Didn't live up to the hype even a little bit, and DEFINITELY didn't need to be 3 hours long. Ignoring the fact that as a writer I think time travel is a lazy plot device, it made no sense. You can't have the Ancient One lay out that by taking the Stones they create alternate timelines, and then create 2 alternate timelines, one where Tony had a heart attack and Loki got loose (which I know was to give the Disney+ show footing, but there were other ways to do it. Like, say, reverse one of the weakest deaths in the MCU. Just a thought.), and where Steve went back to Peggy. Which, I might add, makes end of the movie make NO sense. If by changing the past creates alternate timeline, how did Steve get back into our timeline to give Sam the shield?

I haven't talked about Thor yet because I need to keep my blood pressure level but I'll try to be quick. Thor had an excellent storyline coming out of Ragnarok and Infinity War, about grief and power and I was really excited to see what would happen with his storyline in Endgame. So imagine how disappointed I was to see this Noble, fantastic character get turned into a running fat joke. And moreover, to see how his storyline was shattered so that he could be made into a joke. Marvel had the beginnings of a great storyline about grief and recovery and men's mental health (which is WHOLLY over looked in media), and threw it away to do that. Coming from the way they handled Tony Stark and PTSD, I really expected more from Marvel (and that scene with Rocket slapping Thor out of a panic attack? Not cool Marvel, not cool at all.)

I will say that the ONLY reason I didn't give this movie a worse rating is because of that final battle scene. Absolutely gorgeous and without a doubt one of my favorite Marvel moments, especially Cap wielding Mjolnir.

In conclusion, I read this fan fiction back in 2012, I didn't like it then and I don't like its filmed version any better. Watch the battle scene and the scenes with Tony and his daughter and then call it a day. Don't waste 3 hours.

I don't think I've ever felt more out of place in my life than I did in the cinema watching Endgame.

Ant man: "I think I just peed my pants..."

Audience: **ROARS with laughter**

Not having enjoyed this film has been enough for people to call me "pretentious." I guess I can only offer an outsider's perspective - I didn't grow up on superhero movies unlike the rest of the entire human population. Since it's not something that was embedded in my childhood, I have no nostalgia for this series at all. With all the hype, I thought I'd give it a fair go, so I watched every key MCU film in the month leading up to Endgame. As much as I tried to enjoy them, this just really really isn't for me. Unpopular opinions inbound.

To this day I'm surprised how much Endgame managed to get away with. From my point of view introducing time travel was a cop-out. Not only is it lazy storytelling (introducing a convenience out of nowhere that basically undoes anything that previously felt significant), but it felt like a fan-servicy excuse to use most of the movie's runtime to recycle old scenes people already loved as forced nostalgia-bait. But apparently it's okay when Marvel does it.

As usual, I didn't like the tacky fight scenes, and I found the characters' quips painfully unfunny. There were no tears at any emotional moments, since I didn't manage to develop any attachment to the characters, Thanos being the only one I found mildly interesting. I'm happy to let people enjoy what they do, but the reason this genre makes me angry is because multiple MCU fans I've encountered seem to see these films as the second coming of Christ, and aside from being straight up insulted multiple times for holding these opinions, someone I know once felt the need to give me a literal slap for "giving endgame a 4/10" (I wish I was exaggerating). Those are the sad lengths some will go to defend corporate Disney products I guess.

That wraps up my strong thoughts. I like fun films every now and then, but not these ones. I'm happy to let people love what they love, as long as they're not entitled prats about it.

I never did side with either DC or Marvel - even as a kid in the 1960's. There were superheroes I liked and ignored the rest. Now, while DC is showing us how poorly a film can be made (particularly "Justice League"), Marvel has aced 60% of their 22 films to date in my opinion. I wish that was the case with this one. It not only underwhelmed me, it didn't serve it's predecessor well.

I certainly don't fault the cast because outside the handful of main characters, the rest were merely background and foreground. After Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Hawkeye and Black Widow, the rest of the cast were so many that they seemed like they were there for scenery. And like "Justice League", "Avengers: Endgame" suffered from the "more is more" syndrome that may please the under-10 crowd, but takes meaning away for us older viewers.

Let's not overlook the cop-out remedy in science fiction these days - the reliance upon time travel to get out of a script jam. I realize it was a necessity in this particular chain of fictional events, but after a while it seems like (pardon the musical reference) a long, drawn-out guitar solo that has you wishing the band would get back to the song.

This review isn't due to Thor (my favorite Marvel hero) growing fat and channeling his inner surfer dude, Tony Stark losing his life or Gamora 2.0 being the anti-Gamora. My regret is FOR the franchise instead of me as a viewer. They ended on a sad technical note due to unnecessary goings-on that I'm sure they worked very hard at trying to tie up in a movie.

Another point that detracted from this film, and a few others in the Marvel cinematic universe is their social messaging. They didn't need to preach woman power because superheroes already have that built into their character. Here, it's shoved into our faces to signal their fashionable virtuosity. In other words, if there is a female superhero in a film, I don't need to be reminded that there's a sexual revolution going on here in reality. Theirs are formidable personas without need to be underscored.

Using another musical analogy, this movie was like the members of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and The Who taking the stage at the same time and playing their sets. Apart, they're the best. Together, they're just noise. "Avengers: Endgame" would have been better if they pared down the scope, although I understand why they went the way they did. A franchise as successful as MCU set itself up for such a debacle. I'm grateful that it wasn't much, much worse.

I thank those at Marvel for bringing to life the characters I read about in comic books at the corner store. They did a very good job overall.