So, the wait is over. A personal note, though: I’ve watched this movie in a theater full of three year olds who kept applauding every time a new superhero appeared on the big screen. The result? I’m hurt, very hurt, realizing I don’t have a super power for times like these. Anyway, I should watch this giant of a movie again, this time for a midnight screening, just to be safe.
SPOILERS AHEAD
First, thank you Russo Brothers for transforming the four-movie “Avengers” saga into one! Yes, this is what Endgame made me feel, because the respect given to the first two Avengers movies by the legendary Joss Whedon was there. The unfolding of the plot, the ties made between the characters, the flashbacks, the references, the reprise of certain lines, to me, all of these created one big movie that is the Avengers.
Russo Brothers, in a way, tied these four (and also 22) movies together very well, and in an emotional fashion as well. Which is, IMHO, the main difference between Marvel and DC, character wise. The genius scene in the Avengers: Age of Ultron showcases this so magically: Hawkeye brings his friends, the Avengers to a “safe house” and entering the house, he says: “Honey, I’m home”. This scene is so down-to-earth that as spectators, we even forget for a second that these people are supposedly superheroes or gods. They walk around the house as “humanly” as possible, they exchange some jokes, give each other hugs, etc. So it’s a scene you can never experience the emotional surcharge in a DC movie. So Avengers Endgame tied the whole story with a very emotional ending, suitable to Marvel.
All in all, I’m happy with the result, the attention given to the original comics is there, the dose of jokes is at a good level, the 40-minute long “battle royale” at the end really delivers and the writing is also efficient: surprise effect with the killing of Thanos, a Mjölnir-wielding Captain America, Thor the “Dude” and a merged Professor Hulk, etc. So the hard work is done, kudos to the directors and writers.
Cicero wrote, in his “De Natura Deorum” (On The Nature of the Gods) :
In all matters, beginnings and ends are the vital features.
This quote is also relevant because at the end credits of the movie, there’s no extra scene, but you can hear a hammering sound along with the Marvel logo on screen. No it’s not Thor’s. The sound is from Iron Man, the first movie that started it all, when Tony Stark began building his first suit. So in a way, Tony Stark who ignited this giant saga, ended it as well, beautifully.
Now that the saga is complete, we can all enjoy these 22 movies in a Thanos-like manner, sitting at home, favorite mug in hand, quietly and peacefully. Like I said, the wait is over.
