By: Keaton Marcus

Disney, Marvel and the money-making Russo brothers conclude the beloved “Avengers” franchise with the fourth installment, “Endgame”—the result is an emotional wipe-out, with solid performances and a massive budget—its everything you need in a superhero movie. The film reunites the surviving heroes from the previous film, "Infinity War"--as they try once again to defeat the imminent Thanos (Josh Brolin). The latest installment to Marvel may be imperceptibly over three hours long, similar to the “Godfather” trilogy, or “Titanic” but don’t worry, less than the four-hour “Lawrence of Arabia”--but the extremely long running-time does not drag, despite not flying fast either. Disregarding the runtime, the striking eye-candy, flowing direction, and packing of enthralling performances make "Endgame" more than meriting your while. Really, you, and the remainder of the audience will be too busy crying, and yelling to be bored. The ending of the previous installment was devastating--and for the first time, the heroes lost, they screwed up badly. The finale plays like a revenge story to the events of "Infinity War". Sure, "Endgame" is extremely long, perhaps too exhausting for a superhero-themed movie--but the awaited conclusion makes for a satisfying finale injected with bits of humor and plenty of coherent superhero action.

"Avengers: Endgame" is not just a suitable end to a grand, profitable franchise in the interconnected universe--it is also the best, and most personal, and sympathetic installment. The four-part series started with a solid kick-off in 2012--when "The Avengers" debuted with massive success in the Box Office, and with the critics. Later, in 2015--a sequel, "Age of Ultron" was sprouted, to find similar profits in both areas. Then, the Russo brothers promised a two-part conclusion to the saga. "Infinity War" was released in 2018--breaking opening records and scoring with the reviewers. While it's great to see the Avengers teaming up for one last go, its also terribly sad to see the loveable team leave--every single one of them--from a tree, raccoon to a metal man.

We have been with these characters for a while, since the birth, when Robert Downey Jr. starred in 2008’s “Iron Man”—so over a decade, audiences have been sobbing and cheering for these—well, super humans. Amidst the booming “Star Wars” franchises, or even the “Harry Potter” behemoth— the Avengers and their Marvel series has been apart of our lives, a piece of people’s brains— for this generation at least. Its extremely nice to see the beloved characters return, and its also devastating to see them go. While this may be the end of the Avengers teaming up—”Spider-Man: Far from Home” and “Black Panther 2” are heading towards the cinemas in the next few years. Well, what do you know, “Wakanda Forever”.

The performances are as sharp as polished nails. The piece of cinema is lead by another well-rounded outing by franchise veteran Robert Downey Jr.--who returns to play the famed hero Iron Man. The talented, and money-making actor has been showing up here and there in the franchise since 2008--when the Marvel Cinematic Universe kicked-off its first feature film, "Iron Man"--which later sprouted two sequels--successful in the box office and with critics. The actor currently makes a massive 53 million dollars per-film--and has rarely had a bad performance--in "Endgame", Downey deserves an Oscar. Once again, his character, Tony Stark has bad-blood with Steve Rogers/Captain America--starting with their face off in "Captain America: Civil War", which opened in 2016. Still, Downey and Evans still have immaculate chemistry, and despite a couple script falters—and the running time, they were most certainly notable showcases.

Another, very noteworthy performance in "Endgame" is Chris Evans' Steve Rogers and Captain America--aforementioned earlier in the review. Evans' hero to the franchise debuted with "The First Avenger" which opened in 2011--later to launch two more successful sequels debuting in 2014 and 2016 respectively. Evans always turned out to be the serious, strong--and well, an all-American hero to the MCU. In other words, while his featured pictures met the standard--his character was always second-tier for fan favorites. However, while audiences may favor the more spunky outings such as Paul Rudd's Ant-Man or Chris Pratt's Star-Lord--it is undeniable that Evans' performance is remarkable--if not in an enjoyable way.

It's impossible to forget another truly memorable, and humorous outing from Chris Hemsworth, returning to play the god, Thor. Remember the brawny and, well ultra-muscular version in the previous installments--well ladies, you have to forget that Thor--because the famed hero has let-go literally turned into a big, fat beer-consuming Lebowski--drowning his sorrows after the events of Thanos. The fresh look, however, does not stop from Hemsworth from generating moments of signature charm in between scenes. Whether the king of Asgard is playing “Fortnite” on a gaming console, or being a jack-ass, or even laying down Thanos—we will love him the most, and its sad to see him go. The film was so dramatic, possibly too emotional--though Hemsworth's Thor--among many other wise-cracking superheroes shed light among the darkness.

"Avengers: Endgame" brings back many loveable heroes to the roster--and while the film is stuffed with a couple of too many characters--the supporting cast has more than enough to say. From Scarlett Johansson's outing once again as Black Widow, to the returns of Star-Lord, Ant-Man, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, the remainder of the Guardians of the Galaxy--heck there was even a Nick Fury cameo--and of course Spider-Man--"Endgame" juggles many characters, but the talented actors and actresses make their immensely effective marks in the final "Avengers" installment--even amidst all the visually dazzling special effects and gargantuan action sequences. The one return we cannot forget is Josh Brolin's Thanos--who once again proves to be a terrifying, powerful villain.

The premise is massive, there are so many characters to keep aboard--and a giant audience to satisfy. "Endgame" is occasionally all over the place, and a little uneven--however, the couple of flaws do not arrest the film from going straight to your heart. That's right, the film is a superhero picture and an emotional, gut-wrenching experience. Tissues are advisable. Also, besides the first, haunting ten minutes of the film--"Endgame" is really a massive time-machine packed to the brim with superheroes. The heroes travel back in time to retrieve the destroyed Infinity stones--the places they venture to are in the timelines of many previous movies-- injecting much-needed nostalgia in the audiences. Hell, as Ant-Man suggests, it's a "time heist"--with many similarities to "Back to the Future"--sure its clichèd, but the film is willing to do whatever it takes. From the time adventures of the original "Avengers" movie, "Captain America: The First Avenger"--all the way to "Guardians of the Galaxy". The many nostalgic scenes peppered with humor is more than enough.

The final verdict is: The finale is a little too long, but "Avengers: Endgame" features dazzling special effects, powerful performances by its talented cast, and a truly emotional, heart-wrenching conclusion to the quartet--along with bits and pieces of signature franchise humor and nostalgia...$PLURGE IT

By: Keaton Marcus

Box Office Info:

Opening Weekend: 357.1m

Domestic Total: 858.2m (still in release)

Worldwide Total: 2.796 billion (still in release)