 |
| By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=59301815 |
How I yearned to start with the lines that the Russo brothers have done it yet again. After the magic they accomplished with Infinity War they out-did themselves with the grandest send-off they could've mustered for Earth's Mightiest Heroes. But alas! That wouldn't be the truth. The send -off is grand, but all things put together, the Avengers deserved a better swan song.
Things start off in spectacular fashion - and I don't mean high octane action with the superheroes showing off. No. After the events of Infinity War (and I dearly hope you've already seen that one) there could be no celebration and the start is a chilling reminder of that fact, in the most subtle of ways. However, once that initially shock wears off, its hard to follow the logic of what our heroes are up to. They are disoriented and distraught - sure. They are seething for revenge - again, I get that. But, what they do next - just feels off and you wonder how things will proceed thereon.
With Infinity war, the Russo brothers wove a tight narrative - that was gut-wrenching and spell-binding at the same time - you couldn't move from your seat. You were footing for your heroes all through. Avengers End-game, and its extra long runtime doesn't do it any favors, lacks that very tightness. It almost feels like the Russo brothers were creatively worn out after they achieved Infinity War and then just put some stuff together to close things out. There are a few good ideas - for sure. The homage to the previous movies with the cameos, being amongst the coolest of them. However, the execution has you scratching your head. A lot of it just doesn't seem to fit and looks to be more of fan-boy pandering than service to a script.
The stakes are higher than they ever were for our heroes, but it doesn't feel like it. There isn't a sense of foreboding or dread. There is no sense of progression. You don't know who the villain is, what he/she is up to, what are their motives - and when you do discover - it feels distinctly unconvincing.
No doubt that the finale is thrilling. The vision for action that is characteristic of the Russo brothers, is on full display and anything less than an IMAX screen would be a disservice to watch it on - but that's all from an action perspective. The surprises, if we can even call them that, don't deliver the same punch. There is no shock and awe. There is precisely one scene in the finale, where the guns change their position and fire at an unknown target, where it truly delivers some thrills. Everything else is Avenger-esque but not quite there. To say more, I'd have to spoil a few things so let's stop here.
While some of the characters are done a lot of dis-service the actors still step up to the plate and after 22 films and 11 years they may well be their characters. The trailers again have red herrings - the events in the movie are slightly different but it doesn't have the same impact as was the case with Infinity War. This time the changes look gimmicky and are off-putting. There are few, if any, rabbit out of the hat or rather Thanos gauntlet snap moments that genuinely take you aback. It all feels very predictable and no fun at all.
End-game then, is a grand finale - the culmination of 22 Marvel movies that put together the greatest ensemble possible and should best be remembered for that purpose. Its not Ultron thankfully, but its not even better than the original Avengers, which was at least whole lot of more fun and Infinity War by comparison is simply in a different league. If you are one of those Marvel fanboys who wish the directors would at least listen to them some time and play along with the more popular theories and ideas they come up with, you may well be in for a treat. But if you were looking for the Russo brothers to do one-better and dream up a script that nobody would've thought of - this time that hasn't happened. Go with the right expectations but go nonetheless - after all, it is the end of an era.
