It’s been 11 years since Marvel began rewriting all the rules of superhero films with Iron Man in 2008. And now, the Infinity saga finally ends in Avengers: Endgame, with the upcoming Spider-Man: Far From Home acting as its epilogue and the final chapter of Marvel Phase 3.

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo, Avengers: Endgame is a remarkable film for many reasons. If looked at as a standalone, it’s an exhilarating, funny, and moving piece of action-packed cinema. Even if you walk in having not watched a single film in the Marvel universe, you’ll walk out believing that you’ve seen one of the most entertaining films of all time.

If looked at as the second part to Avengers: Infinity War (2018), it feels even more impressive. As you may recall, in the last film the super villain finally managed to get a hold of all six Infinity Stones which gave him the power to extinguish half of all living beings in the universe, so that the rest would have the resources to survive. Here, members of the Avengers, such as Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and others were unable to stop him. Interestingly, Dr. Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), despite being the keeper of the Time Stone, willingly handed it over to Thanos in exchange for Tony Stark’s life because he foresaw him as the only man able to stop the villain.

The exhilarating, deeply characterised Avengers: Endgame is how you exceed every viewer’s wildest expectations about superhero movies

Surprisingly, when Endgame begins, the Russo brothers take their time to let us feel the consequences of Thanos’ actions. The world is struggling to move on, and the melancholy is palpable. I love the Marvel films for bringing the comic book world so seamlessly to cinema, but I don’t connect with them as I do with DC films. This is because humanity reacts more authentically in DC films (even the bad ones). When they see an alien, they freak out like anyone would in the real world. Meanwhile, everyday people in the Marvel universe seem to take superpowers, magic, and extra-terrestrial beings, in stride. That’s why it was a pleasant surprise to feel such authenticity in the opening act of Endgame. The world didn’t thrive like Thanos expected — instead, there was a great depression fit for a post-cataclysmic world.

Avengers: Endgame is also impressive in how it manages to allow for deeper characterisation than Infinity War. I suppose this was easier to do with half the characters to take up the screen time. Still, there are dozens of superheroes on screen, and they all get a fair shake.

Endgame isn’t perfect. It relies a little too heavily on CGI like other Marvel films. What’s more, the pacing is a bit jarring. There’s the first sombre act. Then, there’s the second, more humorous act. And finally, there is the breathtaking finale, that takes the film from second to top gear, in what feels like a snap of the fingers.

There are no words to describe how exhilarating, emotional and intense the last act is. The audience I saw it with on opening night was gasping and screaming like their lives depended on it. I hope the current president of Lucasfilm, Kathleen Kennedy — who may have screwed up the Star Wars franchise more than George Lucas ever could — was taking notes. Because this is how you give a respectful and loving send-off to beloved characters. And this is how you exceed every viewer’s wildest expectations.

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

Published in Dawn, ICON, May 5th, 2019