I am going to just cut to the chase and say it. Avengers: Endgame is a good movie, but it’s no Infinity War, and that may disappoint some fans that have been on this ten year journey with the MCU. Don’t get me wrong, there are some truly epic scenes in this movie, and the end battle is more than worth the price of admission, but the middle of the movie just drags at times. And this movie will definitely be divisive among fans, and it is probably the most controversial movie in all of the MCU’s history.

In Avengers: Infinity, Thanos achieved his ultimate goal by collecting all six Infinity Stones and then with a snap of his fingers, he wiped out half of the existence in the universe. This left the surviving Avengers contemplating their defeat, but still hopeful that they may be able to change things. Is there a way to stop Thanos and bring back those that were lost to the decimation? Well, there wouldn’t be a movie if there wasn’t one. But for now, I’ll just leave it at that and let you enjoy the journey for yourself.

First, the good. Every single cast member gives a stellar performance. Well, maybe one or two I wasn’t crazy about. But considering the size of the cast, that is really impressive. And I will say that some performances in Endgame are their best performances ever in an MCU movie. And some characters and actors that I was not much of a fan of in previous films, really redeemed themselves for me in this movie.

This movie focuses on the core six Avengers for the most part. We started this journey with Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye, and in Endgame, they get the most screen time and all of their stories kind of wrap up nicely in this one. Most of them. I was concerned that Captain Marvel was going to have way too much screen time in this movie, but for the most part, she is barely in it. But for the scenes that she is in, Brie Larson does a fantastic job, and I like this Captain Marvel so much more than in her own movie. She played her just right. She is pretty overpowered, but also vulnerable at times.

This is both Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans’ finest performances. I could watch these two forever on screen. It is truly amazing how both of these actors really brought the characters of Iron Man and Captain America to life for us and took them to levels we never expected them to achieve. Both Downey and Evans have each grown into their characters through each performance, and with this being the final chapter for our heroes, who knows if we will ever see them again. I really hope so.

The end battle in Endgame is really like nothing you have ever seen before in an MCU film. It is right up there with some of the most epic battles in The Lord Of The Rings series. Some of these moments in the last twenty minutes of the film seem like they were ripped right out of a comic book. At times, it is truly mind blowing. And so much is going on the screen at once, it is hard to sink everything in. I was waiting for some really shocking moments, and this is where you will find them, and many times at that. My audience was fairly quiet through most of the movie, but they erupted during the climax. And if you do not get chills during one particular scene, you may want to check your pulse.

Now, the bad. Avengers: Infinity War did almost everything better than Endgame. It was a better story. The movie flowed better. It had more mind blowing moments. I really can’t think of a single scene in Infinity War that should have been cut. Endgame just feels at times that it is taking forever. And let’s face it, it’s not very original. I’m not going to spoil anything, but it should be obvious as to what is going on from the trailers and TV spots exactly what their plan might be to make things right. A perfect analogy would be that Infinity War is Back To The Future and Endgame is Back To The Future Part Two. Which Back To The Future did you prefer? Yeah, that’s how you are going to feel about Endgame. Some of the humor is good, as always, but some jokes do not hit the mark at all.

My favorite part of Infinity War was Josh Brolin’s performance as Thanos. Thanos was not a cookie cutter villain and The Russo Brothers made the character so complex that you could not help but sympathize with him at times. You did not want to see his plan come to fruition, but he was not truly evil and he really believed he had good intentions for the inhabitants of the universe. That Thanos from Infinity War does not exist in this movie. I felt nothing for Thanos this time around. Thanos was lacking the heart and personality that made him a memorable character in Infinity War. And if the villain doesn’t work, it usually hurts the film overall.

There are a lot of shocking things that occur in this movie. All I will say is that most fans will be really happy about some, sad about others, and will question the logic of the story going the way it did for a lot of the decisions that were made. That may be the biggest problem for Endgame. When Endgame is all said and done, it leaves you with so many questions. Some that will never be answered, and each time you see the movie, you will be reminded that something may not be sitting right with you. Some fans may have problems with how The Russo Brothers decided to tie everything up in the end for specific characters. I don’t think it will be as divisive as The Last Jedi, but some choices made to the story are going to upset some for sure.

Just a heads up. There are NO end credits in Endgame. So just go home after you see the actors literally sign off and give their signatures to their characters in the first few minutes of the closing credits. Stan Lee does make a cameo in the movie, but it is a shame that they did not use the opening Marvel Studios logo that was dedicated to Stan lee that they used in Captain Marvel. Also, with a three hour run time, make sure you take your bathroom break right before the movie starts. Even if you think you are good, trust me, go anyway. You don’t want to miss any of this movie, especially the last forty minutes of the film.

The title says it all. This is the Endgame. Literally. This journey began with Iron Man and now concludes with Endgame. I wish it was as memorable and enjoyable as Infinity War for me, but it just wasn’t. Going forward into phase four, we have no idea what Marvel has planned for the MCU and its fans. We can only hope that the future MCU movies are as successful as those movies that started it all. Endgame may not be perfect, but it should still be a satisfying last chapter for most Marvel fans.

I give “Avengers: Endgame” an 8/10.