Film Review: "Avengers: Endgame" (2019).

With Avengers: Endgame, "nothing can prepare you for the end." This superhero film directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, based on the Marvel Comics superhero team the Avengers, and produced by Marvel Studios. It is the sequel to 2012's The Avengers, 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron and 2018's Avengers: Infinity War, and the 22nd film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The remaining Avengers - Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, Captain America and Bruce Banner - must figure out a way to bring back their vanquished allies for an epic showdown with Thanos - the evil demigod who decimated the planet and the universe.

In October 2014, along with Avengers: Infinity War, the film was announced, originally entitled Avengers: Infinity War - Part II for a May 3, 2019 release date. In April 2015, the Russo brothers came on board to direct to helm the films with back-to-back filming expected to begin in 2016. In May, Markus and McFeely signed on to write the scripts. Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige had said that All Good Things... (1994), the series finale episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), served as an inspiration for the film. The following May, the Russos revealed that they would be retitling the two films, to further remove the misconception that the films were one large film split in two, referring to it simply as Untitled Avengers film. Joe Russo stated: "The intention is we will change [the titles], we just haven't come up with [them] yet." Feige and the Russo brothers indicated the title was being withheld because it would give away plot details for this film and Infinity War. By early August 2017, principal photography resumed from its three to five week break after filming on Avengers: Infinity War wrapped. Under the working title Mary Lou II, filming took place at Pinewood Atlanta Studios in Fayette County, Georgia, as well as the Metro and Downtown Atlanta areas and New York. Like its predecessor, the film was shot entirely on digital IMAX/Arri 2D cameras in the exclusive open-matte 1.9:1 aspect ratio. Filming wrapped in early January 2018. Feige explained that the films were originally scheduled to be filmed simultaneously but were ultimately shot back-to-back, as "It became too complicated to cross-board them like that, and we found ourselves—again, something would always pay the price. We wanted to be able to focus and shoot one movie and then focus and shoot another movie." Anthony Russo originally felt it made more sense to shoot the films simultaneously due to financial and logistical reasons considering the large number of cast members, even though each part is its own distinct film. In early December, the title was announced with the first trailer, while also moving its release date in the United States to April 26, 2019.

The film features an ensemble cast that includes Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Paul Rudd, Brie Larson, Karen Gillan, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, Benedict Cumberbatch, Chadwick Boseman, Tom Holland, Zoe Saldana, Evangeline Lilly, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Tom Hiddleston, Pom Klementieff, Dave Bautista, Letitia Wright, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Cobie Smulders, Vin Diesel, Chris Pratt, Samuel L. Jackson, Tessa Thompson, Rene Russo, John Slattery, Tilda Swinton, Hayley Atwell, Marisa Tomei, Taika Waititi, Callan Mulvey, Frank Grillo, Robert Redford, Ty Simpkins, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, William Hurt, Natalie Portman, Danai Gurira, Benedict Wong, Jon Favreau, Linda Cardellini, James D'Arcy, Emma Fuhrmann, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, and Josh Brolin. The cast gave the finest performances of their entire MCU careers, with Downey Jr., Evans, Ruffalo, Hemsworth, Johansson, Renner giving a more-than-satisfying swan songs to the characters they have associated with for just over a decade. Cheadle, Rudd, Larson, Gillan, Cooper, and Paltrow gave performances that gave their characters as much care and to do as the core Avengers. For just over ten years and twenty-two films we've gotten to watch these characters grow. It has been a true coming-of-age saga, in the fullest and most moving sense of the term.

Thrilling, powerfully acted, and visually dazzling, Avengers: Endgame brings the Marvel Cinematic Universe to a satisfying - yet somewhat overly drawn out - conclusion. This is monumental cinema, awash with gorgeous tones, and carrying an ultimate message that will resonate with every viewer, young or old. The Russo brothers tackled this cinematic behemoth into a genuinely awesome spectacle. Along with Infinity War, the film is a pretty solid and ambitious effort of a very intricate tapestry. The final instalment is a bravura battle between good and evil. It's also a cathartic, occasionally clunky nostalgiafest. The grand finish, if not always inspired, feels necessary. In a sustained, imaginative way, this is the best of any movie series. The incredible amount of edge-of-your-seat action was impressive, the brilliant ways in which they worked the 3D F/X in, and just the way the whole thing came together. Millions of children, parents, and those who should know better won't need reminding what happened in Infinity War and the Russo brothers do not let us down. In fact, in some ways, they more than make up for the shortcomings of the final film. While the film offers long-promised closes, it also dares to open some new doors, and it'll stay with you after the final chapter has closed. The film is a awesome conclusion that easily equals Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter in terms of a dramatic and memorable battle between good and evil. The finale conjures up enough awe and solemnity to serve as an appropriate finale and a dramatic contrast to the lighthearted (relative) innocence of Iron Man just over a decade ago. It is a masterful and worthy final chapter in one of the best franchises ever put to film. For a grand finale to a truly epic, good-natured franchise, this is a perfect goodbye that's very hard to beat.

Simon says Avengers: Endgame receives:

See my review for Avengers: Infinity War and Captain Marvel.