Review – Avengers: Endgame – IMAX 3D – “An unmissable cinematic event”

Avengers: Endgame is written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (Captain America: Civil War), directed by Joe and Anthony Russo (Avengers: Infinity War) and stars Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America: The First Avenger), Chris Hemsworth (Thor: Ragnarok), Mark Ruffalo (Avengers: Age of Ultron), Scarlett Johansson (Avengers Assemble), Brie Larson (Captain Marvel), Tom Holland (Spider-Man: Homecoming) and, you know what, EVERYONE in the MCU and Stan Lee.

Possible minor spoilers ahead.

Three weeks after “the snap” — when Thanos turned half the population to dust in Infinity War — the Avengers are bolstered by the arrival of the mad powerful Captain Marvel (Larson), and set out to get him and put everything right. This does not go well and makes things worse.

Robbed of any hope and traumatised, everyone scatters. Five years later a new-new plan is hatched and our heroes assemble once more for another throw of the dice that gambles everything on an elaborate hilarious bittersweet and dangerous plan.

Avengers: Endgame is an outstanding achievement. It satisfyingly wraps things up and along the way constantly cashes in on the franchise’s incredibly deep lore and our affinity with the characters in ways that may put you through the emotional wringer but always feels in-keeping and provides a never-before kind of fan-service that is only possible with characters we have spent over a decade getting to know and love.

Endgame could have relied on Captain Marvel riding in to rectify things, but immediately tosses this in favour of every single MCU character playing to their strengths and working together instead. There are team-ups and zingers that are cute and delightful and scraps and sacrifices that will bring you to the edge of your seat as often as they bring you to the edge of tears. The physical and emotional responses Endgame can provoke is unparalleled and makes the film unlike any other blockbuster ever.

There are new shoots of what may come next, but Avengers: Endgame is most definitely first and foremost a final chapter. Under surely tremendous pressure the writers and the Russo’s have delivered a film that is a culmination of 22 previous works and an enormous celebration of everything and everyone that has gone before. There are shocks and tears and no take-backs but no matter how heart-wrenching some events are they feel perfect and true and right.

Shot in its entirety in IMAX Endgame is truly staggering in this bigger and better format. Extra height is added to the picture meaning that more of your peripheral vision is filled and everything feels even grander and more involving. The 3D adds a depth of field that makes you feel like your teetering on the edge of the void of space in cosmic scenes and that the odds and stakes are even higher in enormous and epic battle scenes.

Avengers: Endgame is an unmissable cinematic event. It is a popular culture milestone for a generation and the crowning glory of a series of films that have captured the hearts and imaginations of the entire world. Something like this may not ever occur for a very long time or ever again.

Avengers: Endgame is out now in the UK.