As fans came together to experience what would be the last Avengers movie, “End Game” left it all on the line, just as a true conclusion should.
In my opinion, it is truly incredible the amount of time, energy and commitment it took, not only to tie together over 20 independent films, but to bring each and every character to life throughout it all.
With this challenge, and with the expectations being higher than they ever have before, many speculated that the Russo brothers would not be able to live up to the hype, but “Avengers: End Game” did not disappoint in the slightest.
Over the last decade, we have had the opportunity of watching our favorite comic book characters come to life on the big screen.
As a huge Marvel fan growing up, I vividly remember the day Disney purchased Marvel, and announced that over the next 10 years they would be creating superhero movies.
What started out as one company’s big idea quickly expanded into much more, a universe of its own.
I remember being overjoyed, and the little comic nerd in me was thrilled with the chance to see my favorite heroes come to life.
My personal favorite hero was announced to be the protagonist in the first of many superhero movies, and 2008’s “Iron Man” did not disappoint.
Fast forward a little over 10 years, and what started as one superhero movie, has grown to 22 films; the finale premiered just last week.
With a run time of over three hours, the pacing of the film was expertly done.
I never once checked my watch as the fast action scenes one would expect in a superhero movie married so well with the emotional challenges our heroes now faced living in a world with only half the population left.
“Avengers: End Game” is not like any superhero movie you have ever seen.
This did not feel like an action film, but rather it played like a drama.
Picking up right where Infinity War ended, with one snap of the evil Thanos’ fingers, exactly half of the universe was wiped out,.This movie showed that Thanos did not create balance as he had hoped, but left half of the universe in pain.
This sense of deep loss and helplessness can be felt through the first third of the film, and we saw our heroes cope with what has happened and begin to find the strength to overcome it.
In the second act, we saw what was left of the team work together to develop and execute an impractical and quite impossible plan to bring their lost teammates back. The film concluded with what could be best described as a superhero extravaganza.
Of course, there was a final battle for the ages, filled with more action and drama than ever before.
But this movie was much more than explosions and big stakes, it was a story of love and loss, honor and duty, and, most importantly, doing whatever it takes no matter what the cost may be.
Christopher Nolan’s “Dark Knight” franchise first worked to expose the human side of the hero, focusing on the side effects of the job and emotional turmoil that it can have, which was truly visionary in itself.
While Nolan created this deep sense of emotion for the character of Batman, Marvel did something even more impressive for more than a dozen characters.
Overall, this film blew me away, and I will admit, I even got a little misty eyed at the end.
What’s more, while you may not fall in love with every single character, everyone has their favorite.
What is so special about the Avengers is that every fan can find themselves on the screen and be transported into the narrative.
Isn’t that all a young and hopeful comic book fan could ever ask for?