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“Avengers: Endgame” is the culmination of a decade of blockbuster filmmaking, the result of years of work from thousands of people. It is designed to be the most blockbuster of all the blockbusters, a movie with a dozen subplots colliding, and familiar faces from over 20 other movies. It’s really like nothing that Hollywood has produced before, existing not just to acknowledge or exploit the fans of this series, but to reward their love, patience, and undying adoration. The blunt thing you probably want to know most: It’s hard to see serious MCU fans walking away from this disappointed. It checks all the boxes, even ticking off a few ones that fans won’t expect to be on the list. It’s a satisfying end to a chapter of blockbuster history that will be hard to top for pure spectacle. In terms of sheer entertainment value, it’s on the higher end of the MCU, a film that elevates its most iconic heroes to the legendary status they deserve and provides a few legitimate thrills along the way.

Don’t worry: I will stay very spoiler-free. The main joy of this film is in how its incredibly complex narrative unfolds, and you can go elsewhere if you want that ruined. The disappointing “ Avengers: Infinity War ” ended with Thanos finally getting all of the six Infinity Stones he so desperately sought, and then using them to wipe out half of existence, including beloved heroes like Black Panther, Star-Lord, and Spider-Man. “Avengers: Endgame” picks up a few weeks after “The Snap,” as the remaining heroes try to pick up the pieces and figure out if there’s a way to reverse Thanos’ destruction.

Immediately, “ Endgame ” is a more focused piece than “Infinity War” by virtue of having a tighter, smaller cast. (Thanks, Thanos.) It’s a more patient, focused film, even as its plot draws in elements of a dozen other movies. Whereas “ Infinity ” often felt bloated, “Endgame” allows some of the more iconic characters in the history of the MCU a chance to be, well, heroic. No longer mere pawns in a Thanos-driven plot, Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Hulk, and Thor break free of the crowd, ably assisted by Hawkeye and Ant-Man. In a sense, this is the new Avengers, and the tighter group of superheroes reminded me of the charm of Joss Whedon ’s first "Avengers" movie, one in which strong personalities were allowed to bounce off each other instead of just feeling like they were strapped into a rollercoaster headed in the same direction. It also allows space for some of the best acting work in the franchise, particularly from Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr., who one realizes while watching this have turned Captain America and Iron Man into something larger than life for a generation. The most satisfying aspect of “Endgame” is in how much it provides the MCU’s two most popular heroes the story arc they deserve instead of just drowning them in a sea of cameos by lesser characters from other movies. In the way it canonizes them, it becomes an ode to the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe.

What works best about Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely ’s script for “Endgame” is that one feels, for arguably the first time, a sense of looking back instead of merely trying to set the table for something to come. This film incorporates elements of what fans know and love about the MCU, recalling character beats, origins, and the plots of movies like “ Iron Man ,” “ Guardians of the Galaxy ,” and “ Captain America: The First Avenger .” Call it cheap fan service, but one of my biggest issues with these films, especially “Infinity War,” has been a sense that they’re merely commercials for movies yet to be made. “Endgame” doesn’t have that. Sure, the MCU will go on, but this movie has a finality and depth given to it by MCU history that the others have lacked.

Of course, it needs to work as just a movie too. The middle hour is as purely enjoyable as the MCU has ever been, but there are times when I wished I could sense a human touch below the incredibly-polished, carefully-planned surface of “Avengers: Endgame.” In the long build-up first hour, I longed for one of the pregnant pauses about the seriousness of the situation to lead to something that felt spontaneous or an acting decision that didn’t feel like it had been run through a committee. Every single aspect of “Endgame” has been foreshadowed for years by other films and finely tuned by the hundreds of people it takes to make a movie like this one. The result is a film that often feels more like a product than a piece of art. Roger Ebert once famously wrote that “video games can never be art,” but he may have been surprised to see art becoming more like a video game, something remarkably programmed and determined, lacking anything that really challenges the viewer.

However, people aren't lining up at dawn for “Avengers: Endgame” to challenge them. It’s really about rewarding commitment, fandom, and expectations. Whatever its flaws, “Endgame” does all of that, and with a sincere admiration for the fans who have made this universe a true cultural phenomenon. The stakes are high and the conclusions actually feel resonant. It’s an epic cultural event, the kind of thing that transcends traditional film criticism to become a shared experience with fans around the world. The biggest question I had coming out was how they could possibly top it ten years from now.

Brian Tallerico

Brian Tallerico is the Managing Editor of RogerEbert.com, and also covers television, film, Blu-ray, and video games. He is also a writer for Vulture, The Playlist, The New York Times, and GQ, and the President of the Chicago Film Critics Association.

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Film Credits

Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and some language.

181 minutes

Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man

Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America

Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner / The Hulk

Chris Hemsworth as Thor Odinson

Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow

Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Ronin / Hawkeye

Don Cheadle as James "Rhody" Rhodes / War Machine

Paul Rudd as Scott Lang / Ant-Man

Brie Larson as Carol Danvers / Captain Marvel

Karen Gillan as Nebula

Bradley Cooper as Rocket Racoon (voice)

Gwyneth Paltrow as Virginia "Pepper" Potts / Rescue

Josh Brolin as Thanos

Zoe Saldana as Gamora

Stan Lee as Stan Lee

Anthony Russo
Christopher Markus
Stephen McFeely
Jim Starlin

Cinematographer

Trent Opaloch
Jeffrey Ford
Matthew Schmidt
Alan Silvestri

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Avengers: Endgame Reviews

The series may never reach this fever pitch again, but we’re glad we got to watch the plan come together in such a memorable way.

Full Review | Feb 27, 2024

After an impatient wait after the “open” ending in Avengers: Infinity War, its sequel Avengers: Endgame has arrived, the outcome of the universal conflict posed by the extraterrestrial villain Thanos.

Full Review | Original Score: 7.5/10 | Jan 27, 2024

Who are the Avengers if they don't need to "avenge" anymore? Avengers: Endgame shows us our favourite heroes like we've never seen them before.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Nov 2, 2023

Avengers: Endgame surpasses all expectations. One of the best comic-book films of all time, without a single doubt.

Full Review | Original Score: A+ | Jul 24, 2023

Your level of enjoyment depends on how invested you are in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. If you've been with [the franchise] since 2008, "Endgame" is an unparalleled experience – unlike anything that has come before and may ever come again.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Jan 11, 2023

Avengers: Endgame is not just a culmination of the last eleven years of the Marvel Studios cinematic saga but also a celebration of everything people have come to love about these characters.

Full Review | Original Score: 9.5/10 | Aug 22, 2022

I’m not sure if I would call the great completion of the Marvel Cinematic Universe the best comic book film of all time. Still, it’s certainly the finest conclusion to a greater ideal Hollywood has ever put together.

Full Review | Original Score: 4.5/5 | Aug 19, 2022

From the very beginning “Avengers: Endgame” feels like something special, something unique, something unlike anything we’ve seen before. And even in its missteps it never loses that sense of spectacle and grandeur.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/5 | Aug 19, 2022

Who could have anticipated that Marvel Studios and Disney would release a three-hour extravaganza whose exquisite character-focused scenes outshine the FX-driven action?

Full Review | Original Score: 3.5/4 | Mar 3, 2022

Eleven years of Universe building, and this is the crescendo. It really pays off, I've never seen anything quite like it.

Full Review | Feb 22, 2022

Avengers: Endgame broke me, put me back together, and decided to cut me again in one of the most impactful cinematic experiences of all time.

Full Review | Original Score: 4/4 | Feb 18, 2022

For me, it didn't fulfill the promise of Infinity War, but it did fulfill the promise of the previous twenty movies.

Full Review | Sep 30, 2021

I'm just grateful to have the privilege to watch this along with the rest of the world. It's not perfect, but it has been one hell of a ride.

Full Review | Original Score: 8/10 | Sep 4, 2021

Here's the other really neat thing about Endgame: it made me think of priorities in life and what or who is worth sacrificing for, especially loved ones...

Full Review | Aug 13, 2021

The true superteam event releases marked something slightly different and spectacular...End Game over the original Guardians by a hair...

Full Review | Jul 28, 2021

This goes beyond the usual scale.

Full Review | Jul 23, 2021

A film that somehow manages to be as epic as fans hope and as dramatic as the MCU deserves.

Full Review | Jul 13, 2021

Films don't come any huger than this: the closing chapter to an 11-year saga in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, told across some 22 movies. And by the end of its three-hour runtime, there will definitely be tears.

Full Review | May 11, 2021

There really is very little that could be improved about Endgame. There's certainly no more that could be thrown at it.

Full Review | Original Score: 5/5 | Apr 29, 2021

So much of the art form is about storytelling, and bringing so many side stories and characters to a satisfying conclusion is tough, and the film blended a (rather) unpredictable plot with emotional character beats deftly...

Full Review | Apr 14, 2021

Entertainment
<i>Avengers: Endgame</i> Is a Good — And Sometimes Great — End to Marvel’s First Decade

Avengers: Endgame Is a Good — And Sometimes Great — End to Marvel’s First Decade

Avengers: Endgame —the 22nd movie to emerge from the Marvel Cinematic Universe birth canal and the capper to the two-part saga that began with last year’s Avengers: Infinity War —makes more sense as an event than as a movie. The film has been meticulously crafted for people who care deeply about these characters, and it’s likely most of those viewers will leave the theater satisfied. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo (also the directors of Avengers: Infinity War, as well as two of the Captain America films) and their team of writers have ensured, with machinelike precision, that each Avenger gets his or her proper allotment of sensitive moments, as well as heroic ones. Once in a while, Endgame is enjoyable on its own terms, though mostly, you’ll be better off if you have at least a rough working knowledge of the MCU movies that have preceded it. It’s an entertainment designed to please many, many people and disappoint as few as possible, extravagant without necessarily having a vision beyond its desire not to put a foot wrong. It’s bold in the safest possible way.

In other words, as movies that are part of multi-billion-dollar franchises go, Avengers: Endgame is good enough. I must note here that I have little invested in the Marvel movies as the result of any attachment to Marvel comics. But I do care about the work of the actors who appear in them, performers like Chris Evans and Scarlet Johansson, Chadwick Boseman and Robert Downey Jr., Zoe Saldana and Jeremy Renner. All of these people have been terrific in MCU movies, even when they could easily get by with being less than terrific. Watching Endgame, I realized that I do care about Marvel characters because these actors have made me care.

The skill those actors—along with some I haven’t mentioned, like Tessa Thompson and Mark Ruffalo and Benedict Cumberbatch—bring to the Marvel movies in general, and to Avengers: Endgame specifically, only makes me wish these movies were breezier and more inventive, and less obsessed with the high-stakes, big-money fan-pleasing game. But you can’t have everything, and Endgame at least gives these actors something to work with. (Minor-to-moderate spoilers follow, so if you want to experience Endgame with the naïve blankness of a tadpole freshly launched into the pond, please stop reading here.)

Endgame opens with an unnerving, gracefully filmed prologue involving Renner’s Clint Barton, Hawkeye when in his superhero guise. He’s enjoying an outdoor picnic with his family when it becomes clear that what we’re seeing is a moment connected to the tail end of Infinity War: The instant supervillain Thanos (Josh Brolin) snapped his fingers—after having captured the last of those six all-powerful nuggets known as the Infinity Stones —and destroyed exactly half the world’s population , leaving the other half to grieve and remember. (It’s more cruel, when you think about it, to destroy half the world than all of it.) This megalomaniacal act was Thanos’s way of cleansing what he viewed as a corrupt universe. But Hawkeye, having retreated from Avengers duty to be a family man, wasn’t around to witness Thanos’s big finale—and, as Endgame begins, he doesn’t yet know that half his friends have turned to dust. And so, in this moment, we know what’s going to happen before Hawkeye does: He turns away from his family for just a millisecond, and in a blink, they’re gone.

Next we see the other remaining Avengers pulling themselves together after the tragedy—or, in the case of Scott Lang/Antman (Paul Rudd), just waking up after a Quantum Realm-induced nap . Lang quickly gets up to speed on what he missed, and comes up with the germ of a plan: Might the Avengers go back in time to foil Thanos’s plan of half-destruction? Lang introduces his idea to remaining Avengers Steve Rogers/Captain America (Evans), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Johansson) and James Rhodes/War Machine (Cheadle). They bring this spark of an idea to the guy who might be able to make it work, Downey’s Tony Stark/Iron Man, who barely survived Thanos’s destructathon. First Stark says it’s impossible; then he changes his mind—but he also worries that if the scheme doesn’t work, he’ll lose all he’s gained in what has for him become a bittersweet time, an era during which he’s mourning his lost friends but also starting a new life for himself.

The plan to turn back time is less a major plot point than a mechanism to keep the story clicking, and the middle section—in which the Avengers break into groups to travel to specific places and years where they can grab one Infinity Stone or another before Thanos can get his dirty mitts on any of them—is the movie’s finest. Avengers: Endgame is a better movie than Avengers: Infinity War in one important sense: It relies less on milking tears out of us (for characters who have “died” but who we know will come back again—they’re too valuable to the franchise to be gone for good) than on focusing on what each of these characters might mean to us, given our history with them. The mid-section of Endgame shows the Avengers actors at their best. Chris Hemsworth, as a Thor who has slid into a state of pot-bellied depression post-Thanos, gets a chance to reunite with his long-dead mother, Frigga (Rene Russo), in the kingdom of his birth, Asgard. He greets her tentatively, almost shyly, nearly dumbfounded by the gift of seeing her again even for a few moments; she discreetly asks about his funky eye. The tenderness between them is lush and quiet, underscoring what’s most valuable about Endgame: There is only one gargantuan, booming fight scene, and it’s not the centerpiece of the movie. It’s as if the Russo brothers have finally acknowledged that bigger, noisier battles amount to less rather than more. At least we can hope.

Endgame does give us some arresting visuals: Thompson’s Valkyrie riding on a winged horse, anyone? But generally, the actors are Endgame ’s finest special effect. Though we’re made to wait for the entrance of Boseman’s T’Challa/Black Panther, it’s worth it: He coasts into the movie on a regal cloud. And Robert Downey, after playing Tony Stark/Iron Man for perhaps too many years, snaps back into form. In the 2008 Iron Man, Downey brought a kind of frazzled elegance to the role of Stark—his nervous energy seemed to spark from his fingertips, as if it were too much for his body to contain. In the years since, his Iron Man performances have become more brittle, more reliant on tics. But in Endgame, Stark’s moments of doubt feel lived-in—Downey’s performance is alive with prickly uncertainty. Even when Endgame hits its generally predictable beats, you can still count on the actors to shift the mood into slightly uncomfortable emotional territory.

The Russos and their writers clearly took pains to give nearly each character a gratifying arc, and a proper—if not necessarily soft—place to land. That must have been a lot of work, and a few of the Avengers get short shrift: The ever-so-powerful Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) drops out of the movie for a long stretch, eventually returning with…a short haircut. Some arc.

avengers-endgame-black-widow-captain-america

But the Russos more than make up for that with the discreet, wistful coda they give Steve Rogers/Captain America. It’s the movie’s single most gorgeous element, perfectly fitting for a guy who entered a 70-year sleep right after finding the love of his life. Evans’ Captain America has always been, physically speaking, the beefiest of all the Avengers, as sturdy and wholesome as the “after” picture in a Charles Atlas ad. Yet Evans has also always been one of the most understated actors in the franchise. As Steve, Evans’ smile is easy, friendly, in a stock all-American way. But there’s never been any swagger behind it. It’s the smile of a guy who’s lost something valuable, whose view of the future is perpetually tinted with the color of what he left behind. Avengers: Endgame isn’t a great movie, but there are flashes of greatness in it, and quite a few of them belong to Evans. His Captain America rewards us with a revelation and escapes with a secret. The best thing in Avengers: Endgame is everything he doesn’t say.

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Avengers: Endgame Review

25 Apr 2019

Avengers: Endgame

Last year’s Avengers: Infinity War was as finely calibrated a piece of action cinema as you’re ever likely to see, with a vast host of characters taking their turn upon the stage. There, each one generally did something awesome during their moment in the spotlight and passed the metaphorical baton gracefully to the next comer. You might expect more of the same in the Endgame that now follows, but this time Joe and Anthony Russo have delivered a stranger, scrappier beast. This deals with the messy business of emotional fallout and character development. The trick is that it does so in a way that’s equally satisfying – and that the action, when it comes, is less precise but far more impactful.

Marvel fans won’t be surprised to learn that most of the clips you’ve glimpsed in the trailer come in the first 15 minutes of the movie and were given to you a little out of context. But virtually everything that you haven’t seen in that 15 minutes will surprise you, and that’s just the prelude. This entire first act is primarily about coping with grief and loss, and the many different forms that takes. All five stages of grief are here somewhere, though no-one has made it all the way through depression to complete acceptance. As Steve Rogers ( Chris Evans ) said even in the trailers, “Some people move on. But not us.”

Nothing is safe until everything is safe; nothing is over until it’s really, completely over.

They’re struggling – even those whose lives and families were ostensibly left untouched. Steve may run to a returning Tony’s ( Robert Downey Jr. ) side, both united in failure, but there’s still bad blood between them, and Steve’s attempts to hold up everyone else’s morale are clearly paper-thin covers for his own vast despair. Rocket ( Bradley Cooper ) and Thor ( Chris Hemsworth ) may still crack wise, but they’re barely functional without the support networks that once sustained them. And Hawkeye ( Jeremy Renner ) is taking out his fury at the universe, and at an unreachable Thanos, on any criminal who had the temerity to survive when his family did not. There’s alcoholism, depression, drastic lifestyle changes and simple avoidance of things too painful to face.

So yes, expect metaphorical gut punches galore in this early section, before they come up with a plan that just might work to put things right and deliver a satisfying gut punch to the purple bastard who ruined the universe. But it’s surprisingly funny even in its darkest moments. “I get emails from a raccoon so nothing seems crazy anymore,” says Natasha ( Scarlett Johansson ) wryly. Tony and Rhodey ( Don Cheadle ) snark dependably, and Thor delivers a piece of, er, call it physical comedy that subverts expectation brilliantly and offers one of the biggest laughs of the entire franchise.

If the theme of the last film was, “We don’t trade lives, Vision,” this one is all about responsibility, and self-sacrifice, and being willing to do “whatever it takes” to win the day. It’s a battle between the past and future, and an argument about which one we should do more to protect. Here, nothing is safe until everything is safe; nothing is over until it’s really, completely over.

This is not just about getting the gang back together, but taking the time to share knowledge, form a plan and work as a team in order to do some actual avenging for once. It’s a long film, but it doesn’t feel it even with all these talky scenes. We get a steady stream of returning characters – and not only heroes – who ensure your interest never has a chance to wane: the cast of this film is an indie director’s fever dream, an embarrassment of riches that is well invested at key moments. Inevitably a few characters are underserved, with Rocket, Okoye ( Danai Gurira ) and maybe even Natasha short a scene or two while others get far more than before, but it’s hard to see what else could have been cut without losing something important. Cap, in particular, becomes the heart of this film in a big way. Screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely came up through his films and let the love show here, though to be fair, this is a film that trips back through characters, moments and lines from the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe back catalogue.

Then there is the action. There are a few feints early on that skew far from the expected template, but the big brawl that finishes – that had to finish this – is one for the ages. The action sometimes moves a little too fast to really grasp, but there’s so much to entertain that it seems unfair to complain. It’s punctuated by moments of pure, giddy delight that put Thor’s arrival in Wakanda into the shade, and moments of emotion that hit hard; if this is fan service (okay, it’s definitely fan service) it’s exceptionally well deployed. Except, maybe, for one nod to grrrl power that is uncharacteristically clumsy.

That moment doesn’t drag it down for long; there’s too much else happening that is awesome. Sure, there’s a touch of Return Of The King syndrome creeping in at the end. Sure, the plot has a particular breed of logic hole that you could drive a bus through. You won’t care. We’re never going to object to another five minutes in the company of this company.

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Avengers: Endgame goes out with an epic, superhero-stacked bang: EW review

The Avengers are dead. Long live the Avengers . For the millions who watched half the Marvel universe vaporize onscreen in the final moments of 2018's Infinity War — whole standalone franchises reduced to swirling ash with a sweep of ubervillain Thanos' meaty paw — there had to be one last sequel to set it right.

Nearly a year to the day, Endgame returns with the promise of many things: revenge, redemption, a runtime that defies the limits of most streetside parking meters. And the movie largely delivers, splashing its ambitious three-hour narrative across a sprawling canvas of characters, eras, and not-quite-insurmountable challenges.

As the story opens, though, Infinity 's surviving superheroes hardly seem up to the task. Tony Stark ( Robert Downey Jr. ) has cocooned himself in a remote country cabin; Black Widow ( Scarlett Johansson ) is staring into space and eating sad peanut butter sandwiches; Thor ( Chris Hemsworth ) spends his days drinking, a beer-gutted agoraphobe in a bathrobe.

Even Captain Marvel ( Brie Larson ) has other galaxies to worry about. But there is an Ant-Man with a plan: Paul Rudd 's ageless, shrinkable Scott Lang may have the seeds of a time machine that would allow the crew to go back and gather the Infinity Stones that triggered the original, terrible snap.

That means one more chance to see Chris Evans ' Captain America and Jeremy Renner 's Hawkeye do the things they do with shields and arrows and thousand-yard stares. But also to witness a Hulk ( Mark Ruffalo ) who has learned to own his oversize power (he willingly takes group selfies and wears shawl-collared cardigans now!); to follow along as Stark and Thor make some kind of peace with their pasts; to bask in the banter of bounty-hunting space raccoons and dry-witted billionaires.

Thanos, voiced by Josh Brolin , is still a formidable antihero, with his ominous proclamations — "I. Am. Inevitable ," he intones more than once — and a chin furrowed like wide-wale corduroy. And oh, the cameos; sibling directors Joe and Anthony Russo , veterans of the MCU, max out their Rolodex in nearly every scene, though half of the A-list appearances are over before the audience's happy gasp of surprise even fades.

With nothing less than the fate of the free world (or at least approximately 50% of it) at stake, there's an expected urgency to it all, but an underlying melancholy too — not just for everything that's been lost, but for what won't be coming back. After 11 years, 22 films, and uncountable post-credit Easter eggs , the endgame of an era has finally come. B+

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‘avengers: endgame’: film review.

Marvel Studios and Disney's three-hour epic sendoff 'Avengers: Endgame' reunites the franchise's mightiest superheroes to battle Josh Brolin's Thanos.

By Todd McCarthy

Todd McCarthy

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The closest equivalent to Greek mythology the modern world has devised of late achieves a sense of closure in Avengers: Endgame . A gargantuan film by any standard, this three-hour extravaganza shuffles back into the action numerous significant characters seen in recent Marvel films as it wraps up an epic story in which the survival of the known universe is (once again) at stake. While constantly eventful and a feast for the eyes, it’s also notably more somber than its predecessors. But just when it might seem about to become too grim, Robert Downey Jr. rides to the rescue with an inspired serio-comic performance that reminds you how good he can be.

Avengers: Infinity War, which was released a year ago this week, stormed the planet to take in $2.048 billion at the worldwide box office on its way to becoming the fourth biggest-grossing film of all time. Its three-hour running time notwithstanding, there’s no reason on or off Earth to suspect this one won’t enter the same rarified realm.

Release date: Apr 26, 2019

In case you hadn’t noticed, since last we saw the lantern-jawed mug of Thanos (Josh Brolin), he’s decimated half the population. Endowing him with such power is the complete set of six Infinity Stones he spent the last film accumulating, and Thanos has worked out his own perverse rationale as to why humankind deserves to be put out of its misery rather than just being punished. When Brie Larson’s recently introduced Captain Marvel shows up with the announced intention of knocking off Thanos single-handedly, she needs to be restrained, for Downey’s Iron Man has first dibs on taking out the brooding evil genius.

Easier said than done, however. For an entertainment brand in which hardly anyone ever really and truly dies, a sense of mortality nonetheless hangs over quite a few of the characters — especially in this saga, in which some confess, in one way or another, to feeling that they’ve come to the end of something. While there are certainly young upstarts like Captain Marvel and the briefly glimpsed Black Panther ready to jump into the fray, veterans including Iron Man, Chris Evans ‘ Captain America and Chris Hemsworth ‘s gone-to-seed Thor (complete with pot belly) seem more than prepared to face their reckonings, come what may.

Nonetheless, it’s an amiable brand of melancholy that pervades the film, one that scarcely gets in the way of the enthusiasm and excitement that Marvel adventures almost always deliver in some measure or another. The feeling of finality and potential farewell is sometimes suggested quietly just in the way certain moments are lingered over, conveying the fatalistic sense that this might well be the last time around the block for some of these characters. At the rate it’s going, Marvel will be around for the better part of forever, but this will likely be the studio swan song for a number of the castmembers.

The major characters, most of whom have had multiple individual films centered on and in some instances named after them, are faced with the all-but-imponderable challenge of how to undo Thanos’ success in collecting the all-powerful stones. It’s one of the signal successes of the script by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely that they concoct a method for doing so (stemming from some of the Marvel characters’ special relationships with the Quantum Realm) that even sounds half-plausible in context; the brain trust centered around Tony Stark/Iron Man comes up with the clever, if perhaps not entirely original, idea of a “time heist” (the time bandits, anyone?). If flawlessly executed, this looks to be the only way of extricating the stones from Thanos’ otherwise iron grip on the dire-looking future of the universe.

Although there’s loads of action and confrontations, what’s distinctive here in contrast to most of the earlier Marvel films are the moments of doubt, regret and uncertainty, along with the desire of some characters to move on. Granted, this is almost always undercut, and/or cut short, by some emergency that pulls them right back in, and decisive action always remains paramount.

But there is growth here. Whereas Downey’s fast-talking quips and occasional rudeness became increasingly callow and off-putting in his Iron Man outings, Tony Stark in this movie, at last, seems more human and dimensional. Thor and Captain America are experiencing identity issues. And the most unexpected comic relief may come from Mark Ruffalo ‘s Bruce Banner, a very large man with a greenish-gray hue to his skin who dwarfs everyone around him and is often called upon to do the real dirty work due to his size. Perhaps most notably in the moments when this veteran superhero is reassessing his powers, Ruffalo’s highly amusing performance reveals a frank and unusual awareness of his character’s acceptance of self in an action-spectacle context.

The Political Avenger: Chris Evans Takes on Trump, Tom Brady, Anxiety and Those Retirement Rumors

Production company: Marvel Studios Distributor: Disney Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson , Jeremy Renner, Brie Larson, Paul Rudd, Don Cheadle, Karen Gillan, Danai Gurira, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow , Jon Favreau, Benedict Wong, Tessa Thompson, Josh Brolin, Tilda Swinton, Robert Redford Directors: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo Screenwriters: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely Producer: Kevin Feige Executive producers: Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Michael Grillo, Trinh Tran, Jon Favreau, James Gunn, Stan Lee Director of photography: Trent Opaloch Production designer: Charles Wood Costume designer: Judianna Makovsky Editors: Jeffrey Ford, Matthew Schmidt Music: Alan Silvestri Visual effects supervisor: Dan DeLeeuw Casting: Sarah Finn

Rated PG-13, 182 minutes

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Avengers: Endgame Review: Time Is on Their Side

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There is nothing more impermeable than time. It's fixed, constant. It may be a human construct, but it is one humanity has built atomic clocks to perfect; there is no stopping its ever-forward march. Except in sci-fi. And comic books. In those worlds, it's fluid. There are rules about not killing Hitler or betting on the World Series, but other than that, the structures of time can be bent.

This, more than anything, is the core of Avengers: Endgame. Yes, there is—as most fans expected—some time travel. (More on that later, in the spoiler-y paragraphs below .) But its deeper narrative follows a thread about the years people have devoted to Marvel heroes, the nostalgia those fans already have for them, and what the future will look like as they evolve. Luckily, in comic-book stories, the future is just as malleable as the past.

First, here's what you need to know: Avengers: Endgame picks up where Infinity War left off. Thanos has wiped out half of the universe's population, and the remaining heroes (Captain America, Thor, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Iron Man, Rocket Raccoon, and the newly recruited Captain Marvel ) are trying to un-snap his fingers. The other thing to note: Avengers: Endgame is very good. No movie could have fully encompassed everything that happened in the preceding 10 years and 21 films, but it is the best possible effort at trying to achieve that goal. It's nearly three hours, and none of them feel wasted. More than that, it's exactly what fans need.

What Marvel fans, or anyone, needs in 2019 is a tricky proposition—one that plays out twofold in Endgame , with a double-helix of a plot that constantly works on two levels. First, there's the obvious: Everyone needs closure, needs to see if the Avengers can pull off saving the universe one more time. Second, they need to be rewarded for the decade-plus they've spent with these characters, the effort they've put into seeing every film.

Endgame achieves this using one of the oldest tricks in the cinematic playbook: time travel. As everyone who noticed that Doctor Strange, Wong, and Ant-Man were largely unaccounted for at the end of Infinity War predicted, there is only one way to press Undo on what Thanos did: pull a Cher and turn back time. Though, they don't just rewind what happened and stop it. Instead, they find a more permanent solution that involves going back to retrieve the Infinity Stones before Thanos got his big purple hands on them and using their power to reverse the damage.

This review won’t reveal if this plan succeeds at defeating Thanos, but it will say that it’s a wonderful ride and a narrative tool that provides a chance for the Avengers and their posse to revisit a large chunk of the movies in the franchise. It’s a trip that, in the best ways possible, feels like a band reuniting for a greatest-hits tour, one where the songs gets played by a frontman or frontwoman who wasn’t on the original track—some Traveling Wilburys covering a George Harrison track, Jay-Z and Nas ending their beef to perform “Dead Presidents,” and Beyoncé reuniting Destiny’s Child at Coachella all rolled into one. (In this case, it’s more like “Rocket goes to Asgard” and extended beats of Bruce Banner explaining science to The Ancient One.) It’s a service to every fan who remembers those early films fondly, and a final tug on the threads that have held the franchise together since the beginning.

This kind of nostalgia is delicate, though. It’s tempting to want to go back to the first arc in these heroes’ journeys, the origin stories when they were ascending. It might even be tempting to just go back to 2008, before Mueller reports and Harvey Weinstein investigations and Michael Jackson documentaries, when it seemed easier to believe in heroes in general. That’s impossible, and foolhardy. Longing for those days is akin to longing for a time of ignorance, a time when all the superhero movies were led by white dudes. Everything has changed, and while revisiting days of future past is fun, time (in our world) only moves forward, and the future is more important than what’s come before. Or, to borrow a phrase from Tony Stark, “That’s the hero game—part of the journey is the end.”

Acknowledging this reality is Endgame ’s strongest suit. Because while it spends a fair amount of its second act playing to its base (with some excellent surprise cameos), it spends its final third establishing its new world order. In one of the film’s most telling moments, Captain Marvel—sporting a haircut sure to be the toast of Lesbian Twitter for months—charges into battle flanked by the franchise’s women heroes, the MCU’s version of a Time’s Up meeting ( remember this? ). Marvel’s Phase 4 is still fairly uncertain, but if Endgame has any takeaway it’s that the future is female. And less white. And at least a little bit queer.

Avengers: Endgame could become the biggest movie the world has ever seen: It may make nearly $1 billion in one weekend . Theaters are staying open around the clock to keep up with demand. It’s the culmination of 11 years and 21 films—an unprecedented feat that may never be repeated. The only thing that may come close is December’s Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker , which will be the ninth film in a nostalgia-filled franchise spanning more than four decades. That film, too, will see the reins handed over to a new generation of heroes, folks whose chance to lead is long overdue. Endgame is a beautiful, massive finale—and it paves the way for all the warriors to come. It’s about time.

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‘Avengers: Endgame’ Review: The MCU’s Long Goodbye Is an Emotional Wipeout

By Peter Travers

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Thanos demands my silence. So if you expect a lot of specific “who lives, who dies” spoilers in this review, snap out of it. However, it is fair to say that Avengers: Endgame, directed by the Russo brothers — Anthony and Joseph — with a fan’s reverence for all that came before, is truly epic and thunderously exciting. You probably won’t care that at three hours, it’s bloated, uneven and all over the place, flitting from character to character like a bird that doesn’t know where to land. And yet the movie hits you like a shot in the heart, providing a satisfying closure even when its hard to believe that Marvel will ever really kill a franchise that’s amassed $19 billion at the global box office. Of the 22 films in the MCU that began in 2008 with Iron Man, Endgame is the most personal yet — an emotional wipeout that knows intimacy is its real superpower.

Avengers: Endgame and the State of the Modern Superhero

With 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War as our source, what we grasp going in is that Thanos (a superb Josh Brolin giving tragic dimension to a CGI villain) has decimated half of all living creatures in the universe. Only six of the original Avengers remain: Thor ( Chris Hemsworth ), Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow ( Scarlett Johansson ), Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Steve Rogers/Captain America ( Chris Evans ) and Bruce Banner/Hulk ( Mark Ruffalo ). Also in play are James Rhodes/War Machine ( Don Cheadle ), Rocket the space raccoon (hilariously growled by Bradley Cooper), Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and Nebula (the sublime Karen Gillan), the supervillain’s reformed blue-meanie daughter. Their mission impossible, and there’s no question that they’ll choose to accept it, is to avenge the dead by destroying Thanos, bring back the six Infinity Stones that hold the key to ultimate control and just maybe find a way to restore a semblance of order.

With Infinity War, the Russos left audiences with their mouths open in shock as beloved characters were reduced to dust and evil emerged triumphant. Who does that? With Endgame, from an original script by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the filmmakers take you places you can’t possibly see coming regarding who dies and who lives to tell their story. Don’t expect a typical happy ending. Just prepare to be wowed.

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For a movie bursting with action and culminating in a one-for-the-time capsule showdown, Endgame starts on a quietly reflective note. No Avenger is left unbroken by the devastation that ensued when Thanos snapped his fingers and half the world turned to dust. (Some mild plot spoilers ahead.) The movie jumps ahead five years after that moment, with our superheroes are empty shells forced to reflect on their failures. Tragedy has set Hawkeye adrift. Iron Man has retreated into the cocoon of family life with wife Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow). Thor has lost his home on Asgard. Hulk has learned to subdue his baser instincts. And Black Widow wonders if any sense can be made of it all. That’s when Ant-Man (Paul Rudd, amiable as ever) shows up, fresh from the Quantum Realm, with an idea for a “time heist.” You don’t have to make jokes about the clichéd time travel plot — the film is ready, willing and able to make its own, with Back to the Future coming in for a serious ribbing.

The Russos make sure there are lots of intentional giggles, especially when Cap is told that his uniform “does nothing for your ass” or Thor lards up with bellyfat or Hulk just stands there like a big green machine. Cheers to Ruffalo and Hemsworth for getting the most laughs without sacrificing character. Downey lowers Stark’s snark quotient to create something genuinely moving. His young daughter measures her devotion to him in multiples. “I love you 3000,” she says. Fans will surely feel the same.

Audiences affection for these Avengers carries the film over its rough spots. Some characters get their due (let’s hear it for the the women of Wakanda!) , while others stay on the outside looking in. A few supporting characters who show up for the big third-act battle have big moments that feel unearned. Also, it seems like Endgame has at least six endings, when the first one handily gets the job done.

Still, this long goodbye gets to you. It’s not an ardent and artful game-changer like Black Panther ; there probably isn’t a Best Picture Oscar nomination in its future. So what? You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll thrill to the action fireworks. You’ll love it 3000. And not for a minute will you believe it’s really a farewell.

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Jurassic world 4 return alongside scarlett johansson addressed by chris pratt: "you'll just have to tune in", 12 twists that feel so obvious when you rewatch those movies, avengers: endgame wraps up the story of the mcu so far, delivering an epic superhero adventure while honoring the past in a satisfying finale..

Marvel Studios kicked off the Marvel Cinematic Universe nearly 11 years ago with 2008's Iron Man. Back then, they had a relatively modest vision of building to The Avengers by assembling a team of heroes from their respective origin movies into a single unit. In the decade since Robert Downey Jr. made his debut as Iron Man, the MCU has grown to include superheroes from all across the universe, from Earth's Mightiest Heroes to the Guardians of the Galaxy. Now, Avengers: Endgame marks the 22nd film in the MCU and sets out to achieve a feat Hollywood has never seen attempted before by ending the story that first began in Iron Man . And it does, in a spectacular accomplishment. Avengers: Endgame wraps up the story of the MCU so far, delivering an epic superhero adventure while honoring the past in a satisfying finale.

Avengers: Endgame picks up after the events of Avengers: Infinity War , which saw the Avengers divided and defeated. Thanos won the day and used the Infinity Stones to snap away half of all life in the universe. Only the original Avengers - Iron Man, Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) - remain, along with some key allies in the forms of War Machine (Don Cheadle), Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) Nebula (Karen Gillan) and Captain Marvel (Brie Larson). Each of the survivors deal with the fallout from Thanos' Decimation in different ways, but when an opportunity presents itself to potentially save those who vanished, they all come together and set out to defeat Thanos, once and for all.

For Avengers: Endgame , Marvel Studios assembles its veterans behind the scenes as well, re-teaming directors Anthony and Joe Russo, who joined the MCU with Captain America: The Winter Soldier , with screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who've penned a total of six MCU movies since Captain America: The First Avenger . All that's to say, Avengers: Endgame fits perfectly within the larger MCU in terms of direction and screenwriting because it was created by those who had a prominent hand in crafting the sprawling cinematic universe. And with so much experience under their belts, the Russos excel at balancing the superhero spectacle with human drama, while the more focused story of Endgame allows for the characters to truly shine. There are moments when the story gets a little unwieldy, suffering from similar problems to Infinity War in maintaining a consistent pace throughout the entire film. But Avengers: Endgame is meant to be a culminating epic and it's clear that the Russos, Markus and McFeely took the care to make sure they got it right.

At the heart of Avengers: Endgame are the heroes we've been following since the very beginning. At this point in the franchise, there're too many heroes for one movie - even a three-hour movie - to focus on all of them. Avengers: Infinity War undoubtedly struggled under the weight of balancing so many characters. With half the universe gone, Endgame is able to focus on the original six Avengers, who are the true center of the MCU (at least, so far). The film remarkably balances its character arcs so well it's as if each hero gets a solo movie in Avengers: Endgame . There are certain character beats that may not work for all viewers, and even within the original six, certain heroes get more focus than others, unfortunately. To their credit, though, the actors give some of their best performances in the MCU, especially the original six: Downey, Evans, Hemsworth, Ruffalo, Johansson and Renner. Even with future movies or TV shows already planned for some characters, this is the original Avengers team's swan song, and the actors put their hearts and souls into Avengers: Endgame .

In addition to the character drama, Avengers: Endgame delivers superhero spectacle like nothing seen in the MCU - or any other superhero movie - ever before. With Endgame acting as the conclusion of the MCU thus far, it goes all in on action. There are times when Endgame falls back into Marvel's old problems (hordes of unimportant villains, too much CGI and muted coloring), but they're tempered with character-focused moments. While most of these are in service of the core six, each Marvel hero in Avengers: Endgame gets a moment to truly shine and join in on the superhero fun. Some of these moments are unashamedly fan service and, in fact, there's a great deal of fan service in Avengers: Endgame overall. But after 11 years and 21 movies, Marvel has earned some fan service, and it all adds to the epic, event nature of Avengers: Endgame .

Ultimately, Avengers: Endgame is a whole lotta movie, but the filmmakers put every single second of its three-hour runtime to good use. Since Endgame concludes the Infinity Saga (the official title of the story thus far), Marvel and the filmmakers have the unenviable task of delivering a movie that satisfies all MCU fans. While there are bound to be aspects of Avengers: Endgame that don't work for all viewers, for the most part the movie actually, truly offers a satisfying ending to the Infinity Saga. As a result, Avengers: Endgame is a must-see for Marvel fans, even those who have only a casual interest in the MCU. Because of the spectacle, it's worth seeing Avengers: Endgame in IMAX, though it isn't necessary to enjoy the movie. Marvel Studios' latest faces the highest expectations of any Marvel Studios movie thus far and manages to exceed them, which is nothing short of extraordinary. Simply speaking, Avengers: Endgame is one of the best Marvel movies ever.

Avengers: Endgame is now playing in U.S. theaters nationwide. It is 181 minutes long and rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and some language.

Let us know what you thought of the film in the comments section!

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The Avengers gang, each haunted by their own ‘existential quandary’, in Avengers: Endgame

Avengers: Endgame review – a giddily cathartic final battle

The climactic instalment of the blockbuster series is a galvanising victory lap and the ultimate love letter to superfans

I t’s only taken 11 years and 22 feature-length films , but the end of Marvel’s Avengers series is in sight. Sceptics might feel assailed by the 181-minute running time; a three-hour movie is the ultimate act of fan service. A pleasant surprise, then, those three hours zip by at lightspeed.

To recap: in 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War , evil Thanos (Josh Brolin) seized control of all six “infinity stones”, wiping out 50% of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and erasing many beloved characters from existence. Endgame picks up in the aftermath, skipping ahead five years. Grief has softened some of the Avengers (Chris Hemsworth’s Thor has acquired a drinking problem and a beer belly) and calcified others (Jeremy Renner’s Hawkeye has taken up street fighting with petty criminals).

Franchise logic dictates that, in its final instalment, at least some of the vanished superheroes will return, but screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely are forced to figure out how to pull this off without simply pressing a giant reset button. The opportunity to rewrite history via a time machine (not a spoiler, but an inevitability) brings the gang back together again for one last mission. En route, we get flashbacks to earlier outings (2012’s The Avengers and 2013’s Thor: Dark World , for example); these bits are, quite transparently, for the superfans, but on balance, the film is more satisfying than an assemblage of meme-able moments designed to please the already initiated.

The variables of human emotion and fallible judgment are what drive the series; each character is haunted by their own, specific existential quandary. Who is Captain America (Chris Evans), once his optimism has been worn down? What of Tony Stark’s (Robert Downey Jr) cold logic now he is a father? Will Nebula’s (Karen Gillan) inherent humanity override her tampered wiring?

The final battle is giddily cathartic, but the catharsis arises from prioritising character development over plot and spectacle. This, I imagine, will be the Avengers ’ legacy.

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Avengers: Endgame Review – A Brilliant MCU Finale

Part of the journey is the end. And what a journey it's been to the thrilling, moving Avengers: Endgame.

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After 11 years and 22 films, the ongoing saga of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has come to a turning point. Avengers: Endgame serves not just as the conclusion to the story started last April in Avengers: Infinity War , but it also works to wrap up character arcs and story threads that began seven, eight, or even 10 years ago. That it does so successfully, in a massive, incredibly entertaining epic that is as emotional as it is spectacular, is due to the craft, world-building, and devotion to character empathy and development that has marked the best efforts of this franchise.

As one might expect, there is no easy way to summarize or explain the plot without delving into spoilers, and make no mistake, there are spoilers around almost every corner. But the gist of the story is simple enough and pretty much accurate to what has been shown in the trailers: after Thanos (Josh Brolin) has cut the population of the universe in half with a snap of the Infinity Gauntlet , the surviving Avengers — the original six plus a few remaining allies — immediately deploy a plan to find the Mad Titan, wrest the Gauntlet from him, and undo his monstrous actions.

Naturally, more than a few obstacles are thrown in the path of our heroes, forcing them not just to reconsider their options but to re-examine the choices they’ve made along the way and the paths their lives are taking now. The most surprising thing about Avengers: Endgame is its structure: unlike Infinity War , which sped along on a constant stream of high-octane action sequences , Endgame ’s first hour contains few pyrotechnics by comparison, and it’s a testament to how involved we’ve become with these characters that the viewer doesn’t care and the time flies by anyway (except for the first few scenes, as the picture starts up, the movie does not feel like three hours at all).

Those who were disappointed that some of the original Avengers were either short-changed (or missing entirely) in Infinity War won’t have any complaints here. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlet Johansson), Hulk/Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) are front and center, with each of them facing decisions and actions that in some cases have roots going back to their very first screen appearances. Also playing important roles are Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and Nebula (Karen Gillan), while Brolin’s Thanos is as menacing and imposing as ever — if a tad less complex than he was in Infinity War .

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That and a few other flaws do take a little of the gloss off this otherwise sumptuous and exhilarating adventure. While the pacing is fine for most of the movie, a handful of sequences feel a bit rushed; one in particular, a real crossroads moment involving two characters, mirrors a similar scene in Infinity War but doesn’t seem to get the same space to breathe and be as emotionally impactful as it should. A few developments for certain characters happen offscreen but could have perhaps benefited from a little more exploration. And some of the mechanics of the plot, without getting into spoiler territory, may benefit from a second viewing if they hold up at all (but given the nature of the story, that material was always going to be tricky anyway, a point that the film even sort of acknowledges).

As for the common objection that one hears from critics of the MCU — that the viewer will be lost if they’re not up on a good chunk of the previous movies — the only answer to that now is “too bad.” Perhaps more than any other MCU film, it will be pretty damn hard to walk cold into Endgame and fully grasp what’s happening — not just in its relation to Infinity War , but with regards to the many callbacks to earlier moments in the other 21 movies. But frankly, if you’re walking into this movie without having seen “enough” of the others or at least being versed in what has come before, then what the hell are you doing there? After 11 years, Marvel Studios has earned the right to operate on its own terms, and is long past the point of coddling the paying customer.

Avengers: Endgame is the pinnacle of that, a three-hour celebration of everything that has come before and a deep dive into all-out fan service that doesn’t feel forced. Sure, there are little in-jokes and references (to both earlier movies and the comics themselves) that are going to fly over some viewers’ heads, but the overall warmth, humor, and emotional connection that has helped almost all these movies work so well over the past decade also go a long way here. With the sense of finality that pervades the movie, there are also moments that will have fans on the edge of their seats, expecting the worst — and in some cases getting it.

Avengers: Endgame – Complete Marvel Easter Eggs and MCU Reference Guide

The final third of Endgame is simply overpowering, a senses-filling extravaganza that pays off the build of the first two hours and fully embraces the comic book origins of the MCU in a way that surpasses the visual cues of the films that have come before. By the same token, the movie opens the floodgates once and for all in the MCU in terms of what kinds of stories can be told, and how: nothing is ever going to be too weird or cosmic or “out there” again. Marvel’s careful, gradual cultivation of the many bizarre corners and aspects of its realm has now allowed the studio to make almost whatever movie it wants to.

Kudos are due to screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely for their (in this writer’s opinion, underrated) ability to juggle a multitude of characters and plot strands while keeping their eyes squarely on the characters and how their actions drive the story, and to directors Anthony and Joe Russo for putting it all on the screen in an often beautiful and panoramic vista that bounces from images of almost poetic power to searing explosions of comic book insanity. After four movies in a row, one almost wishes this quartet would keep hanging around the MCU. Overseeing them and their always magnificent cast is Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige, who has shepherded this universe to the screen in a way many didn’t think possible, and seen it through to this culminating moment with few missteps.

Of course, more Marvel movies are coming . And some of the many characters in Avengers: Endgame will appear in them. But even for a franchise that seems comfortably able to go on and on as long as the audience keeps showing up , Endgame does pull off the feat of feeling remarkably like a finale, and even the most casual fan may feel the emotional tug of those moments. For long-term, fully invested Marvel fans, Endgame will be both devastating and life-affirming, a story of sacrifice, memory, guilt, and loss that is also a mind-bending superhero blockbuster and a poignant exploration of what it means to be a hero. As Iron Man himself says, part of the journey is the end…but the end is also a new beginning.

Avengers: Endgame is out in theaters.

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Don Kaye is a Los Angeles-based entertainment journalist and associate editor of Den of Geek . Other current and past outlets include Syfy, United Stations Radio Networks, Fandango, MSN, RollingStone.com and many more. Read more of his work here. Follow him on Twitter @donkaye

Don Kaye | @donkaye

Don Kaye is an entertainment journalist by trade and geek by natural design. Born in New York City, currently ensconced in Los Angeles, his earliest childhood memory is…

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Avengers: Endgame First Reviews: Best Marvel Movie Ever, Say Some

The first reviews of marvel's superhero extravaganza say it fulfills a decade's worth of promises with wit, heart, and action like we've never seen before..

TAGGED AS: MCU , Superheroes

The initial reactions to Avengers: Endgame following the first screenings were extremely positive. But now critics have had time to process what they saw, and well, they’re still mostly raving about the 22nd entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — it’s currently Certified Fresh at 97%. Of course, there are some quibbles here and there, mainly about the length. Also, the long-form responses to the Avengers: Infinity War follow-up have some extra thoughts to share regarding Endgame ’s best moments, as well as the movie’s MVP. Basically, just icing on the cake to get you even more hyped for this thing.

Here’s what the critics are saying about Avengers: Endgame :

How does it compare to Avengers: Infinity War ?

Endgame is a different type of film than Infinity War … there are actually moments of calm, where the audience can catch its breath. – Charles Barfield, The Playlist

Infinity War floundered, it seems, so Endgame could soar. – Angie Han, Mashable

Where Infinity War had trouble finding time for characters, Endgame is about nothing but character work. – Susana Polo, Polygon

The Russo Brothers were able to best themselves yet again. – Dorian Parks, Geeks of Color

There’s something considerably less elegant to the storytelling this time around. – Peter Debruge, Variety

Is it the best Marvel movie yet?

Avengers: Endgame is everything you’ve ever dreamed a Marvel movie could be…You will not be let down. – Germain Lussier, io9

One of the most ambitious, entertaining, emotional, and stunning blockbusters we’ve ever seen, and the best film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe canon thus far. – Eric Eisenberg, Cinema Blend

Avengers: Endgame is not the best Marvel movie ever made…But it is the most Marvel movie ever made, and there’s something incredible about that. – Angie Han, Mashable

Avengers: Endgame is the most “Marvel” movie in Marvel Cinematic Universe history. – Charles Barfield, The Playlist

Avengers: Endgame is, without a doubt, the most confusing and convoluted of any of the Marvel Cinematic Universe films, yet it’s also unbelievably satisfying. – Mike Ryan, Uproxx

Avengers: Endgame is now my favorite MCU movie and is probably my favorite comic book movie to date. – Dorian Parks, Geeks of Color

It’s not the best of anything in terms of the Marvel franchise… Avengers: Endgame is a merely okay MCU movie. – Scott Mendelson, Forbes

(Photo by @ Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, @ Marvel)

Should we be surprised at this?

Whatever you think Endgame will be, it will still confound and amaze and thrill you in ways that is hard to imagine. – Mark Daniell, Toronto Sun

One of the nicest surprises of Endgame is how fun it is… So much so that the three-hour run time seems to fly by. – Angie Han, Mashable

There are things in Endgame you never could have guessed would come back to light, but they do, and it’s glorious . – Germain Lussier, io9

Endgame is truly a masterful piece of storytelling, which both goes exactly where you expect it to, and not at all. – Anne Cohen, Refinery29

How busy is the movie?

The Russos juggle the tones with balletic finesse. – Eric Kohn, IndieWire

The film is sometimes juggling five or six stories simultaneously, but the Russos and their editors never let the audience get too far from one or the other. – Germain Lussier, io9

It’s strangely sentimental for a movie that features the biggest all-out superhero fight I can ever remember seeing. – Mike Ryan, Uproxx

How is the action?

The fight scenes that do take place are epic… seeing the epic battle in the third act makes the last decade worth it. – Danielle Solzman, Solzy at the Movies

The action sequences were choreographed and shot so beautifully. Without spoiling anything, you will need to be prepared for the third act. – Dorian Parks, Geeks of Color

Are we going to cr y ?

As emotionally affecting as any Marvel movie has ever been… a genuinely moving drama. – Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times

Endgame focuses on the original Avengers…it’s immensely gratifying and emotional to see them struggle on a plethora of levels. – Germain Lussier, io9

How satisf y ing is it as a finale?

Endgame does pull off the feat of feeling remarkably like a finale, and even the most casual fan may feel the emotional tug of those moments. – Don Kaye, Den of Geek

As a Part 2, Endgame is a hugely successful ending to a story that began a year ago but truly dates back a decade. – Charles Barfield, The Playlist

[It’s] a moment to stop and look back in amazement (or terror) at what the MCU has pulled off… Endgame is Marvel’s crowning achievement. – Angie Han, Mashable

How lost will we be if we haven’t seen all 21 previous movies?

There’s no shaking the fact that Endgame is very much a Part 2 (or Part 22, honestly)… not for MCU newbies… casual fans need not apply… If you’re not someone that knows every character by name, you’re in for a confusing three-hour film. – Charles Barfield, The Playlist

My daughter hasn’t seen very many of these and only had a few in-movie questions… it works on its own terms and unquestionably sticks the landing. – Scott Mendelson, Forbes

This is a film designed for fans… Newcomers will likely find themselves totally lost in this tangle of characters and relationships and mythologies. – Angie Han, Mashable

It does feel like a wonderful gift to all those who have spent the last decade-plus emotionally engaging with the lives and adventures of these characters. – Eric Eisenberg, Cinema Blend

(Photo by )

Can y ou give me some comparative context?

Newcomers to the series may as well be watching a Transformers movie. – Eric Kohn, IndieWire

While there is a big third-act action sequence, it’s (despite some grand fan service) closer in structure and visuals to Ready Player One than The Two Towers . – Scott Mendelson, Forbes

Avengers: Endgame feels like the last scene of Titanic with everyone back on the ship, applauding. And, you know what? I’m okay with that. – Mike Ryan, Uproxx

Who is the movie’s MVP ?

From a performance standpoint, Chris Hemsworth, for the second film in a row, delivers the best outing of the large ensemble. – Clayton Davis, AwardsCircuit.com

Hemsworth especially has quickly become, due to Thor: Ragnarok and the last two of these Avengers flicks, a subtle MVP of the franchise. – Scott Mendelson, Forbes

Hemsworth has inexplicably become the MVP of this franchise, able to balance big, broad comedy with soul-searching pathos. – Chris Evangelista, Slashfilm

Are there any big criticisms?

Its biggest fault, however nitpicky, is that it doesn’t really confront or advance any of the big philosophical questions that have been running through the saga from the beginning. – Scott Mendelson, Forbes

I feel that Marvel’s secret weapon [Captain Marvel] is underused. – Danielle Solzman, Solzy at the Movies

Has a sitcom episode like feel to it that is reminiscent of a ‘clip show’ – where the viewers get excerpts and highlights from previous episodes of the series. – Clayton Davis, AwardsCircuit.com

Will there ever be anything like this movie again?

One can only hope that the next 10 years of Marvel storytelling — which will feature new heroes and villains — comes close to this. – Mark Daniell, Toronto Sun

Avengers: Endgame opens everywhere on April 26.

Avengers: Endgame (2019) 94%

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DVD & Streaming

Avengers: Endgame

Action/Adventure , Sci-Fi/Fantasy , War

Content Caution

In Theaters

April 26, 2019
Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man; Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America; Chris Hemsworth as Thor; Josh Brolin as Thanos; Karen Gillan as Nebula; Brie Larson as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel; Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow; Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton/Hawkeye; Paul Rudd as Scott Lang/Ant-Man

Home Release Date

August 13, 2019
Anthony Russo, Joe Russo

Distributor

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Movie Review

Just like that.

Half of the cosmos’ lungs were stilled, half its hearts were stopped. In an instant, billions of lives became so much ash, carried aloft by a breeze or breath. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.

Thanos had won.

It wasn’t supposed to happen this way. It couldn’t … could it?

Sure, Thanos, the purple-tinged Titan, was strong. Boy was he strong—powerful enough to best Thor all by himself, brutish enough to give the Hulk an inferiority complex. For centuries—millennia, perhaps—he’d led his armies across the galaxy, conquering worlds and killing half their inhabitants. For the good of the rest , he claimed. Small consolation to those he massacred.

But the galaxy’s an awfully big place, and Thanos was tired of messing around. He began to search for its six Infinity Stones, objects created before the dawn of time, each bestowing godlike powers. If he could claim them all, Thanos’ nihilistic ambitions would be unstoppable. Inevitable.

But is Thanos’ victory truly an inevitability? For years (chronicled by several movies), a motley collection of superheroes has managed to wrest those selfsame Infinity Stones from lesser villains: Thor bottled up the red Reality Stone. Doctor Strange claimed the green Time Stone. The ragtag heroes from Guardians of the Galaxy took the purple Power Stone away from Thanos’ own lackey, Ronan. And so on.

We believe that good is stronger than evil. We believe in our happy endings. And in fight after fight, movie after movie, our faith was rewarded.

And then came Avengers: Infinity War , and everything changed. Good lost. The happy ending never materialized. Thanos walked into the sunset as the credits rolled, leaving the galaxy to grieve. End. Done. Finished .

But is it? Could the grave that Thanos dug for half the universe still give up its stores?

Steve Rogers, aka Captain America, leads a support group to encourage others to move on from the Snap. “The world is in our hands,” he tells them. “It’s up to us, guys, to do something with it.”

But in a private moment with friend Natasha Romanoff, he admits he’s not ready to follow his own advice.

Some do move on, Cap admits. “But not us.”

Yes, the clock struck zero, and the surviving Avengers’ opponent has left the field. But not all of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are ready to call it a day.

Maybe—just maybe—there’s a way to win yet.

Positive Elements

Heroism is, obviously, an integral part of being a superhero—it’s in the job title, after all. And we see loads of it here. I’m not going to go into great detail here (or anywhere else in the review) in an effort to preserve the movie’s twists. But briefly …

Some of the main characters here are seeking redemption—story arcs that, in some cases, began several movies ago. Take Natasha (aka Black Widow), for example. She was once a Soviet assassin before she had an offscreen run-in with Clint Barton (Hawkeye) before the Avengers even came to be. Since that time, she’s worked hard to earn her place as an Avenger. She was inspired by her fellow superheroes, she says, to be a better person. They became her family. “And even though they’re gone,” she says, “I’m still trying to be better.” Several separate story strands in the film also emphasize the importance of parents’ relationships with their children .

Others, such as Captain America, don’t necessarily need redemption or closure. Steve Rogers simply wants to do what’s right—no matter how difficult or dangerous it might be.

I needn’t say, of course, that tangling with Thanos a second time will be both difficult and dangerous: All the heroes who take part in Endgame know that this could be their last rodeo. And a few have significantly more at risk this time ’round, to boot. But while that might give one or two pause, it doesn’t stop them. After all, doing the right thing is often the risky thing, too. Not a bad lesson, that.

Spiritual Elements

Though not explicitly spiritual, Endgame does have certain undercurrents of faith and belief to note. At least one character notes how things seem providentially aligned for him to perform a critical task. “It’s like I was made for this,” he says. (It’s not the only time that one might see evidence of a higher power at work, either.)

At least one character expresses faith in an afterlife. And as noted, sacrifice and redemption are big themes here . Though they’re not viewed from an explicitly Christian perspective, of course, these themes definitely take on greater resonance when viewed through a Christian lens.

We also see lots of what looks to be magic at work, too, including “energy shields” that seem to have runes or magical symbols emblazoned on them. A couple of characters apparently have a limited ability to metaphysically see into the future.

Sexual Content

A man in Captain America’s support group talks about seeing another guy, apparently romantically. Couples kiss. Superheroes make both appreciative and crudely disparaging remarks about another superhero’s rear end. Many main players here wear formfitting outfits; one female’s top reveals some cleavage; and a couple of male characters spend significant time shirtless. We hear a passing verbal reference to nudity.

Violent Content

After the horrors viewers suffered through in Infinity War, Endgame seems to throttle back the carnage a bit. But don’t expect our heroes to turn pacifistic all of a sudden.

The Snap from Infinity War was difficult for everyone who survived, of course. One former hero in particular has become a bitter, rage-driven vigilante, someone who violently wreaks bloody revenge on any bad guys he can catch and kill. In one such encounter that we see, that character kills a crime boss with several slicing (but bloodless, as far as what the camera sees) sword thrusts and swipes.

A character has his head lopped off: In replay we see a bit of blood appear to squirt from the neck. An arm is hacked off as well. Another character’s “flesh” is melted off the forearm, revealing skeleton-like robotics underneath. A character is tortured, while several others are trapped underneath loads of rubble. A few folks nearly drown, and another comes close to death through lack of oxygen.

A ship blows up a building. A superhero blows up a ship. Lots of things blow up, in fact. We also see roughly three bazillion battles, sometimes mano-a-mano, sometimes swarms of folks attacking just one character. People and creatures get impaled, stabbed, sliced, hacked, disintegrated, shot, thrown like ragdolls, hit, kicked, stomped (and in at least one case, squished) and otherwise hurt. Some characters die.

There’s talk of lopping off someone’s arms and shoving them where the sun don’t shine. People crash through windows and fall off ledges. One person is rendered unconscious with the touch of a scepter. Someone threatens to “shred the universe down to its last atom.”

Crude or Profane Language

If Endgame ratchets down the violence a notch from we saw in Infinity War , it ratchets up the language. We hear at least eight s-words (one from former profanity critic Captain America) and perhaps one very indistinct f-word during the action. We also hear “a–,” “b–ch,” “d–n,” “h—,” “p-ss” and “d–k.” God’s name is misused about eight times, including twice with the word “d–n,” while Jesus’ name is abused once.

Drug and Alcohol Content

A character spends a good chunk of the movie drunk or tipsy. We see him imbibing several bottles of beer (and catch a glimpse of some barrels of beer meant for him), and he talks fondly of wine and Bloody Marys as well.

Other Negative Elements

Various plot points involve deception, sometimes for heroic causes, sometimes for not-so-heroic ones.

Beginning with 2008’s Iron Man , 22 movies have now rolled out under the auspices of the official Marvel Cinematic Universe. Collectively, these movies have made more than $7.3 billion in North America alone. You could point to other films that arguably launched the superhero-centric entertainment world we know today, but there’s no question which franchise defines it.

But while the MCU is primed to move on (with loads of movies and television shows in the works), Avengers: Endgame marks a definite finale. It closes the book on one of moviedom’s most remarkable success stories.

And a fitting finale it is.

Listen, this movie’s not perfect—not by a Thor-swinging hammer throw. The story’s particulars are sometimes confusing and occasionally nonsensical. The pacing isn’t always on point. And in terms of family viewing … well, it’s got all the violence we’ve come to expect from MCU properties, along with more language problems. Endgame is not a stroll in the park for either eyes or ears, especially for littler superhero wannabes.

But if you’ve already invested in this cinematic saga—if you laughed through Thor: Ragnarok and cried through Infinity War and occasionally shouted “Wakanda forever!” be assured that Endgame is eminently satisfying. This finale reminds us of movies gone by, celebrating the heroes we’ve come to know and giving them, I think, a fitting coda. And the heroes here are heroic —sometimes displaying qualities that perhaps we could all stand to embody more: courage. Sacrifice. Humility. Redemption .

In a way, I wish Endgame was the end—that Marvel and Disney would put away their superhero storyboards for a few years before the inevitable reboots. I know that won’t happen, of course. Deals are signed and inked already, and the profits are too great to ignore.

But this film, like a great dessert, is worth savoring a little—before we head back for another appetizer.

Avengers: Endgame is finally here. But for parents, the endgame of growing godly adults is still underway. Take some time to talk about the future with your children. Who has God created them to be? What do they feel their purpose in life is? These are big questions, but we can start the journey, just as the Avengers started 22 movies ago: one adventure at a time.

Aspiring to be a Hero: Lessons of Great Women and Men (Part 1 of 2)

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Engage: Reflecting God’s Heart

Bible Kidventures Stories of Danger and Courage

Paul Asay has been part of the Plugged In staff since 2007, watching and reviewing roughly 15 quintillion movies and television shows. He’s written for a number of other publications, too, including Time, The Washington Post and Christianity Today. The author of several books, Paul loves to find spirituality in unexpected places, including popular entertainment, and he loves all things superhero. His vices include James Bond films, Mountain Dew and terrible B-grade movies. He’s married, has two children and a neurotic dog, runs marathons on occasion and hopes to someday own his own tuxedo. Feel free to follow him on Twitter @AsayPaul.

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Avengers: endgame, common sense media reviewers.

Intense but satisfying finale is an epic gift to MCU fans.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Violence is main means of conflict resolution, but

Avengers and friends are flawed but unforgettably

Frequent and intense comic book-style action viole

Brief kisses/embraces between a few romantic coupl

Occasional strong language, including "son of a bi

Two Audi cars. Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Film i

Thor drinks a lot as a form of self-medication. Un

Positive Messages

Violence is main means of conflict resolution, but story is primarily about courage, self-sacrifice, heroism, collective good. Themes include teamwork, perseverance, courage. Central characters are willing to die (and kill) to save universe and rescue Earth from grief/trauma they've experienced. Also shows how important family and friendship are, how concept of family is more than pure biology: People can have incredibly strong chosen families, with friends who love you unconditionally. Emphasizes idea of being who you are , not who you think you're "supposed" to be.

Positive Role Models

Avengers and friends are flawed but unforgettably brave. They aren't individually as strong as Thanos, but together they can accomplish the impossible. They make sacrifices, protect one another, work together to save their loved ones and strangers alike. Women of Marvel once again have opportunity (albeit fairly brief one) to band together, and family men like Scott/Ant-Man and Clint/Hawkeye are particularly invested in doing what's necessary to save loved ones. Captain America and Thor prove themselves worthy of their special weapons/powers. Characters make difficult life-or-death decisions that put them in danger for the greater good. Thanos believes he's bringing salvation to universe, but his method -- genocide -- is untenable.

Violence & Scariness

Frequent and intense comic book-style action violence. Characters are killed, severely injured. Viewers will see dismemberment, decapitation, stabbing, crushing, shooting, impalement, choking, extremely destructive explosions, self-sacrifice, pursuit by scary monsters, etc. A character carries out ruthless vigilante justice, leaving lots of bodies in his wake. Weapons include guns, swords, axes, hammers, missiles. Violence isn't especially gory, but a couple of injuries/deaths are a bit bloody. Frequent peril and danger. Mourning/sadness. Arguments/yelling/shouting. Spoiler alert: A couple of beloved characters die in order to save the universe, and a couple of previously dead characters don't return to life, which could upset viewers.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Brief kisses/embraces between a few romantic couples. Thor spends some scenes shirtless.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Occasional strong language, including "son of a bitch," "ass," "s--t," "bulls--t," "d--khead," "pissed," "damn," "pissant," "hell," "crap," "goddamn," "Jesus" (as an exclamation), and "oh my God." (Even Cap swears!)

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Two Audi cars. Ben & Jerry's ice cream. Film is tied into vast merchandising/licensing efforts surrounding Marvel Comics.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Thor drinks a lot as a form of self-medication. Until a life-changing conversation, he's often looking for beer, ale, liquor, and/or wine, and bottles and barrels are shown.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Avengers: Endgame is the final film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe's current generation of movies, bringing together storylines and characters from 21 previous movies, starting with 2008's Iron Man . Families with younger kids should know that there's definitely as much intense violence (decapitation, explosions, stabbings, impalement, crushing, shooting, etc.), and even more pain, trauma, and grief here than there was in Avengers: Infinity War . Spoiler alert : A couple of beloved characters die, which will prove particularly upsetting. The language is similar to that in previous movies (mostly uses of "s--t," "ass," "d--k" -- even Captain America swears this time!), but there's no romance beyond a few brief embraces and kisses between established couples; a very minor male character talks about dating another man. Thor drinks a lot to numb his pain. Those who haven't seen any of the previous MCU installments should at least watch Infinity War and Captain America: Civil War to follow the plot, but those who are familiar with the movies and comics will be rewarded with plenty of inside jokes and references. With themes of courage, teamwork, and perseverance, this epic Avengers finale is the ultimate gift to Marvel fans -- they'll laugh, cry, and cheer as their favorite superheroes team up to save the universe one more time. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

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Community Reviews

Parents say (129)
Kids say (472)

Based on 129 parent reviews

Loud, Rude, and Inappropriate.

What's the story.

AVENGERS: ENDGAME is set after Thanos' catastrophic use of the Infinity Stones randomly wiped out half of Earth's population in Avengers: Infinity War . Those left behind are desperate to do something -- anything -- to bring back their lost loved ones. But after an initial attempt -- with extra help from Captain Marvel ( Brie Larson ) -- creates more problems than solutions, the grieving, purposeless Avengers think all hope is lost. They're reenergized by the eventual reappearance of Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man ( Paul Rudd ), who was stuck in the quantum realm during the fight on Wakanda. He believes there could be a way to reverse Thanos' deadly snap. It takes a while to gather the squad -- some of whom have changed dramatically -- but eventually Iron Man ( Robert Downey Jr. ), Thor ( Chris Hemsworth ), Captain America ( Chris Evans ), Black Widow ( Scarlett Johansson ), the Hulk ( Mark Ruffalo ), Rocket ( Bradley Cooper ), Nebula ( Karen Gillan ), Hawkeye ( Jeremy Renner ), and Ant-Man team up for one last life-or-death mission to outsmart Thanos ( Josh Brolin ) and save the universe.

Is It Any Good?

The Russo brothers' poignant, powerful finale more than lives up to the hype: It's a thrilling conclusion and a deeply emotional exploration of loss and love, duty and honor, friendship and family. Written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the story focuses on the remaining Avengers and their post-trauma lives. Each seems overwhelmed by their failure, so when they start to regroup, it's clear that they're far from the same confident, optimistic superheroes who thought they could defeat Thanos in Infinity War . The dads in the group are particularly effective at showing how personal the grief is, providing a contrast to the general sense of failure and loss that the single superheroes feel. As the often underappreciated Hawkeye, Renner stands out in a crowded field of immense talent for making his character feel central. His intensity and his platonic, brotherly love for Natasha/Black Widow is perfectly conveyed. Johansson does a lot of the emotionally resonant work in the movie, keeping tabs on everyone, encouraging her friends, and acting like everyone's favorite sister (except in the Hulk's case). The big three -- Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor -- are also fabulous. Their differences have never been more obvious, but each proves that despite past conflicts and heartbreaks, they're worthy and ready to fight side by side.

There's so much packed into the three hours of Avengers: Endgame that it might seem overwhelming at times; this is clearly a film that will inspire repeat viewing. There are unexpected twists and moments of hilarity, as well as more serious scenes and themes. Those well-versed in the Marvel Cinematic Universe will delight in the many Easter eggs and clear fan service (yes, there's still a Stan Lee cameo), while more casual fans will still find plenty of reasons to applaud. What's also true is that the three-hour movie brings all the feels. Just when one gut-punching beat finishes, there's barely enough of a break for a zinger from Tony or Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper ) before another "oh no" moment squeezes your heart . But don't despair: This is a bittersweet example that the best heroes won't allow hubris or insecurity to defeat them. Endgame ranks up there with The Return of the King and Deathly Hallows: Part 2 -- all are epic, emotional, and exceptional franchise finales.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the action violence in Avengers: Endgame. Does any of it seem realistic? Is it intended to? Is there a difference in the impact between hand-to-hand combat and catastrophic, buildings-collapsing-type explosions? How can a single death be just as or even more upsetting than the death of crowds?

What are the movie's messages about teamwork , courage , and perseverance ? Why are these important character strengths ?

This movie deals with grief, loss, and trauma. How do the characters handle their pain differently? Which ones deal with trauma in a healthy way, and which don't? What motivates them all to "be better," as Natasha says?

Why is it important for superheroes to be diverse? Do you think the Marvel Cinematic Universe offers strong examples of racial and gender diversity? Has that changed over the films' history? What other types of representation would you like to see in these movies?

What will you miss most about this particular combination of Avengers? Which characters did you like best in this installment? Which characters surprised you the most? What Marvel-based stories do you hope they continue making?

Movie Details

In theaters : April 26, 2019
On DVD or streaming : August 13, 2019
Cast : Chris Evans , Robert Downey Jr. , Scarlett Johansson
Directors : Anthony Russo , Joe Russo
Inclusion Information : Female actors
Studio : Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures
Genre : Action/Adventure
Topics : Superheroes , Adventures , Space and Aliens
Character Strengths : Courage , Perseverance , Teamwork
Run time : 181 minutes
MPAA rating : PG-13
MPAA explanation : sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and some language
Awards : Common Sense Selection , Kids' Choice Award
Last updated : May 20, 2024

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’: What Do Critics Say? What Do You Say?

The reviews all agree that the follow-up to “Fury Road” feels sadder and heavier. But is that a good thing? That’s where the disagreements start.

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Chris Hemsworth, with cuts on his face, grips a grim Taylor-Joy’s head as a concerned Tom Burke is caught between them.

By Kellina Moore

Following up what is considered one of the greatest action movies of the last decade is no easy feat. But that was the task facing George Miller as he set out to make a prequel to his Oscar-winning 2015 blockbuster, “Mad Max: Fury Road.” The result, “ Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga ,” tells the origin story of the Imperator Furiosa, the breakout character who first appeared in “Fury Road” — played by Charlize Theron then and Anya Taylor-Joy now.

The new film hits theaters on Friday, but critics weighed in when it premiered at Cannes last week. Comparisons with the other films in the “Mad Max” series (and especially the beloved “Fury Road”) were inevitable, and critics seem to agree that “Furiosa” feels heavier and sadder — but it’s less unanimous if that’s a positive or a negative. Read what they had to say, and let us know in the comments what you think of the movie.

Manohla Dargis, The New York Times: “Scene for scene, ‘Furiosa’ is very much a complement to ‘Fury Road,’ yet the new movie never fully pops the way the earlier one does. As it turns out, it is one thing to watch a movie about warriors high-tailing it out of Dodge on the road to nowhere. It’s something else entirely to watch a woman struggle to survive a world that eats its young and everyone else, too. Miller is such a wildly inventive filmmaker that it’s been easy to forget that he keeps making movies about the end of life as we know it.” Read more .

Owen Gleiberman, Variety: “What it all adds up to is a movie that can be darkly bedazzling, and that will be embraced and defended in a dozen passionate ways — but it’s one that, to me, falls very short of being a ‘Mad Max’ home run.” Read more .

David Ehrlich, IndieWire: “Does ‘Furiosa’ deliver the kind of system shock that made its predecessor feel like such a violent rebuke to superhero-era Hollywood? Absolutely not — though its two bona fide set pieces both eclipse the most electric moments of ‘Fury Road,’ while also iterating on them in fantastic new ways (the much-hyped ‘Stowaway to Nowhere’ sequence is an out-of-body experience). But Miller’s decision to shift gears ultimately proves to be his prequel’s greatest strength.” Read more .

Stephanie Zacharek, Time: “Miller is going for something majestic here, and ‘Furiosa’ does at times look imperiously handsome: he and cinematographer Simon Duggan know how to make the movie’s trillion or so mounds of sand look positively silky. But despite its many, many action sequences, and a symphonic cacophony of motorbikes vrooming in the sand, the movie, divided into chapters with droney titles like ‘Lessons From the Wasteland,’ evolves into a slog that’s working hard to persuade us we’re having a good time.” Read more .

Odie Henderson, Boston Globe: “The majority of this origin story for Furiosa is not only unnecessary, it’s nowhere near as captivating as the earlier film. Why did I need such detailed explanations for a character whom Miller and Theron had previously embodied with such glorious mystery and pathos? Why show a world whose loss Theron already conveyed in that iconic shot of Furiosa kneeling in the sandstorm? I long for the days when I didn’t have to be told every damn thing about a movie character or event.” Read more .

Dana Stevens, Slate: “To Miller’s credit, there’s never a sense that he is recycling ideas or cynically milking his own franchise. The stunts may be created using a mix of practical and digital effects, but the result still feels handcrafted and personal, with admirable contributions from production designer Colin Gibson, costume designer Jenny Beavan, and editor Margaret Sixel.” Read more .

Mark Kennedy, Associated Press: “It feels like with this fifth Mad Max installment, Miller is trying to add operatic heft and seriousness to what started in 1979 as a fun, rip-roaring smear of nightmarish, postapocalyptic motor oil. In that case, ‘Fury Road’ was fantastic, but ‘Furiosa’ is just fine.” Read more .

Tara Bennett, AV Club: “‘Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga’ officially enters my tightly regulated library of highly regarded prequels because Miller is entirely interested in building up an inner life and history for Furiosa that can exist without ‘Fury Road’ and still be a damn fine movie. And then Miller executes the pinnacle prequel trick of turning the relationships, connections, and losses collected in ‘Furiosa’ into subtext that makes the already sublime ‘Fury Road’ even better.” Read more .

Joshua Rothkopf, The Los Angeles Times: “If the movie has a deficiency (and it does), it’s not one of exposition but euphoria. The ‘Mad Max’ universe was never all that cautionary, not if you yourself ever wondered how you’d make it through societal meltdown and what kind of mohawk you’d get. … ‘Furiosa,’ to its distinction and detriment, ends up being too self-regarding, too downbeat. It takes the fun out of survival.” Read more .

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Amazon's Action Comedy Starring Josh Brolin & Peter Dinklage as Twins Gets Release Date

Amazon MGM Studios has dated action comedy Brothers starring Avengers: Endgame's Josh Brolin, Game of Thrones' Peter Dinklage and Brendan Fraser.

Amazon MGM Studios has officially announced the theatrical and streaming release dates for the upcoming action comedy Brothers , which stars Avengers: Endgame 's Josh Brolin and Game of Thrones ' Peter Dinklage .

According to Deadline , the streaming giant recently acquired the worldwide rights for Brothers from Legendary Pictures, and is releasing the film in select theaters starting October 1 . This will be followed by a streaming release on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide on October 17. This follows a similar release strategy to another fellow Amazon MGM Studios release earlier this year, Challengers , which saw a theatrical rollout, followed by Prime Video shortly afterward. That film starred Zendaya, and went on to earn nearly $80 million worldwide. Brothers is directed by Max Barbakow, who is most known for directing the Andy Samberg adult comedy Palm Springs .

A Game of Thrones Director Made One of the Best Horror Movies of the 2000s

Brothers follows a reformed criminal played by Brolin whose attempt at going straight is derailed when he reunites with his sanity-testing twin brother played by Dinklage while on a road trip for the score of a lifetime. The pair's adventure is described as dodging bullets, the law, and an overbearing mother along the way, as they must heal their severed family bond before they end up killing each other. Brothers is written by Macon Blair, who recently wrote The T oxic Avenger which starred Dinklage as well. Meanwhile, the story is written by movie comedy veteran Etan Cohen, who wrote the Josh Brolin-starring comedy blockbuster Men in Black 3 .

Other Iconic Stars Appearing in Brothers

The star-studded cast for Brothers includes Academy Award-winner Brandan Fraser, best known for his iconic role in The Mummy franchise. Also appearing in the film are legendary actress Glenn Close, Taylour Paige and Jennifer Landon. Along with the late M. Emmet Walsh in one of his last on-screen appearances after passing earlier this year. The film was produced by Andrew Lazar of Mad Chance, Brolin via his JB Productions, and Dinklage and his partner David Ginsberg via Estuary Films. Trish Stanard also served as executive producer.

10 Rulers Who Held the Iron Throne the Longest in Game of Thrones

Brolin recently appeared in the epic sci-fi sequel Dune: Part Two , and can be currently seen on Amazon's Prime Video's second season of the sci-fi series Outer Range . Earlier this year, Dinklage had a supporting role in the fan-favorite prequel to the Hunger Games franchise, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes . He also stars in the upcoming Western film The Thicket , which has not yet announced a release date.

Source: Deadline

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Sorry Haters, ‘Madame Web’ Is More Fun Than Any MCU Movie Since ‘Avengers: Endgame’

Where to stream:.

Dakota Johnson

Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Madame Web’ on Netflix, a Megafiasco That Traps Poor Dakota Johnson in Superhero Hell

‘madame web’ ending explained: dakota johnson’s superhero movie sets up a sequel that likely won’t happen, maya rudolph and jimmy fallon say they “lost it” during will ferrell’s last ‘snl’ read-through in 2002: “we were all just crying”, ‘madame web’ comes to digital, but when will it be streaming on netflix.

Shortly after Madame Web was added to Netflix on Tuesday, one of the rising Google trends was “Why is Madame Web so bad?”

I can only assume this is because, Netflix subscribers, like me, are slowly coming to the correct realization that Madame Web —the much-mocked superhero film starring Dakota Johnson that flopped in the box office—is not so bad. It is, in fact, quite fun. All those haters just didn’t see the vision. But me and Dakota have that Madame Web foresight, and we can see this movie as the silly, campy romp it’s clearly meant to be.

To be clear, I’m not trying to argue that Madame Web is a good movie. Obviously, it’s not a good movie! But it’s also not nearly as bad as the critics and internet memes—many of which were already calling Madame Web the worst film of the year—made it out to be. You see, there are good movies. There are bad movies. And then there are fun movies. And Madame Web, while not good, is most definitely fun.

Directed by S.J. Clarkson in her feature film debut, Madame Web s tars Johnson as the little-known Marvel character Cassie Webb. We meet Cassie as a 30-year-old paramedic whose near-death experience on the job triggers a latent superpower: the ability to see the future minutes before it happens. This power drives Cassie to save three teenage girls—Julia Cornwall (Sydney Sweeney), Anya Corazon (Isabela Merced), and Mattie Franklin (Celeste O’Connor)—from being murdered by a deranged guy with Spider-Man-esque powers. As it turns out, this guy can see the future too, and in his visions, he’s murdered by these teen girls. But not if he kills them first!

The movie is at its best when Johnson acts as the reluctant babysitter to these three teenage Charlie’s-Angels- in-training. Johnson’s dry, deadpan delivery works perfectly with her character’s socially awkward misanthropy, as well as the movie’s playful tone. I mean, the exaggerated enunciation when she says “Las Arañas”—which literally just means “the spiders” in Spanish, but in the context of the film refers to a secret society of spider-people—is in the running for best line delivery of the year. Plus, the movie inexplicably takes place in 2003, which means every so often we get a cheeky little reference to Cassie watching American Idol , or a poster for Beyoncé’s Dangerously In Love album in the background. Does it make sense for the narrative? Not really! Was I having the time of my life jamming out to Britney Spears’s hit single, “Toxic”? You bet!

I have to be honest: I had infinitely more fun watching Dakota Johnson responding, “I don’t know, man” to a guy who asks if he’s on the correct train than I have at any of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies or TV shows from Disney in the last five years. I don’t care about the multiverse. I don’t care about the lore. I don’t care what “Phase” of Marvel we’re in now. (Four? Eight? I literally could not tell you.)

Madame Web doesn’t just take place in 2003, it recreates the feeling of watching a superhero movie in 2003. It doesn’t expect, or even reward, any prior knowledge of comic books from audiences. More importantly, it doesn’t take itself too seriously. These are people with made-up powers running around in tights. No one should be trying to get an Oscar nomination. It’s not that deep! I mean, even the new Deadpool movie looks like it’s going for a more serious tone. Deadpool ! The guy makes pegging jokes!

Scoff at my taste in cinema if you must, but I simply can’t hate a movie that makes superheros silly again. Las arañas know what I’m talking about.

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‘Anora’ Review: Sean Baker’s Whirlwind Sex-Work Romance Sparkles Like the Tinsel in Its Leading Lady’s Hair

The director of 'The Florida Project' reaffirms his knack for spotting talent — and suspending judgment — in casting Mikey Madison as an exotic dancer who thinks she's found her whale.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

Chief Film Critic

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‘Anora’ Review: Sean Baker’s Whirlwind Sex-Work Romance Sparkles Like the Tinsel in Its Leading Lady’s Hair 4 days ago

The uncut gem of this year’s Cannes competition, “ Anora ” is a rowdy Safdie-style movie about two cultures (Russian and American), two languages (Russian and English) and two currencies (money and sex). Like countless Hollywood fantasies that have come before, it tells the story of how young people from different worlds fall in love, run into immediate obstacles and deal with the consequences — except the couple in this case consists of a New York stripper and the reckless son of a Russian oligarch. How long would you give it?

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After a few one-on-one visits to his opulent pad (a waterfront mansion with maid service and private security), Ani finds herself negotiating the rate for a week of exclusive attention. They settle on $15,000, cash upfront. Baker isn’t coy — but nor is he pervy — about the transactional sex between these two, presenting it without judgment. Neither degrading nor glamorous, Ani and Ivan’s sessions are instead gently humorous. She tries to get to know him, while Ivan mostly wants to get off, turning his attention to video games or TV as soon as they’re done.

Eager but inexperienced, Ivan races through lovemaking like some kind of spastic rabbit, and after a few such disappointments, Ani offers to slow things down and instruct him a bit. It’s right about then that Ivan tells Ani that he’s in love … and a short time later that he suggests they get married. At this point, Ani is caught up in the extravagant YOLO vibe Ivan gives off — a kaleidoscope of partying out and sleeping in that’s infinitely better than her working-class home life (briefly glimpsed between shifts at the club). Ivan flies Ani to Las Vegas, where the wedding chapels are open 24 hours. Some people go to Vegas and get a tattoo; she gets a four-carat rock and a marriage certificate.

It’s right about here that a Cinderella story would end “happily ever after.” Not “Anora.” Baker’s just getting started. Ani’s dream lasts for all of 45 minutes, and then Ivan’s parents get wind that their prodigal (and profligate) son has married a “prostitute,” as she’s frequently misidentified. They’re outraged by the shame that Ivan has brought upon their family, although Madison is so sincere in the role of Ani, it’s hard to see their side of things. Sure, Ani’s eyes widened when when she saw the view from Ivan’s bedroom or the collection of luxury vehicles in his garage. But she’s no gold-digger. (And so what if she were? He’s got his currency, and she’s got hers. She’s also American, which means a fast track to a green card.)

There’s still a feature film’s worth of excitement to come, as Ivan’s godfather, Toros (Karren Karagulian), gets involved, dispatching a pair of thugs — a fellow Armenian named Garnick (Vache Tovmaysan) and the Russian-speaking “gopnik” named Igor (Yura Borisov). Baker brings the same spontaneous, seat-of-your-pants energy to “Anora” that he did to “Tangerine” before this, making what follows every bit as impulsive and unpredictable, captured in delicious, slightly oversaturated widescreen. The audience is on Ani’s side, but there are no “bad guys” here — just concerned family and friends understandably alarmed by Ivan’s actions.

With a wispy, little-girl voice like Dakota Johnson’s and the cat-fight intensity of Tura Satana (“Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!”), 2022 “Scream” actor Madison surprises as Ani. Working where she does, her character has every reason to be cynical, and yet, Ani still believes in true love, even if Ivan hardly seems deserving of her faith. Beneath her sparkling hair tinsel and butterfly nails, she’s smart and resourceful, representing in this one unforgettable character the ambitions and obstacles of centuries of sex workers. Baker has always had an instinct for spotting talent, and here, he doesn’t have to show Madison pole dancing à la Jennifer Lopez in “Hustlers” for audiences to buy into the authenticity (it may actually be an advantage that she’s not already a star, or impossibly proportioned). We read Ani as real, and we feel deeply invested in how this shotgun wedding plays out.

For his part, Eydelshteyn brings a spindly Timothée Chalamet-like quality to the role of Ivan, adapting his body language to the way Ani sees him: Prince Charming at first, but increasingly pathetic once his parents are invoked. Familiar face Karagulian has appeared in all Baker’s features, but gets his biggest role yet as a man unwilling to risk his privileged connection to the Zakharov clan for Ivan’s high jinks. Quietly stewing on the sidelines is Borisov, who looks like he could kill someone (Ani insists he has “rape eyes”) but winds up being the only one genuinely interested in bridging the gap between their two worlds.

Taken alone, “Anora” is a profane kick. But seen in the context of Baker’s recurring fixations — from “Starlet” to “Red Rocket” — it stresses his belief that sex work is real work, that it’s more central to society than society wants to admit, and that by identifying with those we typically objectify, we can’t help but love them.

Reviewed at Cannes Film Festival, May 21, 2024. Running time: 139 MIN.

Production: A Neon release of a Neon, FilmNation Entertainment presentation of a Cre Film production. Producers: Samantha Quan, Alex Coco, Sean Baker. Executive producers: Ken Meyer, Clay Pecorin, Glen Basner, Alison Cohen, Milan Popelka.
Crew: Director, writer, editor: Sean Baker. Camera: Drew Daniels.
With: Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan. (English, Russian dialogue)

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Xbox use of AI could mean the end of game guides and YouTube videos

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Microsoft has announced that its Copilot AI advisor is coming to Minecraft , which could be the first step in making game guides redundant.

In late 2023, Microsoft fully embraced artificial intelligence when the Xbox maker entered into a partnership with Inworld AI , with the aim to create an ‘AI toolset to assist and empower creators in dialogue, story, and quest design.’

A year later and now Microsoft has announced that its Copilot AI system is being added to Minecraft, with other games expected to follow.

The AI system is designed to advise players and help them out when they get stuck, by analysing their inventory and monitoring how they play – which sounds like bad news for game guide YouTube channels.

A video demonstration has the player saying they want to make a sword, to which the AI responds: ‘To craft a sword, you’ll need some materials. Can you open you inventory? Just press ‘E’ on your keyboard.’

The AI goes on to identify the player’s inventory and concludes that they need to get some more wood or stone to craft a sword.

Real time conversations with your AI companion Copilot, powered by OpenAIâs GPT-4o. pic.twitter.com/Ug7EWv2sah — Microsoft Copilot (@MSFTCopilot) May 20, 2024

Another video, shared by the Microsoft Copilot Twitter account, shows the player attacked by zombies. When asked what they are by the player, the AI says:

‘Oh, no! It’s a zombie. Run, you need to get away from it fast. Either sprint away, or quickly build a tower of blocks straight up to get out of its reach.’

Real personality. Effortless interactions. The ability to see what we see.Â â¨ Iâve long argued that AIs with EQ, IQ and AQ are coming. Hereâs the first real glimpse of whatâs its gonna feel like. Itâs a magical experience: smart, intuitive, natural, and useful. — Mustafa Suleyman (@mustafasuleyman) May 20, 2024

The announcement doesn’t say when the Copilot AI will be added to Minecraft, other than it’s ‘coming soon’, but Microsoft AI CEO, Mustafa Suleyman, adds:

‘Microsoft changed computing history by inventing a new category: the Personal Computer or PC. Now we’re re-inventing PCs for the AI era, taking us from personal computing to truly personal intelligence.

‘Today we’re launching a new product category: Copilot+ PCs, the biggest update to Windows in its 40 year history, the fastest and most powerful AI ready PCs anywhere.’

If the AI works as well as in the demonstrations, when fully added to Minecraft it could make online game guides and YouTube tutorials redundant.

At the moment only Minecraft support has been added but if it works out it seems inevitable that it will be added to all games, especially given how keen Microsoft is on AI in general at the moment.

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For more stories like this, check our Gaming page .

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Amazon Announces Release of Josh Brolin & Peter Dinklage Action Comedy
Amazon MGM Studios has officially announced the theatrical and streaming release dates for the upcoming action comedy Brothers, which stars Avengers: Endgame 's Josh Brolin and Game of Thrones' Peter Dinklage.. According to Deadline, the streaming giant recently acquired the worldwide rights for Brothers from Legendary Pictures, and is releasing the film in select theaters starting October 1.
Sorry haters, 'Madame Web' is more fun than any MCU movie since
Directed by S.J. Clarkson in her feature film debut, Madame Web s tars Johnson as the little-known Marvel character Cassie Webb. We meet Cassie as a 30-year-old paramedic whose near-death ...
'Anora' Review: Sparkles Like the Tinsel in Its Leading Lady's Hair
Camera: Drew Daniels. With: Mikey Madison, Mark Eydelshteyn, Yura Borisov, Karren Karagulian, Vache Tovmasyan. (English, Russian dialogue) Sean Baker reaffirms his knack for spotting talent ...
How to Watch the Spider-Man Movies in Order
Where to Watch: Stream on Disney+, rent on Amazon Prime Video. 4. The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) 2012's The Amazing Spider-Man saw Marc Webb swing into the director's chair, and was the first ...
Xbox use of AI could mean the end of game guides and YouTube ...
The AI system is designed to advise players and help them out when they get stuck, by analysing their inventory and monitoring how they play - which sounds like bad news for game guide YouTube ...

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