First of all, do a Dukie a solid and check out the podcast we recorded seconds after stepping out of the movie:
https://soundcloud.com/jason-evans-151762463
The pod and my comments here will be
100% spoiler-free. I saw this movie without knowing what was going to happen and you should too.
I want to start by praising the courage of Kevin Feigie and the folks at Marvel for making this movie. The story they tell is an incredibly audacious one and if they had not pulled it off just right it could have been an utter disaster. But, by taking risks and trusting the audience they have pulled off something truly spectacular. I know part of this next statement is the fact that I am still deconstructing the film in my head and that I am suffering from some recency bias, but I think this may be the best sci-fi action movie I have ever seen.
It is important to note that the movie requires you to be more than just passingly familiar with the MCU. There are callbacks and references to characters and events that touch on at least 16 or 18 of the previous MCU films. In many ways, this is not the conclusion of the Infinity War saga, it feels like an end to everything Marvel has done in the previous 21 movies. The dudes who came up with this story deserve a medal!
Part of the courage it took to make this flick comes in the fact that they do not waste time with exposition bombs or other ways of holding the audience's hand. They count on you to follow what is going on and why it is meaningful. They had to do it that way because there is a ton ton ton of stuff to fit into this story. The movie is 3-hours long but is not at all bloated. There were one or two small scenes in the first half that might have been trimmed, but there is no way I could see making this film anything less than 2:45 in running time and the film never drags. The screening for critics was at 1pm and, in order to get off my real work job in time to make it to the screening I had to wake up at 4am today. I was sure that sitting in a darkened theater for 3 hours would result in me falling asleep at some point. Well, I never came close to nodding off. I was riveted to the screen for the entire duration.
One final note -- this is not a traditional comic book movie. The first two hours are sorta a heist film but there is very little action. In fact, the first 2 hours feel more like a straight emotional drama (and several scenes pack a real wallop). Then, they completely turn it on its head in the last hour, going with a stunning action set piece that lasts for at least 45 minutes and leaves you slack-jawed over and over again. I am not someone who ordinarily sees movies twice in theaters but I cannot wait to see Endgame again. The final hour is magnificent and powerful with moment after moment that had the entire theater gasping and cheering.
If you like comic book movies, if you have seen more than half of the MCU, go see it... heck go see it twice. The folks at Marvel deserve to make all the money this summer for their remarkable conclusion to the most successful franchise in cinematic history.
-Jason "in the next 24 hours I am going to start a spoiler thread because I cannot wait to talk about some of the amazing stuff that happens in the film with all of y'all" Evans