I plan to watch 365 movies this year because it’s good to have pointless goals. And even better than them simply being pointless, are goals with stipulations. At least two movies a week should be something I’ve never seen before and it doesn’t have to be “one movie per day” as long as I hit 365.
THE MOVIE: Avengers: Endgame
Seen it before? Yes. Twice in theaters and couple more times since.
Thoughts: Time to finish off the Marvel selections for the year with the grand ending to the Infinity Stones Saga. By the time we get here, both the MCU and the Russos can pretty much do no wrong. After Infinity War’s sort of cliffhanger ending (of course we all new that they were going to bring back all of the snapped characters), massive box office was more or less guaranteed. So kudos to them for going slow burn and almost anticlimactic at the start. With therapy sessions, emaciated Iron Man, characters scattered about and sulking, and a quickly dismissed Thanos, the first third is deliberate table setting quite at odds with Infinity War’s hit-the-ground-running pace. But then the time travel (sorry, time heist) kicks in and we get old scenes from new perspectives in a walking tour through the MCU’s greatest hits (and Thor: The Dark World) and it roars right through to the epic battle finale. Speaking of new perspectives, I love the little scene with Rhodey and Nebula watching Quill loudly sing and prance on Morag punctuated with Rhodey’s “So he’s an idiot?” And Nebula’s resigned “Yeah.” (Nebula continuing her role as any MCU movie’s stealth MVP. Really, the character development of both Rocket and Nebula over the course of the Infinity Saga to become the heart and soul of the entire MCU is impressive (and Bradley Cooper does not get enough credit for his vocal work.) I like that the Thanos in this one is less nuanced since he has not accomplished as much and grown (through loss) as the “older” one we saw in Infinity War. He is a pure brute force here. Sure, the movie is not without its flaws (mostly in the final act), but at heart it’s a crowd-pleasing spectacle and the chill-inducing moments for anyone who has made the journey to this point. The Avengers finally assemble and it was both a fitting finale and new beginning.
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