(SPOILER ALERT)
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I'm not a professional film reviewer, and so I don't really have to go by any of their rules or criteria when it comes to reviewing movies, and unlike them I tend to be generous with my ratings with movies that I like. That said, even I know that giving a movie an 11 out of 10 is a bit much, but in the case of Avengers: Endgame, for all of its quirks and flaws, I really could do no differently. I realize I don't really need to explain why I enjoyed this movie as much as I did, as its review aggregate score of rottentomatoes is insanely high and it looks like the entire world is about to embrace it, but I'd like to share just some of the reasons, eleven to be specific, on account of my higher-than-perfect score of 11, for why this movie is the most satisfying movie I have EVER seen, in over three and a half decades of watching movies. So, in ascending order, here they are...
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(Again, SPOILER ALERT)
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11. BRAINY HULK - In my review of the film I made prominent mention of the fact that one of the things that really makes this film work is the filmmakers' clear love for the fans, and a sterling example of this is "smart" Hulk, or the result of Bruce Banner basically embracing his big green "other." While casual fans who know Hulk to be stupid will scratch their heads, fans who have invested in these movies, and especially those who have read Peter David's Hulk comics will nod knowingly and gratefully as this iteration of the character, a staple for much of the 1990s, finally makes it to big screen, and for good reason within the context of the story; while smart Hulk never throws so much as a punch in the whole movie, it's his strength that saves the day as he undoes Thanos' snap with one of his own, and gives some serious foreshadowing as to what can happen to anyone without his power levels who tries to use the Infinity Stones.
10. SCHLUBBY THOR - Here, as it was in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, the concept of a well-known superhero who's let himself go and picked up a pot belly is played for laughs, and quite effectively at that, but Thor's increased girth, which, to my gratification, doesn't magically go away when he suits up for the big final fight, is quite effective in helping convey his despair and self-loathing following the events of Infinity War. It also makes him even easier to relate to for those of us who don't adhere to next-to-no-carb diets or spend all of our free time at the gym. Finally, it helps him personify the effect of losing one's purpose in life, and it makes his crucial encounter with another character that I'll describe elsewhere on the list even more meaningful.
9. FULL-ON BAD GUY THANOS - I've read quite a few glowing reviews by now, most of which I agree with, but I've noticed that even the most effusive praise has been, to my mind at least, oddly silent about the very reason why this movie is even happening: Josh Brolin's Thanos, the Mad Titan. Sure, there was much talk of him in the reviews for Infinity War given that he was essentially the movie's main character, but nowadays he's pretty much taken a backseat to discussions about how the original six Avengers, and in particular the core two, Iron Man and Captain America, are the heart and soul of this film, which they of course are. The thing is, though, it is an utter pleasure to watch this particular Thanos, who hails from earlier in the MCU timeline, because he is basically unburdened with the sacrifices and losses that his future self, the one who did the nefarious deed in Infinity War, had to endure to achieve his goal. This iteration of Thanos is a full-on villain, a smug, entitled asshole, who intends to snatch the Infinity Stones away from the Avengers, who basically put in all the work of finding them in this movie, unlike his other self who went through a lot more effort and heartache. Both the script and Brolin quite effectively convey that this is a different, more malevolent Thanos we're seeing, one quite different from the weary, grieving Thanos in the last film, and watching his defeat at the end is that much more satisfying for their efforts.
8. PAYOFFS AND CALLBACKS GALORE - To keep this list down to 11 I had to trim a lot of stuff out, but suffice it to say I think it's about right to at least give a category to the numerous callbacks to not only the last movie but a generous selection from the Marvel Cinematic Universe's 21-film catalog. It's not just some "greatest hits" regurgitation but an inventive revisiting of key moments from earlier films. When Captain America, for example, steps into an elevator with a bunch of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents whom he knows to be HYDRA agents because of future events which, at that point, haven't even happened yet, I'm certain many people in the audience were expecting a recreation of Cap's iconic elevator slugfest from Captain America: Winter Soldier, but what we got instead was even better as Cap yet again showed the brains that makes him such a fitting leader for the Avengers, and gave us a good laugh in the bargain, all with two simple words: "Hail HYDRA." There are many others, like when Black Panther addresses Clint by name, harking back to their first encounter in Captain America: Civil War, or Cap calling Spider-Man "Queens," or Spider-Man finally getting to use his suit's "instant-kill" setting, and many, many others besides, but Cap in the elevator was what really stood out for me.
7. FATHER AND SON - Since Iron Man's entire saga has hinged largely on his issues with his father, it was only fitting that the time travel story device would give him one more encounter with his dad, and this was really one of the stronger moments of the film, hugely important because it really helps bring Tony's journey to its end as he is finally relieved, in a way, of one of the heaviest burdens he has borne all throughout the Infinity Saga. It's a moment played to subtle perfection by both Downey, Jr. and an amazingly-retouched John Slattery who, along with Michael Douglas (looking like he walked straight out of The Streets of San Francisco) and the late, great Stan Lee showcase just how far de-aging computer generated imagery has come since the awkward airbrushing days of X-Men: The Last Stand. More than fancy graphics, though, what really sells the moment is some very nicely-nuanced writing and some really fantastic acting from both the men playing Starks.
6. MOTHER AND SON - This one came as a bit more of a surprise than the Stark reunion, given that all throughout her character Frigga's life in the Thor franchise, Rene Russo has had relatively little to do. In the first movie, she was little more than Odin's trophy wife, and in the second movie, well, her main purpose in the story was to die, if I'm honest, so I think it was really nice of the Russo brothers to not only give her one last go at the character but to give her easily her most meaningful moment in the whole of the MCU; she gets to be there for Thor when he absolutely needs her the most. Their family dynamic was a sorely neglected one; Thor's had more than enough interaction with his father, step-brother and long-lost sister, and so it was past time he had an emotionally affecting moment with his mother. It was undercut ever so slightly by gags about Thor's girth and his strange new eye, but it still worked quite well. It's fairly high up on the list because if I'm honest, unlike the Stark moment, I wasn't expecting it at all. Rather, I was expecting him to meet up with Natalie Portman's Jane Foster again. This, I think, was a much better idea.
5. AVENGERS ASSEMBLE - This was one of two moments teased by Joss Whedon in Avengers: Age of Ultron, and which the Russos complete with utter pizzazz. The build-up to the moment Cap utters this signature phrase is considerable; the full force of the "undusted" heroes show up just as all is looking lost for Cap and the other stricken Avengers, with yet another callback as Anthony Mackie's Falcon chuckles "On Your Left" into Cap's earpiece, recalling the very first words Cap actually said to Falcon in The Winter Soldier. It would be higher up on the list, but for two reasons: it followed a bit too closely the pattern of Thor's Wakanda entry in Avengers: Infinity War, and the fact that it had only just been preceded by an even more incredible moment which will show up later on this list.
4. WIDOW'S SACRIFICE - Black Widow's death was one of the two deaths of this film about which so many people (including myself) were so certain that when news of her solo movie was finally confirmed, it was a foregone conclusion that the film would be a prequel. The good news is that her death, while foreshadowed quite early in the film, is about as redemptive and noble as an onscreen death can get, and it's interesting how the Russos basically recreate the scene in which Thanos murders Gamora, right down to the music score, in order perhaps to highlight the contrast between Gamora's unwillingness to die for Thanos, and Hawkeye's and Black Widow's determination to sacrifice themselves even if it means fighting each other for that opportunity. Neither of them having a solo film, they're about equal in terms of how developed their characters are, but whereas Hawkeye has a family who needs him, it was established sometime ago that Nat's only family is the Avengers, and it's quite poignant that she gets to make the supreme sacrifice for them here.
3. TONY'S SNAP - This is the moment that's been foreseen by so many people for the last three or four years that it's been discussed in everything from blog posts to youtube videos to memes. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE knew Tony Stark was going to die, and judging by the screams of audience members in the movie theater when Thanos stabbed Tony with his own weapon in Avengers: Infinity War some people thought it might happen as early as that film. As heart-wrenching and widely predicted as his death might have been, however, the Russos gave him a note-perfect moment of sacrifice that recalls his willingness to lay down his life for everyone as he did in the very first Avengers movie. By the time he makes his snap that completely annihilates Thanos and his army, he's seen what it's done to Bruce and almost certainly knows what will happen to him, but he knows exactly what he has to do. It is actually a nice touch that he pauses before uttering his iconic "I am Iron Man;" there may be a number of ways to interpret this, like dramatic effect, but my take is that he hesitates for the briefest of moments because he knows he will die, something that feels a lot more difficult now that he has a wife and daughter, something he didn't have to worry about in the first film, and that makes his momentous decision all the more moving. Iron Man is the heart of the MCU, and it is only fitting that he, and no one else, got to deliver the crushing death blow on Thanos and his evil aspirations.
2. CAP RETIRES - It may seem strange that I rank this over Tony's snap but the truth is that it's high on this list because I honestly didn't expect it. At one point, when whispers of time travel in the plot were first circulating online, it occurred to me that maybe Cap could retire with Peggy Carter somehow, but I never thought to call it because I didn't think Marvel would actually do it. I honestly thought that Cap, being a tragic figure, would die along with Black Widow and Iron Man. I was genuinely moved by Cap's brief interaction with the aged Peggy in The Winter Soldier and even more so by her funeral scene in Civil War, which Chris Evans absolutely nailed with some wonderfully understated acting. Looking back this was all now clearly foreshadowing of where the Russos wanted to take Cap, but I just figured it was a way of establishing that he really had nothing left. I was, therefore very pleasantly surprised that they took this route with Cap, and while at least one reviewer I've read finds Cap's decision to be selfish, I'll have to respectfully disagree as I think that, having saved the world more than once, Cap is definitely entitled to his happy ending, and I am glad that Marvel not only gave him one, but made it the film's ending as well. Nice touch.
1. CAP WIELDS MJOLNIR - This is the second moment that Whedon teased in Avengers: Age of Ultron which the Russos paid off handsomely. If Avengers: Endgame ends up grossing a billion dollars over the weekend, I humbly submit that THIS is one of the main reasons it'll happen. It is a visceral, cheer-out-loud moment that happens at exactly the right time, and in exactly the right way. This is the kind of narrative punch that J.J. Abrams was going for without having really earned it when he had Rey force-grab the lightsaber back in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Here, thanks to the Russos, Chris Markus and Stephen McFeely, Joe Johnston and Joss Whedon, Captain America has absolutely earned this moment. No, it's not the climax, and Cap obviously doesn't defeat Thanos with Mjolnir, but for me, this moment was the absolute highlight of the movie, and has officially displaced Thor's arrival in Wakanda as my single favorite moment in cinema history.
There are many, many other things that rang absolutely true with me about this movie, despite the obvious issues with time travel, but these, for me, are the best highlights. This movie is at the top of my list of all-time greats.
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