I remember seeing the original Iron Man in theaters and being blown away by the movie. Its story was captivating, and the characters were cast with perfection. Then something extraordinary happened, the first post-credit scene ran. And I remember the chill that ran down my spine. Eleven years ago that scene teased a future movie, The Avengers. But even with that first mention of what was to come, I never expected what would unfold before me. It took a while for the depth of this saga to unfold. But when the credits of Infinity War began to roll, my heart yearned for the then-untitled fourth Avengers film to arrive. It was fortunate that the wait wasn’t too long. But after twenty-one movies in the what has become known as the Infinity Saga. I couldn’t help but wonder how Marvel Studios would manage to tie everything together. And after walking out of the theater on the 27th, the answer was simple. All they needed to do was release Avengers: Endgame.
Over the past few months as I waited for the movie’s premiere. I sought and devoured every fan theory around the internet. And with each teaser and theory, I tried to form a picture of what Endgame might be. When I’m invested in a story, there are times when I cannot stop trying to find the answers early. Despite all the rumors on the web, the events that unfolded on the screen blindsided me every step of the way. And all the credit belongs to Marvel Studios. The secrecy that surrounded this movie was out of this world. After watching the movie, I wanted to applaud them for using every trick they could to keep the ending from escaping.
Under normal circumstances, when anything receives as much hype as Endgame, it falls flat on its face. But somehow instead of collapsing under that pressure. Endgame shouldered the hype and came out on the other side having managed to exceed all the hyped expectations.
I bought my tickets almost two weeks in advance, and I can say that I was lucky to get those tickets. But when my daughter and I went to the theater on the 27th, my excitation was bubbling over. Since we wanted to ensure that we managed to get good seats, we arrived a good hour early. Yet we still walked into a crowded theater. We did locate a pair of seats in the middle of the theater, and so we claimed them, and we sat down to wait forty-five minutes before the previews ran. Then we waited patiently as the previews ran their course. And finally, the movie so many people have waited for started to unfold.
The first thing I want to say about the movie is its runtime. Yes, Avengers: Endgame is three hours long. But the film managed to capture my attention from the first scene to the end of the credits. And at no point did I ever feel the need to glance down at my watch to find out how long I’d been in the theater. And unfortunately, I’ve been to shorter films where my watch was the most captivating thing on display. But during Endgame there wasn’t a single scene where the length of the movie bore down on me. The directors managed to weave each of the surviving character’s stories into the movie’s central arc masterfully. Instead of detracting from the film each character’s personal arc served to amplify the film’s resonance. Drawing me further into Endgame’s compelling tale.
To paraphrase Tony Stark’s words every journey has its ending. This movie was quite simply the best possible conclusion to the Infinity Saga Marvel could have produced. This peak was a long time coming, and worthy of the wait. And now that we’re standing at the summit we can shift our eyes away from the journey towards the future. As I stare off into that unknown, I wonder what the next saga will be and if Marvel will ever achieve this kind of resonance again. But whether they do or not; I’m going to enjoy this journey for years to come, and I will always remember the experience.