Don’t worry – this is a spoiler-free zone (apart from some mild plot descriptions).
The first wave of reviews are rolling in ahead of tomorrow’s release of Avengers: Endgame, and by the sounds of it, the finale to the 11-year-long franchise is set to be a heart-pumping rollercoaster ride of excitement and emotions! Not that we expected anything less from the last instalment of the 21-film series.
We’re not in the business of ruining lives, so we won’t be dishing out any serious spoilers – but if you just can’t bear the thought of having to wait until tomorrow (April 25), we’ve got you covered. Check out the first batch of early Endgame writeups on the three-hour flick below.
Geoffrey Macnab, The Independent
“The Avengers cycle comes to a rich and very satisfying conclusion with Endgame, surely the most complex and emotional superhero movie in Marvel history. The wonder here is the very dexterous way the film deals with such intricate subject matter. Although there is plenty of action, the moments that invariably register the most strongly are the intimate ones in which we see the heroes’ faces in huge close-up, expressing their loss and bewilderment. The galactic scenes are combined with moments celebrating folksy, old fashioned Americana.”
Huw Fullerton, Radio Times
“Endgame is hugely ambitious, ridiculous, over-the-top superhero filmmaking and I loved it. Is the film perfect? Well, no. Somehow, some way, Marvel did what nobody else could and successfully adapted the sprawling, overlapping world of comic-book superheroes to screen. It’s the culmination of so much – and despite a few flaws, it’s an incredibly impressive, nearly impossible thing to behold.”
Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
“Avengers: Endgame is of course entirely preposterous and, yes, the central plot device here does not, in itself, deliver the shock of the new. But the sheer enjoyment and fun that it delivers, the pure exotic spectacle, are irresistible, as is its insouciant way of combining the serious and the comic. Without the comedy, the drama would not be palatable. Yet without the earnest, almost childlike belief in the seriousness of what is at stake, the funny stuff would not work either. As an artificial creation, the Avengers have been triumphant, and as entertainment, they have been unconquerable.”
Helen O’Hara, Empire
“A victory lap that moonwalks through the best part of the MCU back catalogue and emphasises emotion as much as action, this is an intensely satisfying piece of blockbuster filmmaking. The action sometimes moves a little too fast to really grasp, but there’s so much to entertain that it seems unfair to complain. It’s punctuated by moments of pure, giddy delight and moments of emotion that hit hard; if this is fan service (OK, it’s definitely fan service) it’s exceptionally well deployed. Except, maybe, for one nod to grrrl power that is uncharacteristically clumsy.”
“In the immediate aftermath of a first encounter, it’s hard to say whether it lives up to that ambition or not, but for all its hasty glossings-over of certain byzantine plot mechanisms the precise nature of which probably qualifies as a (light) spoiler, I can’t recall a film in this cinematic universe or any other that works as relentlessly and ingeniously to keep delighting its audience than this. If the Avengers are now to be dissembled, let it be said that they went out on a high.”
Richard Lawson, Vanity Fair
“Watching Endgame, with its ribbons of poignancy and genuine artfulness, one gets the feeling that any series can get good when it’s had 22 chances to practice. That long runway doesn’t make you appreciate the finery any less, though; in a maybe perverse way, the Avengers, their allies, and their enemies have earned our respect.”
Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter
“There is no question that ‘Avengers: Endgame’ benefits considerably from the prioritizing of humour and character detailing on the parts of writers Markus and McFeely and directors Anthony and Joe Russo, something most of the actors clearly picked up on and ran with. But spectacle still rules in these fanciful epics, which have pre-primed viewers eating right out of the filmmakers’ hands. The best of the Marvel films — and the Avengers pics are certainly among them — go the extra mile to genuinely engage the audience and not just pander to it. Cutesiness and formula prevail at times, to be sure, but this team knows quite well how to stir the pot. And to turn it into more gold.”
How To See Avengers Endgame
The best way to see it is with Fever, who’ve only gone and got some of the cheapest cinema tickets in town. A steal at £6.50 instead of £14, you can catch the Avengers kicking ass, taking names, and saving the world once more. (Your Fever ticket gets you an ODEON code, which you then need to redeem online or at the box office for an Avengers ticket.)* For one last time, grab the popcorn and settle in for a blockbuster ending to the epic saga!
Get your tickets for Avengers: Endgame here.
*Your Fever ticket is not a cinema ticket and MUST be redeemed online or at the box office. On purchasing the ticket from Fever you will receive a code, to redeem the ticket online visit the Odeon website, select your screening and enter the code as a promo code at the checkout. Be sure to redeem your ticket before attending your chosen screening to avoid disappointment.