Avengers: Endgame caps off the first phase of the Marvel Universe

Avengers: Endgame Released: April 26, 2019 Studio: Disney Genre: super hero Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: 858.30 Worldwide: 2799.44 Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: 934.68 Worldwide: 3165.00

Directing: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo Screenwriting: Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Josh Brolin Review: This is a movie that was “designed to be the most blockbuster of all the blockbusters.” BT “It’s an epic cultural event” BT about “rewarding commitment, fandom, and expectations.” BT It features “familiar faces from over 20 other movies.” BT It “elevates its most iconic heroes to the legendary status they deserve.” BT “It’s hard to see serious MCU fans walking away from this disappointed…It’s a satisfying end to a chapter…that will be hard to top for pure spectacle.” BT The story picks up where 2018’s Avengers: Infinity War left off: the villain Thanos got all six of the Infinity Stones and used them to “wipe out half of existence, including beloved heroes like Black Panther, Star-Lord, and Spider-Man.” BT The remaining heroes are left to find a way to reverse the destruction wrought by Thanos. This is “a more focused piece than Infinity War…It’s a more patient, focused film, even as its plot draws in elements of a dozen other movies.” BT There is “a sense of looking back instead of merely tring to set the table for something to come.” BT It revisits the charm of the first Avengers movie “in which strong personalities were allowed to bounce off each other instead of just feeling like they were strapped into a rollercoaster headed in the same direction.” BT “It also allows space for some of the best acting work in the franchise, particularly from Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr.” BT as Captain America and Iron Man respectively. Endgame “provides the MCU’s two most popular heroes the story arc they deserve instead of just drowning them in a sea of cameos.” BT Sources: BT Brian Tallerico (4/24/2019)

Awards/Honors/Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Box Office: Oscars: Wins: 0 Nominations: 1 – Best Visual Effects First posted 5/26/2023.

 

The Avengers opened in theaters

The Avengers Released: May 4, 2012 Studio: Disney Genre: super hero Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: 623.40 Worldwide: 1520.54 Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: 754.28 Worldwide: 1750.00

Directing: Joss Whedon Screenwriting: Joss Whedon, Zak Penn Starring: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston Review: Critic Roger Ebert called this “the Westminster Dog Show of superheroes.” RE Starting with Iron Man (Downey) in 2008, Marvel introduced a slate of their famed comic book heroes to the big screen including Hulk (Ruffalo), Thor (Hemsworth), and Captain America (Evans) via freestanding movies. This brings them all together, as well as Black Widow (Johansson) and Hawkeye (Renner), for all-star conclusion to Phase One of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Avengers must band together to stave off a threat from Thor’s adopted brother, Loki (Hiddleston). He plans to open a gateway to the universe via a pulsing cube of energy known as the Tesseract. He’ll then attack Earth “with his fleet of reptile-looking monster-machines.” RE Of course, bringing these super egos together makes for some reopened rivalries until they do what Ebert says “was so highly valued on my first-grade report card: the concept of Working Well With Others.” RE The film traverses familiar territory. “There must be a threat. The heroes must be enlisted. The villain must be dramatized. Some personality defects are probed. And then the last hour or so consists of special effects in which large mechanical objects engage in combat that results in deafening crashes and explosions and great balls of fire.” RE Still, it is “done well by Joss Whedon, with style and energy.” RE He “not only pulled off a colossal character-juggling act, he also pushed the studio’s commercial success to a much higher level. It’s still one of the best-scripted Marvels, and we’ve yet to see a villain on more entertainingly nefarious form than Tom Hiddleston’s Loki was here.” EM Sources: RE Roger Ebert EM: Empire

Awards/Honors/Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Box Office: Oscars: Wins: 0 Nominations: 1: Best Achievement in Visual Effects First posted 5/25/2023.