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[tab title="Movie Review"]
Eleven years ago, I snorted derisively at the audacity of the newly minted Marvel Studios plans. Without a single hit to their name, a grand plan had been hatched: they would release a litany of films, starring their various characters (that they still had the rights to) and combine them into an all encompassing universe, where anything was possible.
Needless to say, they quickly unleashed one of the most formidable (and consistently entertaining) series of movies in cinematic history. With no real specific number announced back in the day, unofficial phrases like ‘phases’, ever expanding characters, an unending supply of talented performers and directors, and rights re-acquisitions, Marvel has finally reached the culmination of this unparalleled magnum opus, with their 22nd entry.
So this is it; the Granddaddy pay-off to an unequaled number of quality flicks. Did Marvel’s chief guide Kevin Feige and the Russo brothers deliver a worthy end?
Avengers: Endgame quickly picks up where Infinity War left off. All the surviving heroes are defeated, deflated, and having to cope with the knowledge that their failure to stop Thanos has been costly and is unchangeable. Earth, along with the rest of the universe, has lost half the living to ‘the dusting’, and our planet is a very different place in the following years. Some of the Avengers try to endure, move on and live their lives, others don’t do so well, but all share in a yearning to claw back what they lost. One of our heroes happened to have been in a different plain of existence when Thanos snapped his gauntlet. Five years later, this hero reappears in this darker world, with a spark of hope that will serve to reunite the surviving Avengers and attempt to right some wrongs. {googleads}
That, in essence, is the crux of the film. This is a LONG movie, clocking in at just over three hours. There are so many threads, twists, surprises, setbacks, and callbacks to other movies, it’s impressive how tightly and effectively this final touch to the Marvel rug ends up being. It is also perhaps its only unavoidable sticking point. This is a true love letter to those who have passionately followed every, single, entry (of which this reviewer is proud to say he is one). But if you haven’t kept abreast of each new film and committed to memory the minutia and details of 21 films, there are some significant developments that are interwoven into this film’s plot that might slow the pacing or completely go over your head. It is a masterful reward for those who have been steeped in the MCU.
This is not to say that the casual or benign viewer isn’t going to be rewarded--far from it. The last hour of this film had the greatest superhero mash-up/battle ever committed to the screen. For those that have pined for the splash pages of comic books to be rendered real, it is delivered in the most spine-tingling, hair-raising spectacle possible. It is eye-watering, blood-pumping, raise-out-of-your-seat-cheering perfection.
The film also will tug at your heartstrings. There are some beautiful character reunions, the completion of long standing and well-earned arcs. There are constant surprises, and, yes, there are some losses. This is not Game Of Thrones, and anything within a comic book story, especially when it comes to death, can be ret conned. All I will say is that there is a sense of finality to some characters’ journeys and everything from their final moments, to the way the credits are handled, tells me we will never see this incarnation in its totality again.
The only spoiler, I will allow proffer is: There are no credit sequences.
Endgame is THE END of this era. Just as in life, the MCU will go on. Some things will remain, some things will be missed. But what is undeniable is that this series of films has been resoundingly put to bed in an impossibly impressive and satisfying way.
Did they give us an ending worthy of the series? YES. YES. YES.
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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]
Blu-ray Details:
Home Video Distributor: Buena Vista
Available on Blu-ray - August 13, 2019
Screen Formats: 2.39:1
Subtitles: English SDH, French, Spanish
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1; French: Dolby Digital 5.1; Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; two disc set
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
Disney/Marvel goes all in with a cracking good Blu-ray + Digital Code edition that will delight fans long after the effects of the "snap heard round the world" are forgotten.
The release comes in a blue eco-case wrapped in a beautiful foil-printed cardboard slipcover that holds numerous goodies inside. In addition to the sparkling 1080p (2.39:1) transfer, we get a disc full of extras that include an audio commentary, some deleted scenes, a gag reel and a handful of fascinating featurettes.
Also included is a sheet with digital code redemption information. Notable to mention is the exclusive Digital Bonus offer that comes included with your Avengers: Endgame Digital Movie Code: Steve and Peggy: One Last Dance that allows you to explore Captain America and Peggy Carter's bond that led to a momentous choice in Endgame.
Video
As expected, there's not very much to complain about with the 1080p 2.39:1 transfer. In fact, this whole thing is handled adequately with clean crisp visuals throughout that rarely falter. It is everything you would expect from a release of this magnitude. Blacks are VERY black, but the dimly lit scenes are never too dark, while colors are always bright and vivid. The CGI effects are undoubtedly the star of the show here, and as handled in the transfer, they never disappoint. Just fast forward to the battle scene at the 2-hour mark to see what your system's got.
Audio
The release really comes to life on the audio side with a 7.1 DTS-HDMA audio track that will shake the walls and rattle the windows of your viewing space. However, the dialogue, which works mainly center and just off-center, never gets lost in the melee. Included on the release are a 2.0 Descriptive Audio track, as well as Spanish and a French 5.1 Dolby Digital Language tracks. Plug the disc in, crank it up, and enjoy the ride. Sadly, there isn't a Dolby Atmos track included on the blu-ray disc. You'll have to buy the 4K UHD release for that.
Supplements:
Commentary:
- • Directors Russo Brothers join screenwriters Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus for an interesting commentary
Special Features:
- • Disney/Marvel certainly didn't hold back on the attention paid to the bonus material on the disc which includes the movie with scene selection on Disc One, and the bulk of the bonus material on Disc Two. There is no DVD disc included in the package.
- • Remembering Stan Lee (07:15) - Stan Lee talks about what it means to him to see his dream come true on the big screen. The joy in the feature is seeing all the Stan Lee cameos as well as seeing the Marvel creator's personality come though in the interviews. This feature is the best of the bunch.
- • Setting the Tone: Casting Robert Downey Jr. (05:25) - Cast and crew go back to 2007 and speak to the significance of Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) and Iron Man who started it all.
- • A Man Out of Time: Creating Captain America (12:18) - Cast and crew join discussions about the importance of Steve Rogers (Captain America) to the Marvel Cinematic Universe where the notion of a superhero was born.
- • Black Widow: Whatever It Takes (07:25) – Scarlett Johansson sits down and talks about what it means to play the Black Widow character. The discussion also gets into the complexities of the character's evolution.
- • The Russo Brothers: Journey to Endgame (05:01) - Producers, cast, and crew wax poetic about what The Russo Brothers have meant to the development of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Also explored are the complexities of filming the two Avenger films back-to-back. Joe and Anthony both sit for the interview.
- • The Women of the MCU (04:52) - A brief piece that gets into the importance of women in, not only the MCU, but in the entire film industry in general.
- • Bro Thor (03:42) - How Chris Hemsworth became "The Dude" from The Big Lebowski
- • Deleted Scenes - Six scenes that didn't make the final cut.
- • Gag Reel (01:58 - The typical reel of cut-ups and shenanigans on the set. It's always nice to see the other side of our favorite actors.
Blu-ray Rating:
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[tab title="Details"]
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and some language.
Runtime: 181 mins
Director: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Writer: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely
Cast: Brie Larson, Linda Cardellini, Scarlett Johansson
Genre: Action | Adeventure
Tagline: Avenge the fallen.
Memorable Movie Quote: "Some people move on. But not us... Not us."
Theatrical Distributor: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
Official Site: https://movies.disney.com/avengers-endgame
Release Date: April 26, 2019
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: August 13, 2019.
Synopsis: The grave course of events set in motion by Thanos that wiped out half the universe and fractured the Avengers ranks compels the remaining Avengers to take one final stand in Marvel Studios’ grand conclusion to twenty-two films, “Avengers: Endgame.”
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