Just a forewarning – if you want to go into the movie pure as Peter Parker, I suggest you refrain from reading this article. Now a review from a casual viewer and one from an actual fan.
Riley Bowen: Unless you’ve been disintegrated by the deadly snap of Thanos, you’ll have heard news of Avengers: Endgame. Now, as a casual watcher with no real investment in the Marvel Universe, I’m sure my experience during the film was quite different from Sophia’s, an avid Marvel fan. Honestly, I probably wouldn’t have cared all that much if I’d heard a spoiler or two. I didn’t even bother to watch the trailer.
Despite being a few minutes late, the opening picked up right where we’d left off from Avengers: Infinity War. I worried that the quality of the opening scene would not carry throughout the rest of the movie and that I’d get bored and end up taking a few ‘bathroom breaks.’ What I got was not what I had expected. Instead, I completely fell into the storyline of the movie, and the 3 hours and 2 minutes flew by. The biggest achievement of Endgame was the way the movie was able to balance humor with the gravity of the Avengers’ situation. My one complaint was the lack of screen-time and development for certain characters. But, I suppose I can’t complain too much about this, because the ending scenes included quite a few appearances by characters I couldn’t name.
Speaking of my inexperience in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I would say that very little background information is needed to understand, much less enjoy, the film. Many a scene did I gasp with surprise or lean forward in anticipation. And, of course, there were a few scenes where sniffles could be heard by surrounding viewers. As much as I am tempted to reveal spoilers, I know not even Steve Rogers could save me should I give away the smallest crumb of information. All in all, as long as you know the basic plot of Infinity War and the names of the biggest Avengers, you can follow Endgame with ease.
Speaking of Infinity War, the difference in quality between Infinity War and Endgame was drastic. Endgame left me feeling not only satisfied but in awe of the utter craftsmanship of the movie and how smoothly the plot was carried out. Whereas its predecessor honestly lacked in quite a few departments in comparison, Endgame has double the energy and flow of Infinity War. Endgame truly deserves its 96 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. So, without further ado… Avengers: Endgame, I love you 3000.
Sophia Piper: (Ok, actual fan here.) At the Warwick, Endgame actually came out on Thursday (4/25), and I was dying to see it then; having to wait until Sunday was excruciating. I didn’t dare peek at comment sections on YouTube videos or Instagram for fear of spoilers, although I did end up seeing one that luckily was not crucial to the plot. Before seeing Endgame, I binge-watched as many Marvel movies as possible on my plane ride back from Munich. I guess you could say I was prepared, although walking into the cinema, I did not feel that way. Also, I still haven’t watched Captain Marvel but still managed to stay in the loop, so don’t be worried if you haven’t either.
Alright, actual review time. I sadly missed the first three minutes, but I was told that they weren’t especially important. I decided to go without refreshments to avoid a bathroom break for the next three hours. Even from my “highly-desirable” seat at the end of the front row (buy your tickets early, people! Don’t be like me), I could tell that the graphics and CGI were top-notch, as I expected. The dialogue was classic Marvel: lots of jokes, some cheesy bits; I must say that the comedic element was much better than previous Avengers movies. In terms of plot, which I can’t say too much about, there was almost no dilly-dallying: the Avengers were more productive than me the study block before a science test. Even though the movie was three hours long, which is longer than any movie I’d seen before, I never once felt a lull, which is a big improvement from Infinity War.
I got everything I wanted out of Endgame, plus a lot more. There were a few scenes where my jaw was on the floor (No, really – I need some of those frames laser-engraved onto my tombstone). From the trailers, I thought it was going to be a sequel to Infinity War, but it was a good five times better, if I’m being honest. And Infinity War was my favorite Marvel film until tonight (ok, besides Thor: Ragnarok).
I seriously cannot think of a better way Marvel could have wrapped up the Avengers series. I left the theater with a sense of contentment that I have never experienced from a movie. It was like watching a child that you had cared for since birth finally graduate from high school as valedictorian (a.k.a. tears of pride mixed with tears of grief). Endgame took the audience on a scenic and nostalgia-inducing tour of the past 10 years and 22 Marvel movies and succeeded in ending it perfectly.
I’ll probably write a follow-up article that actually goes into the plot once more people have watched Endgame, but for now: hold on to your tacos and study your quantum physics, because I guarantee that the trailers did not even begin to show how amazing Avengers: Endgame actually is.