Marvel Archives - RipCordless

I’ve seen Avengers Endgame twice since its release and though I enjoyed the experience, I just don’t believe it was the perfect conclusion to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) everyone is claiming. Truth be told, when compared to Avengers Infinity War, Endgame doesn’t quite match up — and there are some very specific reasons. Fair warning: spoilers ahead.

The tone of Endgame begins right where Infinity War left off with the remaining Avengers reeling from the loss of the friends and colleagues. In fact, the entire world (read: universe) is suffering. Stark is adrift, Thor is cloaked in bitterness, while Thanos is injured but content in the results of his madness. The Avengers exact almost immediate revenge on Thanos but the chance to possess the stones and reset the slip through their grasp with the death of The Mad Titan. After this grim beginning, all seems lost but the story shifts on a rather random happenstance and thus begins some mild disappointment at the remaining viewing experience.

The gritty story veers sharply into a set of subplots which seemed more grounded in fan service and comedy than story development. The numerous shifts in timeline combined with an homage to past Avenger personalities was, at times, elegant and a nice tribute to the franchise but seemed to distract from the somber fact half of all life in the universe had been snuffed out — which is why I just don’t believe it did any justice to the Infinity War storyline. Please don’t misread my intent, the film continued the tradition of having a spectacular production value, with actors who know every nuance of their respective roles, and it was a joy to see one last film celebrating this ensemble cast. However, like so many times before, it could have been much better.

The plot rounded nicely into Thanos’ discovery of the Avengers attempt to stop, prevent, or rectify (the paradox of time travel can be so confusing) The Snap which culminated with a massive battle for control of the Infinity Stones. Unfortunately, the fight of this proportion seemed all too brief, was filled with forced moments of significance (you know what I’m talking about), and ends with a sacrifice of epic proportion.

The film concluded with some very dead Avengers, a passing of torch (retiring other Avengers) and a feeling of completion. When the dust cleared, I found the viewing experience to be slightly too long (3 hours, 1 minute) but worth seeing in the theater. From where I sit, Avengers Endgame earns a RipRating of 8/10 (Infinity War was 9/10). Not as good as Infinity War but one helluva ride.

As a postscript to my review, I wish Captain Marvel had been used more in Endgame. Her arrival, heralded by the cryptic pager at the end of Infinity War, promised a substantial remedy to Thanos’ power but sadly she seemed to be an afterthought. Additionally, I wasn’t impressed with the transformation Thor to a fat, giggling Avenger with PTSD and a drinking problem — it just shat upon arguably the second most powerful Avenger (after Captain Marvel) and tainted his unflappable reputation. On the other hand, it certainly provided a vector for him to join what was left of the Guardians of the Galaxy team.

It’s official. I’ve had enough. Been there, done that, got the proverbial t-shirt and now I see why Avengers: Age of Ultron only managed a paltry 74% (Critics Score) on Rotten Tomatoes.

The first Avengers film was a thoroughly enjoyable experience with a tight plot, consummate acting, mixed with plenty of top-shelf CGI for a sweetener. It combined to make a memorable viewing experience and the Blu-ray still holds a place of prestige in my extremely limited collection. I was unsure what to make of Avengers 2 but must have felt a negative vibe because I wasn’t in a rush to see it. In fact, the film has been out for a couple of months and I just took in the theater experience for the first time. So much for a timely entrance.

Avengers: Age of Ultron saw all the classic heroes reunite for one more action-packed wash-rinse-repeat adventure from Marvel’s production factory — and one more plot crafted from the creative and brilliant mind of Joss Whedon. Except it wasn’t.

Brilliant, that is, which is kind of a bummer.

Perhaps it’s me. Perhaps I’m over the standard superhero diet of explosions, collapsed building, near-miss collateral damage, and saving the world at the last second. In recent memory, the general viewing audience has been treated to three runs with Ironman (each worse than the one before), has seen Thor whirl his hammer twice, Captain America has thrilled us with his wholesome stars-and-stripes work ethic in the past and present (the best of the lot, in my opinion), Spiderman’s spun a yarn or two, and we can even sprinkle in some Hulk, Black Widow, and Hawkeye for good measure. So, after viewing Avengers: Age of Ultron, I left the theater underwhelmed at yet another superhero flick — once again.

Yes, the film included a host of incredible actors, the CGI remained top-shelf (including amazing fight scenes, some new “enhanced” character effects) but it just wasn’t enough make me want to return for more. Why? The plot was a touch unfocused at times and I just felt as if I’d seen this all before. If you want to distill this film down to its basic components think about the first Avengers film, change the bad guys, include a rather lengthy fight scene against multiple enemies in a public setting and job done. Sound familiar? It should.

What made Avengers 2 tedious is what actually led to a winning strategy for another recent release: Guardians of the Galaxy. Avengers was more of the same; Guardians was something brand spanking new, with vibrant characters, plenty of tongue-in-cheek moments, and Groot.

A moment of silence for Groot.

While I appreciate the production value of Avengers 2, I’d be stunned to find myself in another theater, paying those kind of prices, and dealing with a noisy-popcorn eater, to see something I’ve seen a handful of times. I understand working a story angle until the money runs out but this could be the beginning of the end for this all encompassing Marvel run. Word on the street is Marvel are even skipping San Diego Comic Con this year. Huh.

I would rate Avengers: Age of Ultron as a solid 6/10. A good, but not great film, probably worth theater viewing for the sweeping vistas, and grand menu of action but little else. I won’t be buying this one for the permanent collection.