Avengers: Endgame is nearly here, and it's hard to escape the feeling that we're in store for the greatest superhero movie of all-time. If that's not a statement you currently agree with, then you might change your mind after taking a look through these review excerpts.
As promised, the embargo has lifted and we've rounded up a few reactions from the trades, entertainment websites, YouTubers, and more to bring you the widest coverage of reviews possible.
Oh, and don't worry, because the excerpts shared here are 100% spoiler-free.
They do, however, contain some hints about what's to come, so this is your final warning before you continue reading. Ultimately, the consensus is overwhelmingly positive, and it sounds like
Avengers: Endgame will serve as a fitting finale to the first 22 movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What more could we have asked for?
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Yes, there are some moments when the lengthy running time makes itself known, and yes, this is a corporate product even more so than most of the stand-alone MCU movies. But if you like what that product is about, the laughs and tears here feel genuine. The Marvel movies are by no means over, but “Avengers: Endgame” does offer rare moments of catharsis in an ongoing serialized saga.
SOURCE: The Wrap
So Avengers: Endgame is, from all appearances, the end of the road for some characters and storylines, but the seeds of many offshoots look to have been planted along the way. Expect to see them grow and multiply in the coming seasons.
SOURCE: The Hollywood Reporter
I’ll admit, watching Avengers: Endgame, I got more emotional than I thought I would. A lot has changed since 2008, for all of us — both personally, and also just how the world works, and it’s hard not to think about that while watching. It’s strangely sentimental for a movie that features the biggest all-out superhero fight I can ever remember seeing. The Marvel Cinematic Universe isn’t over (technically Phase 3 isn’t even over yet until after Spider-Man: Far From Home), but, man, in a way, it sure kind of feels like it is.
SOURCE: Uproxx
Since I’m trying to avoid spoiling the movie, I’m not even talking about my favorite parts because I want fans to experience them like I did. I want them to have the same thrills and same laughs. Will Endgame hold up on repeat viewings? I have no idea! I didn’t think Infinity War would be so re-watchable, and yet I’ve probably watched it more times in the last year than any other Marvel movie. But I have a suspicion that Endgame will stand the test of time because it understands what we’ve grown to love about these characters, their stories, and their world. Avengers: Endgame is an ending of sorts, but what an ending it is.
SOURCE: Collider
And, look: I say “last Avengers film” knowing full well that Marvel and Disney aren’t going to close down the latex factory and move on to other things. We’ve just met Captain Marvel; there’s more Wakanda to be explored; many other heroes in Endgame remain positioned for future intriguing exploits. But it does seem like this is the last time they’ll all be together, at least in this exact configuration. In that light, Endgame delivers a fond and fabulous farewell. I’ll confess that a genuine tear came to my eye as Marvel’s massive ship, glinting in all its effortful splendor, tipped its wing in grand salute—before flying off to places unknown, for now.
Avengers: Endgame is a difficult movie to review because the marketing has given away virtually nothing about the story. If possible you should absolutely see this movie knowing as little about it as possible. It’s also a movie that shouldn’t be spoiled so be nice out there. While this might be an ending it also feels like a new beginning and it’s going to be a lot of fun to see where Marvel Studios goes next.
SOURCE:
Bleeding Cool
And Avengers: Endgame is … in a word ... funky. Its structure will surprise you; its music choices will surprise you; and it’s not in any way a repeat of any MCU film that’s come before. It turns out that not making Endgame Infinity War Part 2 was completely justified and not just a dimestore marketing trick.
SOURCE:
Newsarama
"Endgame" is tragic and uplifting, rousing and grounding, while leaving minds racing and making everybody cry (even the toughest guys). Marvel movies have managed to find endearing, crowd-pleasing magic amid these fun and flawed comic-book characters in the past decade, and “Endgame” pays off all that goodwill by letting them do what they do best on the biggest stage yet.
The fourth Avengers movie had so many demands and expectations weighing upon it. Despite some flaws, there's no denying that this is a truly impressive achievement and a worthy conclusion to a story years in the making. Those next 11 years of the MCU have a lot to live up to. [4/5]
SOURCE: Digital Spy
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. [4.5/5]
SOURCE: Screen Rant
The final takeaway from this decade-long journey is that heroism isn’t defined by bravery or super-abilities, but by what one gives up for the greater good. Among the many frustrations of the Snap was that it robbed so many great characters — and gazillions of anonymous creatures throughout the galaxy — of proactively making that choice. “Endgame” isn’t exactly a do-over, but it builds to an infinitely more satisfying conclusion.
SOURCE: Variety
The culmination of a staggering achievement as a shared universe, it succeeds as its own beast on almost every level, in its action-packed three hours, in its emotional resonance and in its humour, this arguably is their greatest achievement thus far and one that perhaps never be bettered – but that doesn’t mean we cannot wait to see what they come up with next.
SOURCE: HeyUGuys
It’s in the loss and sadness that you feel along with the characters at the beginning of the film that makes the payoff oh so sweet. “Avengers: Endgame” is the triumphant crescendo of the biggest film journey that has ever existed. Casual fans need not apply. [B+]
SOURCE: The Playlist
Ultimately, Avengers: Endgame feels exhausting. That’s not a knock against the movie, though. The exhaustion is well earned, because like Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, we feel as if we’ve truly come to the end of a long, winding, confusing, but ultimately rewarding road. Tears will be shed, cheers will ring out, and we’ll head home, tired but contented. Avengers: Endgame closes the book on the MCU as we know it. But there’s a brand new book, shiny and untouched up on the shelf, waiting for fresh eyes. Part of the journey is the end, yes. But just imagine what comes next. [8/10]
SOURCE: Slash Film
Avengers: Endgame is easily the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s most ambitious, emotional, and affecting film to date, somehow managing to tie up more than a decade of storytelling in a confident (and mostly coherent) climax - a hurdle that many other blockbuster franchises have stumbled over in their final runs.
It will inevitably provoke years of spirited debate among fans, and an overreliance on messy CGI action blunts some of its impact, but in terms of pure heart, Endgame holds nothing back. This may not have been the only way for Marvel to end the first chapter of its sprawling superhero saga, but when faced with 14,000,605 possible outcomes, it manages to be a surprising and satisfying one. [9.5/10]
SOURCE: IGN
After 11 years and 21 movies, Avengers: Endgame is larger than a mere movie. It’s a personal experience. It works as a singular film and ultimately will be judged as such, but on first viewing, it works even better as a cherry on top of a decade of Marvel storytelling—the final piece of a glorious puzzle we’ve all been working to piece together since 2008. Everyone should have a chance to experiences those moments on their own, and I hope you will. You will not be let down.
SOURCE: io9
Ultimately, Endgame is an entire movie of payoffs. It plays off and completes thoughts begun in Age of Ultron and Civil War, and even in comics. Conventional wisdom says that a sequel should be able to stand on its own. For the past decade, Marvel has worked to make that true, to whatever degree is possible in a series of more than 20 interconnected films. That changes with Endgame, which has no ambition to stand on its own, and no need to. This Avengers finale is an event as much as a movie. It is quite possibly a one-time thing that can only happen at this point in time. Endgame is a giant flex of fan interest and industry power, and in that respect it is spectacular.
SOURCE: BMD
With the stakes being no less than the fate of the world (or at least approximately 50% of it), 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 seven years, four films, and uncountable post-credit easter eggs, the endgame of an era has finally come. [B+]
SOURCE: Entertainment Weekly
The final movie in Marvel's Infinity Saga is a masterpiece. It's an absolute spectacle which needs to be watched on the biggest screen possible. It's a love letter to fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In fact, I'd argue that Avengers: Endgame is the film event of our lifetime and lives up to every bit of global hype it has garnered. It is setting a new standard and raising the bar for event films and likely will not be matched in this generation of filmmaking.
Still, Avengers: Endgame largely delivers exactly what its audience wants: Huge setpieces, massive stakes, inspirational speeches, the Avengers being ride-or-die besties, and emotional moments that may or may not have made me cry. (Okay, fine, made. I cried at least two times. [Okay, fine! More than two times. I’m not made of stone like the Thing!]) No matter what comes next from Marvel Studios, this Avengers is a gargantuan love letter to the equally enormous mythology that Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko and the rest of their collaborators built — and to the generations of readers and moviegoers who truly believe in it.
SOURCE: Screen Crush
Not quite as good as Infinity War, but wears its three-hour running time with ease and rewards the fans. Part of the journey is the end, and this goes out with a bang that’ll make you whimper.
Every single action sequence here deserves to be seen on the largest screen possible. In Infinity War, the Russos demonstrated their ability to take action from Earth to space and back, and each of Endgame provides plenty of epic clashes and gorgeous vistas to relish. Even the more basic settings, like the Avengers' headquarters somewhere in upstate New York, get made over into expansive settings.
SOURCE: CNet
Avengers: Endgame is of course entirely preposterous and, yes, the central plot device here does not, in itself, deliver the shock of the new. But the sheer enjoyment and fun that it delivers, the pure exotic spectacle, are irresistible, as is its insouciant way of combining the serious and the comic. Without the comedy, the drama would not be palatable. Yet without the earnest, almost childlike belief in the seriousness of what is at stake, the funny stuff would not work either. As an artificial creation, the Avengers have been triumphant, and as entertainment, they have been unconquerable. [5/5]
SOURCE: The Guardian
It’s the culmination of so much – and despite a few flaws, it’s an incredibly impressive, nearly impossible thing to behold.
SOURCE: Radio Times
Still, “Endgame” is a monument to adequacy, a fitting capstone to an enterprise that figured out how to be good enough for enough people enough of the time. Not that it’s really over, of course: Disney and Marvel are still working out new wrinkles in the time-money continuum. But the Russos do provide the sense of an ending, a chance to appreciate what has been done before the timelines reset and we all get back to work.
SOURCE: New York Times
The conclusion of this chapter in the MCU, of course, won't last long; Marvel's assembly lines are already humming. And I suspect it will be some time before we understand just what Marvel has wrought with these movies. At their worst, they are colossal, inhuman products built for a supersized form of binge-watching. At their best, they are grand, mega-sized Hollywood spectacles. It's not a spoiler to say that "Endgame" verges more on the latter. At least I don't think so.
SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle
The lessons of “Avengers: Endgame” are thus as old as time itself, and no less welcome for being reiterated: There is no life without death, no triumph without defeat, no forward progress without a glance in the rear-view mirror. Which is where this story at long last resides, and where, in a saner universe, it might have the grace to remain.
[Right] now, in the aftermath, Avengers Endgame feels like a win.
SOURCE: Gamespot
Yet Endgame is still a fitting, winsome celebration of all things Marvel. It’s true to its name as a stunning final chapter in a narrative that Marvel has built over 11 years. After Endgame, Marvel could stop, and its fans would be satisfied with the complete series. But we know that’s not happening anytime soon, and if Endgame is any indication, we’re still in for at least a few more miracles yet.
SOURCE: Vox
Avengers: Endgame is a merely okay MCU movie. However, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II is both not my favorite Harry Potter film and concurrently a towering cinematic achievement. Heck, when folks list their favorite X-Files episodes, the “mythology” episodes don’t usually make the cut. As a definitive ending to the ongoing Marvel Cinematic Universe saga, Avengers: Endgame works and it hits hard when it needs to.
SOURCE: Forbes