Verdict
Summary
As far as post-apocalyptic, sword and sorcery superhero movies go, this one might be the closest thing we’ll ever see to a big budget end of the world comic book movie.
Plot: After the devastating events of Avengers: Infinity War, the universe is in ruins. With the help of remaining allies, the Avengers assemble once more in order to reverse Thanos’ actions and restore balance to the universe.
Review: After the god-like Titan Thanos (Josh Brolin) uses his collection of Infinity Stones to “snap” half of every living thing in existence away to create a “thankful” universe, what’s left of the Avengers – Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlet Johanson), Captain America (Chris Evans), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), War Machine (Don Cheadle), Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), Nebula (Karen Gillan), and Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) – track Thanos down off world where he’s resting after his great and terrible work has been done. Before they kill him, they learn that he also destroyed the stones so that his work could never be undone, which seems like the final word on the “snap.” Five years later, Earth is suffering a great depression unlike anything it has ever seen before: humanity and all living things that remain are completely and utterly broken. The Avengers no longer have a need to exist, until Ant Man (Paul Rudd) finds a way out of the Quantum Realm (see Ant Man and The Wasp for more on that business) and it’s like he’s only been gone five hours … except it’s been five long, terrible years for the rest of humanity. When he realizes that time travel might be possible, he implores the rest of the remaining Avengers to plan a “time heist” of the Infinity Stones and reset the clock before Thanos collected them all. It just might work, but it’s going to require some great sacrifices and more than anything the Avengers (including Hawkeye, played by Jeremy Renner) have ever managed to do before. The Endgame will tremendously climactic.
As far as post-apocalyptic, sword and sorcery superhero movies go, this one might be the closest thing we’ll ever see to a big budget end of the world comic book movie. It captures the sense of loss and depression pretty well in the apocalyptic scenes, particularly when Ant Man emerges from his limbo. There’s plenty of Thor action, plus Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) on a flying horse too. This turned out to be (predictably so) one of the biggest movies ever released, and it carries with it a budget that busted every budget before it (something past 300 million), so it’s a spectacle, especially towards the end. Anthony and Joe Russo directed it.
Bonus features on the Blu-ray + digital code release include “Remembering Stan Lee,” “Setting the Tone: Casting Robert Downey Jr.,” “A Man Out of Time: Creating Captain America,” “Black Widow: Whatever it Takes,” Deleted Scenes, a gag reel (always fun), and more. Fans of the franchise have gotta have it!
