Is "Avengers: End Game" Worth The Price of Admission? (Movie Review)

Post date: May 21, 2019 1:03:33 AM

By: Andrew Davis, Entertainment Editor

Posted May 20th, 2019

For the last 10 plus years, the Comic Book Studio, Marvel, has been crafting a narrative of superheroes including Iron Man, Captain America, the Incredible Hulk, Thor, Dr. Strange, and a multitude of others as they fight battles against numerous villains. Although these stories often operated separately of one another, one threat loomed over all, an extremely powerful godlike being named Thanos. Last year, we witnessed the rise of Thanos as he captured several stones that could wield the power of the universe. We saw the destruction of half of the population, and we witnessed all hope leave the heroes we have known. This Spring, the movie “End Game” was released as an extension to this story. “End Game” functions as a redemption story that moves from the brink of loneliness and despair to a historic victory through the cooperation of what remains of the Avengers.

One of the most important aspects of any narrative is character development, which “End Game” has in spades. Over the three hour show time, the audience relates with a narcissistic billionaire, laughs at an ineptly gluttonous god, and is empowered by the sacrifices made by a mechanic AI. This storytelling is so profound due to the large surplus of material that has been accrued over the past decade. Every character feels not only like a hero, but like a person. It is these human qualities that draw the viewer in and make it feel relatable. However, due to the dependence on past films for sourcing, the movie is not very watchable to those that have not seen the previous films. It is important to have the prior knowledge of the Marvel Cinematic Universe before going in.

One of the largest disservices this movie does is to the villain: Thanos. The film takes what had been an ominous, terrifying, unstoppable force and severely weakens his abilities with the progression of the plot. This essentially damages the central conflict of the movie and makes it more about the internal struggles of the individuals rather than the collective concern of all humanity. Despite this fact, the movie still entertains and leaves the viewer deeply satisfied, albeit for different reasons than those expected upon entering the movie.

In conclusion, I would recommend watching “End Game,” especially if you have seen most of the other Marvel movies. It’s not perfect, but it will undoubtedly satisfy, and that’s the ultimate purpose of Cinema. In terms of a rating, I would give “End Game” a 6.5/10