Review: Avengers: Endgame

Image courtesy of Walt Disney Studios.

You'll have to forgive me for having approached "Avengers: Endgame" from a somewhat cynical standpoint. After all, the picture is the result of billions of dollars spent over a period of a decade to earn billions of dollars. The film's - for lack of a better phrase - endgame was to give the fans who have followed this series of Marvel films exactly what they want.

Also, after "Infinity War," which culminated with a cliffhanger that would clearly be resolved in the finale, I felt a little worn out of this entire universe, the very good "Black Panther" excluded. So, I'm pleased to report that "Endgame" is the best of the team films - that is, the ones with the word "Avengers" in it - since the 2012 original and, perhaps, even better than that one.

Yes, it's still a massive marketing ploy that has reaped a ton of money over the past few years - and will likely continue to reap more as the spinoffs continue. But "Endgame" included what some of the recent additions to the Avengers universe lacked - genuine heart and actual consequences for some of its characters.

It also helps that "Endgame" has assembled one of the most preposterously great casts in recent memory - Robert Downey Jr., Chadwick Boseman, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner, Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Brie Larson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Scarlett Johansson, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Redford, Michael Douglas, Paul Rudd, Don Cheadle, Anthony Mackie, Tom Holland, Josh Brolin, Zoe Saldana, Chris Pratt, Dave Bautista, Rene Russo, Michelle Pfeiffer, Tessa Thompson, Elizabeth Olsen, Tom Hiddleston, John Slattery, Jon Favreau, Gwyneth Paltrow, Natalie Portman, Marisa Tomei, Angela Bassett, Linda Cardellini, William Hurt and the voices of Vin Diesel and Bradley Cooper.

In this case, too many cooks doesn't quite spoil the broth, even if the meal lasts a little too long - a whopping three hours. "Endgame" picks up shortly after the events of "Infinity War" - with half of the Earth's population gone and the Avengers looking to reverse the course set by Thanos (Brolin). I won't try to get into the science behind the so-called heist driving the plot, but Rudd's Scott Lang and Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark concoct a plan involving a time machine in which the characters can reclaim the powerful stones that Thanos used to kill everyone off last time.

Indeed, the plot of "Endgame" is a bit contrived, but it's the interactions between the numerous characters that makes it count for something. Downey Jr., a great actor who has done little but star in superhero movies for the past decade, finally gets the payoff his character deserves. He's quite good. Evans lends the film its gravitas, Renner's Hawkeye gets more characterization than he previously did in other "Avengers" films, Ruffalo's Bruce Banner/Hulk gets a nice twist to his character and Hemsworth provides some surprising comic relief. Rudd balances pathos with humor.

This is the most blockbusterish blockbuster of all time. It's loaded with characters from numerous other films, it includes a bevy of action sequences (I'll admit, I've long lost interest in numerous digital images waging war on vast fields of battle) and more than a few throwbacks to previous Marvel movies. There are a few genuine surprises - a rare thing for a summer blockbuster - and a few emotional sequences that feel earned. I predict there will be many more Marvel movies for years to come, considering that they continue to turn massive profits, but "Endgame" is a nice way to round out this particular series of characters.