Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Paul Rudd, Karen Gillan, Brie Larson, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Josh Brolin
Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Remember Sachin Tendulkar? At one time the biggest cricketer in the world? The one who united a country when he played and also when he wouldn’t stop playing? He ended a storied 24-year career with a home series against West Indies. His many detractors went to town about how he didn’t deserve a farewell series and how he should have retired 25 years earlier. What they misunderstood was this was a series for Sachin’s benefit. No, it wasn’t. Sachin was a great cricketer who had the single biggest influence on cricket in his country and, by extension, the world. He had a fabulous journey. The series was for those who went on that journey with him. It was nostalgic. It was cathartic. It was an end. Avengers: Endgame is a vote of gratitude for Marvel fans. For believing in a dream for over 11 years.
Endgame would not be the Number One for the basic reason that it has to cheat. The Thanos Snap has happened. The world is irrevocably changed. Yet, we need all the Avengers back to fight Thanos. So the Russos had to cheat. This was expected. The only question was how. To their credit they, along screenwriters with Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, still managed to surprise. But then they had to take the sheen out of Infinity War to do that.
The success of the MCU meant there were too many heroes over the years. In Thanos (Brolin) they had a villain for the ages. At the same time, for the audience to be truly invested, the number of heroes had to be restricted to just a handful. At the end of Infinity War that handful would turn out to be the original Avengers. We were back to the start, with the people we loved, waiting for an absolution that may never come.
Hawkeye (Renner) and Ant-Man (Rudd) weren’t in Infinity War. So, it was gratifying to note that they had pretty plum roles this time around. As did Nebula (Gillan). Iron Man (Downey Jr), Captain America (Evans), Thor (Hemsworth), Hulk (Ruffalo), Black Widow (Johansson) and Hawkeye (Renner) lead the fightback, with a few pals. But is it enough?
Endgame is divided into two parts. The first one ends in half an hour and we stare at the screen in disbelief. And then the most surprising letters appear on the screen. A sign that the Russos are up to the task of upending our expectations and theories. And that is precisely why this movie goes so high up in this list.
And then begins the fan service. I do not mean it in a derogatory sense, by the way. Fan service, when done right, is the reason fans exist. The plot smartly adds in sequences from various movies over the past eleven years and some new ones also. There are some hilarious dialogues and some really touching homages. America’s ass, anyone? You can’t have an entire movie on nostalgia, so things do go wrong. You do get the feeling that plot points were manufactured rather than formed in someone’s imagination. But you don’t care because it is so much fun.
The final battle is remarkable for being unremarkable. It doesn’t reach Lord of the Rings level, but instead every action is a call to the crowd to cheer. There is a hilariously silly plot point where an important item is being transferred to a part of the battle field. It becomes an excuse to showcase all the heroes. A relay that just doesn’t reach the end. There is a scene where the baton is taken by all the women. While it was fun in Infinity War, here it is actually irritating and proves how misogynistic the Marvel Universe is.
The supporting cast did their job admirably. Especially the ones that were thrown into the limelight like Karen Gillan and Paul Rudd. We have to pause and admire Josh Brolin for once. Despite being mostly CGI and motion capture he still managed to hold his own. We are convinced that the only way to beat him was all the heroes getting together. His voice has such gravitas that it almost needed another credit on its own.
The movie falls another spot because of too little Samuel L Jackson. Nick Fury is the reason these guys came together. He should have shown up at least in flashback scenes.
At the end it was all about the old guard. Sure, some of them will have sequels coming after this, but nothing like this. Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner will be with us, whether we go to Budapest or not. Mark Ruffalo will continue to be the fan favourite Hulk. Chris Hemsworth proves he can charm the living daylights out of anyone, dad bod or not! Endgame misses the third spot because they made Chris Evans shave. It is a truth universally acknowledged since Neanderthal times that a good beard is all the adornment a man needs! And there never will be a doubt that Robert Downey Jr is the living, beating heart of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
It has only been 11 years since Iron Man came out. But it seems the journey was much longer. Endgame is not the last movie in the MCU. There will be more movies; some better, some worse. But that will be a journey I may or may not take. I wouldn’t want to have lived in an era when Sachin Tendulkar didn’t play cricket. I wouldn’t want to have not have experienced the Marvel journey in real time.
Stan Lee cameo: Thank you Stan, for all the memories. Though not particularly memorable, we get to see a de-aged Lee driving away to the distance, a babe by his side.
Post-credits scene: This is supposed to be the end. How can you have another scene? Well, it invites you to listen and not watch. Brilliant. (PS: Marvel cheated and re-released Endgame just so it could beat Avatar in gross box office. They apparently added a couple of silly scenes. Thankfully, I didn’t see it.)
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