Last night, Avengers: Endgame finally had its world premiere in Los Angeles. And in the hours that followed, social media saw a wave of glowing responses from viewers praising the film as an epic conclusion to the MCU’s first era.
Now that the review embargo has lifted though, we can see how this positive buzz translates into full-length opinions. And sure enough, the consensus is that co-directors Anthony and Joe Russo have delivered an ambitious and engrossing love letter to a decade of superhero cinema that may even live up to the ridiculous levels of hype that it’s had to contend with.
Here’s just a sampling of what the critics are saying:
THR:
A gargantuan film by any standard, this three-hour extravaganza shuffles back into the action numerous significant characters seen in recent Marvel films as it wraps up an epic story in which the survival of the known universe is (once again) at stake. While constantly eventful and a feast for the eyes, it’s also notably more somber than its predecessors. But just when it might seem about to become too grim, Robert Downey Jr. rides to the rescue with an inspired serio-comic performance that reminds you how good he can be.
The Marvel experiment continues apace, with many (mostly untitled) new editions on the docket, and Endgame will make more than enough money to justify them. But it’s hard to know if the series will ever be able to replicate the peculiar magic of this movie’s finale, which had me realizing with a jolt, over and over again, how much I cared about the lives of these loud, wisecracking, CGI-bedazzled champions. The newer arrivals to the franchise, folks like Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), are similarly lovable, but who knows if the formula of “heroes assembling again and again until their contract options run out” can be repeated forever. All I know is that Thanos’s demand for a dramatic ending in Infinity War pays off here in all the right ways. The Avengers, as a concept, probably won’t be going anywhere, but Endgame still feels like a proper goodbye.
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.
Terms like masterpiece and game-changer are often thrown around a bit hastily, but not on this occasion. If this review was a little on the vague side, there’s a very good reason: you need to experience Endgame knowing as little as possible. I left my screening with tears in my eyes and a smile on my face, and so did most of the people I saw it with. I’m not one for hyperbole, but this truly was a one-of-a-kind cinematic experience, and my new favorite superhero movie. I think it might end up being yours, too.
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.
The action is fun and energizing, particularly a climactic sequence that leans so heavily into fan service you have no choice but to throw up your hands and go along with it. But Endgame really shines when it foregoes the blockbuster moments for emotional punch. Because after ten years of following these characters, that emotion is earned.
“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 sill 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. The story, which involves time travel, allows for some greatest-hits nostalgic flourishes, and the denouement is like the encore at the big concert when all the musicians come out and link arms and sing something like “Will the Circle Be Unbroken.” You didn’t think it would get to you, but it does.
While the critical reception doesn’t always match the opinion of the general public, all signs indicate that the Avengers: Infinity War sequel will be going down a storm when it comes out in a few days from now. In fact, just last month, Joe Russo made the bold claim to Box Office Pro that Endgame had one of the best test audience responses of any MCU movie to date.
Meanwhile, the film’s phenomenal pre-sales and record-breaking box office projections should tell you all you need to know about the current anticipation levels for this week’s release. Domestically, Endgame is expected take upwards of $260 million on its opening weekend, and may even hit the $300 million mark. And over in China, where the feature has just opened, the movie has managed to smash the previews record held by The Fate of the Furious, grossing an estimated $20 million from midnight screenings alone.
In short, things are looking very promising for Avengers: Endgame right now, but we’ll find out if filmgoers are as taken with the movie as the critics are when it arrives in theaters on April 26th.