while watching the film found it to be a huge emotional roller coaster. No word of a lie, even before I had got to the half way point of the film, I had already cried four times.
I will say that some of the film's content was a tad predictable. I want to keep this review as spoiler free as possible, so I can't exactly explain how. That is for you to find out on your own I'm afraid.
Lets discuss the cast and their characters a little. Admit it, we all have our favourites!
Each character has faced their own share of challenges along their heroic journeys. We get to see new friendships form, old alliances return and even some familiar faces from the previous MCU films. It certainly adds the nostalgic element. In my opinion there was one character in particular within the film that I feel was completely overrated or under used - however which way you choose to look at it, you will see what I am referring to when it comes to this particularly very hyped up hero. And no I'm not referring to Thor in the photo below.
On the other hand, some of the lesser known characters really shone through in Avengers: Endgame. One of those being Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man. Another is Karen Gillan's Nebula as you see a much more central role for her. But the most memorable and noteworthy performance has to go to Iron Man actor Robert Downy Jr. Without a doubt, this man deserves every single award possible for his role in Avengers: Endgame and I'm sure there will be many of you out there that will agree with me if you have already seen the film.
Avengers: Endgame sadly also saw the very last cameo performance from Stan Lee who passed away earlier this year. Lee did appear in Captain Marvel and was also given his own tribute in the film, but officially this was his last time on the big screen as a cameo. Endgame is not only the end of the Avengers saga, but it is also officially the last time within the MCU that we will see a multi-hero team up all in one feature.
Many believe that this film is also the perfect way to bring phase three of the MCU to a close, however phase three will officially end with Spiderman: Far From Home. It is believed that after the upcoming Spiderman film, that it will be a good while before we get to see another Marvel Cinematic Universe film in our cinemas. It is said that phase four will begin with the long anticipated Black Widow movie which will star Scarlett Johansson as the titular character in her own solo film.
By the end of the film, lets just say I was actually an emotional wreck! I cried with laughter, I cried with sadness, followed by more tears of laughter and then ended up leaving my local cinema feeling simply devastated. Not only did Avengers: Endgame make me feel a wide range of emotions because of it's content, characters and story, but it also made me feel like this because it is actually the end of an era. I'd followed these characters for the last eleven years of my life! That's quite a long time to say the least. It was like saying goodbye to my twenties (as I'm now in my early thirties).
Avengers: Engdame was everything I had wanted it to be, and more! It made my laugh, it made me cry and it made me fall in love with these characters all over again. It also brings the story of The Avengers to a perfect close. Some of the characters are set to go on to star in their own Disney+ TV shows and for others we may not see them in their roles again. But we can all enjoy the journey that we have taken with them. The cast, the directors and the entire production team should feel incredibly proud of their efforts with this one. I will be very very surprised if this doesn't become the highest grossing film of all time. It certainly deserves that title.
And remember...
*All images used are courtesy of Google Images and are not owned by The Realview Room