To paraphrase Commando... this was the last time. Until next time? Well I'd hardly say no chance since Marvel Studios has however many decades of material lined up, but this really is an ending of sorts. Not to the entire franchise, but a nice satisfying conclusion to just about everything from Iron Man in 2008 up to now. It's also a three hour movie about heroes dealing with loss, heroes having their resolves tested and of course heroes making quips and punching things. It's certainly an action packed bonanza of epic proportions that will leave fans satisfied, but at the same time it's a monolithic film with a lot of shifts in tone and a lot of characters to cover. Like the previous chapter in the story it's one big balancing act, and with a few exceptions it generally succeeds.
The opening of the story lays out the tonal differences the movie will be dealing with, as Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) and Nebula (Karen Gillan) find themselves marooned in space after the climax of their last ill fated battle. It deftly jumps from lighter character beats to darker moments as they try to get along while realising their supplies will be gone very quickly if they don't get home. Of course help does soon arrive and things move along at a rapid pace, which in a nutshell also highlights the way the film will be playing out. To nobody's surprise the heroes figure out a way to solve the most troubling challenges they've ever faced. A few brief instances feel a little too much like deus-ex machina last minute saves, but elsewhere a lot of the results feel earned.
The gargantuan running time allows for a lot of first act downtime elsewhere as the remaining Avengers team members find themselves trying to move on, some with more success than others. After a five year time jump they've apparently ignored the ramifications of accords and restrictions, as Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) tries to find purpose for herself and her remaining allies. There may be a distinct separation between jokey scenes and those with more introspection, but it's enjoyable as ever to see these guys in new battles outside all the gunfire and explosions. Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is certainly the epitome of this situation as both a tragic and comic figure when his life in 'New Asgard' is revealed to be anything but regal.
The first hour or so of the story is certainly a 'getting the band back together' type of situation as the plot catches up with everyone after their big defeat. However the second act is all about new schemes and rescue plans as a glimmer of hope appears, from the unlikeliest of places. Their initial idea is an ill advised reactionary plan of attack, while this later quest is certainly grander -- and certainly more convoluted. Which is also more fun of course, particularly during set pieces that tick as many fan service boxes and possible and make as many call backs as they can. Like Infinity War this is not a film for newcomers... but at this stage it goes without saying. If you're wondering what happened to your favourite secondary comic relief characters or wanted to see new team ups nobody ever thought possible just a few years ago, this is the one for you.
The middle of the story is also the film's biggest problem, purely in terms of pacing and overall momentum. As usual the heroes have to split up into different teams to figure out if saving the day is even possible, but it does get a bit bogged down with so many separate threads. If the opening is mostly character drama and the ending is mostly action, this part is a lot of hopping back and forth between locations. It never entirely breaks under the weight of itself, but it's often pretty convoluted and baggy. But despite these caveats it manages to maintain both a certain amount of levity and a lot of melancholy emotional notes that are pleasantly explored in just enough detail. The film makers do still have that knack for ensemble chemistry after all, although there are a considerable number of players in different scenarios.
Taken on their own merits each scene has something to like, and fans of Bruce Banner, Clint Barton and Scott Lang will find plenty to enjoy. In a lot of ways this is still the Iron Man and Captain America show at the core, but everyone bounces off one another whether it's during silly banter or bombastic action. Like the third Lord of The Rings chapter this is a film which I guess has earned a few extended battle scenes and a few extra epilogues. They save a lot of this up for the big eye melting finale which at times does resemble a super charged version of the previous Wakanda vs Space Invaders ending, but what can you do. At this stage the line is blurred at between pure spectacle and pure fan service, but there are not many more stops they could have pulled out.
There's less Thanos (Josh Brolin) this time around but that's also okay as this is more of a last hurrah for the original team line up that anything. What else was anyone expecting? It's a massive action spectacle, but it's also a story about the good guys picking themselves up and figuring out if they're in any shape to help. The visual effects are still often beautiful, the score by Alan Silvestri still gets the heart racing, most of the jokes land and most of the punches are impactful. Some of the stuff is just incredibly silly in a typical Marvel way, but it's not the kind of ham-fisted comedy found in Ant-Man and the Wasp. Without spoiling a single thing it might add a few ideas that toy with the plausibility of it all and there's also a lot of wacky antics and techno-babble... but as a genuine finale it's forgivable.
The narrative might be a little bloated but elsewhere it's all very polished and it's sometimes surprisingly dramatic even by the standards of this series at its best. Despite the formulaic nature of the whole thing it still has a few tricks up its sleeve, and a few new twists and turns that ensure it's never too predictable. In some ways yes it's another film about team work in the face of mild peril, but in others it's about grief, optimism and heroic choices. It's sometimes unwieldy and certainly feels like a three hour film in comparison to the prior instalment, but for a decade long series to have a conclusion of any kind this fulfilling is pretty impressive.
4/5
