We’re almost there, folks! After more than a decade of set-up and following a year after the devastating conclusion of Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame is only a couple days away from finally being released to the masses. However, some folks were lucky enough to see the movie early, and now, following the social media reactions that poured in last night after the Endgame world premiere, the first reviews for the movie are pouring in, and they’re overwhelmingly positive.
Let’s kick off with CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg, who awarded Avengers: Endgame a perfect 5 out of 5 stars in his review, noting that his movie is packed with all sorts of surprises, from actors you never expected to show up popping in to plot twists “coming out of left field.” While he felt it would be “reductive” to call Endgame a love letter to Marvel fans, it definitely is a “wonderful gift” for those who’ve been invested in this franchise over the last 11 years, one which audiences “are going to want to experience over and over again.”
Avengers: Endgame is one of the most ambitious, entertaining, emotional, and stunning blockbusters we’ve ever seen, and the best film in the Marvel Cinematic Universe canon thus far.
Next up, we have Germain Lussier from io9, who described Avengers: Endgame as “everything you’ve ever dreamed a Marvel movie could be” and called it a “complete, complex, and satisfying conclusion” to the last decade we’ve spent with these MCU characters. Endgame becomes more complex as it goes along, which can sometimes make the movie feel “overstuffed and overly busy at times,” but the payoffs are well worth it.
After 11 years and 21 movies, Avengers: Endgame is larger than a mere movie. It’s a personal experience. It works as a singular film and ultimately will be judged as such, but on first viewing, it works even better as a cherry on top of a decade of Marvel storytelling—the final piece of a glorious puzzle we’ve all been working to piece together since 2008.
Entertainment Weekly’s Leah Greenblat gave Avengers: Endgame a B+, declaring that the movie promises many things, like revenge, redemption and a ridiculously long runtime, and it “largely delivers” on that. And if you’re a fan of Marvel cameos, then brace yourself, because Endgame is filled to the brim with surprise appearances.
With the stakes being no less than the fate of the world (or at least approximately 50% of it), there’s an expected urgency to it all, but an underlying melancholy, too — not just for everything that’s been lost, but for what won’t be coming back. After seven years, four films, and uncountable post-credit easter eggs, the endgame of an era has finally come.
Over at Birth.Movies.Death., Russ Fischer, who was not “convinced” by Avengers: Infinity War, found Avengers: Endgame to be a more satisfiable MCU offering. The movie has an “unusual structure,” though that’s definitely appropriate for the kind of story being told, and the second act plays out as a “Marvel’s Greatest Hits” before delving into the final battle. In Fischer’s eyes, Endgame doesn’t create a “seismic shift” like Infinity War did, but it does put everything on the table.
Ultimately, Endgame is an entire movie of payoffs. It plays off and completes thoughts begun in Age of Ultron and Civil War, and even in comics. Conventional wisdom says that a sequel should be able to stand on its own. For the past decade, Marvel has worked to make that true, to whatever degree is possible in a series of more than 20 interconnected films. That changes with Endgame, which has no ambition to stand on its own, and no need to. This Avengers finale is an event as much as a movie.
USA Today’s Brian Truitt gave Avengers: Endgame a 3.5 out of 4 score, describing it as the “triple-disc greatest-hits package with the really awesome cover and a slew of familiar, comforting gems inside.” The movie loses some momentum over its three-hour runtime, but it delivers those emotional gut punches we’ve expected and an explosive finale.
Endgame is tragic and uplifting, rousing and grounding, while leaving minds racing and making everybody cry (even the toughest guys). Marvel movies have managed to find endearing, crowd-pleasing magic amid these fun and flawed comic-book characters in the past decade, and Endgame pays off all that goodwill by letting them do what they do best on the biggest stage yet.
Angie Han from Mashable didn’t find Avengers: Endgame to be the best, prettiest or even the funniest Marvel movie ever made, but she did call it the “most Marvel movie” ever made, and that’s a notable accomplishment. There are some “quibbles” to be had at certain moments, but it ultimately serves as a testament to what this franchise has become.
This is Marvel flexing, building on over 10 years and 20-plus films of careful groundwork and intricate planning to show us what it can do that no other movie franchise can. As such, it's an immensely satisfying finish to this era of the series.
Finally, IGN’s Laura Prudom awarded Avengers: Endgame a 9.5 out of 10 score, calling it a movie that “rewards your knowledge of the MCU in its entirety.” There are some parts that might feel like “outright fan service,” but they feel more as though they’re earned after everything we’ve seen over the last 11 years. Like most Marvel movies, there’s an over reliance on “overproduced CGI battles,” but fortunately, the quieter character moments are still able to shine.
A fitting and surprisingly poetic payoff to more than a decade of storytelling, and the start of a bright new chapter.
These are just a handful of the Avengers: Endgame reviews that are now available, so feel free to venture elsewhere on the interwebs to learn what other critics thought of this movie. Be careful about running into spoilers, though, as there are some reviews that delve into minor plot details that some of you might not want to know. Tread cautiously!
You can judge Avengers: Endgame for yourself when it’s released on April 26, but for now, keep up to date with CinemaBlend for more coverage on this blockbuster event, and be sure to look through our Marvel movies guide to learn what else this franchise has coming down the pipeline.
