Hello everybody! Welcome to MC Tuesday, where we watch a movie from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Well, we’re finally here. A journey that started over a decade ago comes to a conclusion in a HUGE way. That’s right folks, we are to talking Avengers: Endgame. This movie puts a giant bow on a phase of the franchise that gave us the most formidable opponent to date, Thanos (Josh Brolin).
The movie was directed by the Russo brothers. I tell you what, when it comes to brothers, there’s The Mario Bros.,the Jonas Brothers, and the Russo Brothers. Anthony and Joe Russo directed every Avengers movie in the franchise and none of them sucked.
Before I discuss the movie, I want to discuss some “in real life” stuff surrounding the movie. Let’s do it!
Spoilers, Shaming, and Society
People have been waiting for this movie ever since the snap that ruined all of our lives. The movie’s advanced screening was on a Thursday. From that day forward, you pretty much had to go off the grid until you saw the movie. Otherwise, you were vulnerable to an onslaught of posts, memes, and outright spoilers.
The popcorn was barely swept off the floor Thursday night before videos were on YouTube giving you “35 Easter Eggs You Missed in Endgame”, or “The Meaning of (insert spoiler here) in Endgame”. I saw the movie Saturday morning opening weekend. When I arrived home and started scrolling through Twitter, someone revealed a major spoiler in the movie.
Now, I do not condone violence. But I understand the urge to want to punch people in the face when they spoil a movie that even casual Marvel movie watchers were anticipating. I’ve come to terms that spoilers are here to stay. I learn the best way to avoid them is to stay off of social media.
Here’s something crazy that occurred in the media involving Thor. Let’s see if I can explain this without spoiling it. Thor changed in a pretty drastic way in the movie. Certain people were not happy with how Thor’s friends handled the change. They wrote op-eds about the reaction.
I’m going to need people to either be quiet, or get a sense of humor. I do not understand how these people enjoyed the movie. The change happened pretty early in the movie. That means the spent the rest of a 3 HOUR MOVIE thinking about this.
I think you have to pick your battles. Quentin Tarantino saying the N-word in Pulp Fiction, slight eyebrow raise but nothing to get worked up about. A white person saying the N-word a billion times in The Hateful Eights, unnecessary. My point is, we do not have to die on every hill people, especially that particular Thor hill.
The Quiet Parts
I like that Endgame really made us feel the gravity of the snap. They could’ve switched to Avenger-mode and I’m sure the movie would’ve been great. Instead, the heroes are forced to deal with the fact that they failed.
It was intense and emotional. I liked the juxtaposition of how Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) handled the aftermath, and how Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) handled it. They both suffered a great deal but retreated to opposite ends of the grief spectrum.
Time after time, the Avengers managed to save the world from annihilation. And we as the audience are there every time, applauding our heroes. I loved that we experience the sense of hopelessness and sadness with them, as opposed to glossing over that very humanizing moment.
The Loud Parts
When it’s time to shift into Avengers mode, the Russo Bros. and the writers gives us all the excitement and awesome action that we needed. It’s like they said, “we know we you’ve been on an emotional tailspin since the snap. Here’s a little treat!”. No description, or meme, or spoiler can capture the delight in watching the loud parts. I wasn’t ready, and the enemy definitely wasn’t ready!
And Then It’s Quiet Again
Just when we think the thrills will never end, we are brought right back down from our sugar high. Some of the stuff that happens is gloomy but necessary. And while you feel like it’s the end of an era, you know it’s the start of something new.
Overall
You guys, Endgame is so satisfying. This is especially true if you’ve watched the movies from the beginning. It was an exclamation point instead of a period. So where do we go from here?
I know a lot of people are screaming for a Marvel/X-Men movie. Me personally, I’d rather see high caliber X-Men movies before we start combining franchises. Unless they’re going to pull a Spiderman and just pretend like a lot of the X-Men movies didn’t exist. I’m not sure how forgiving geeks will be with that decision.
Wrapping It Up
Well, that’s if for MC Tuesday! Next time we talk Marvel will be Spider-Man: Far From Home. I wasn’t excited at first, but after the latest trailer, I’m looking forward to it.
Later this week is my review of Yu-No and a new TheList. I will see you later!
Couch Cruisin' 