Avengers: Endgame (2019)

[Dee]

‘Avengers: Endgame’ First Reactions: ‘Most Emotional, Most Epic MCU Film’

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“Avengers: Endgame” had its world premiere Monday night at the Los Angeles Convention Center and reactions on social media from fans, journalists and critics are already pouring in.

The reaction has so far been almost universally positive, with several commentors warning fans of the movie’s emotional elements.

[starri]

I think I'm going to bow out of the thread now.  Except to say that it affecting people emotionally is the most encouraging thing I've heard.  "Bury me in the ocean," "We are Groot," "I thought you already had [found your family]," "Are you the God of Hammers," "I have nothing to prove to you," "I don't want to go"...that's why I've stuck around for ten years.

See everybody on Saturday.

[Dee]

‘Avengers: Endgame’: Why a $300 Million Opening Could Be Impossible

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If “Endgame” isn’t able to cross $300 million in its debut, it won’t be for lack of trying. The film will open in over 4,600 North American theaters this weekend, marking the widest release of any movie at the domestic box office. Premium formats such as Imax and 3D that cost more money than the average ticket could also boost numbers. Exhibitors are also working in overdrive to add as many showtimes as possible to keep up with sky-high demand. Some AMC locations will be open around the clock for 72 hours straight starting Thursday evening. (Extra points for the moviegoers who are wiling to book an 11:30 p.m. showing of the three-hour epic.)

“Avengers: Endgame” is still expected to surpass the all-time opening weekend record in North America, currently set by “Avengers: Infinity War.” “Endgame,” the culmination to the current phase of Marvel movies, could debut to over $800 million worldwide since it opens day and date in almost every major territory. “Infinity War” also holds the record for the biggest global launch with $640 million, and that wasn’t including China. “Fate of the Furious” still has the best international launch with $443 million, but “Endgame” looks to crush that figure since its bounty will include the Middle Kingdom.

[Anduin]

So I've seen it. Pretty good. Could be better, could be worse. But I'm not half the fan a lot of the rest of you are. Some spoilers were right, some were wrong. Some of you will come out of the cinema incredibly smug, some of you in tears. Some might be both.

This movie will rip your heart out three minutes in. Then it will throw your heart in the dirt and jump up and down on before shoving it back in for some awesomeness, only to repeat those actions several times in three hours.

The big climax made me feel like my first viewing of Fury Road crossed with the trailers for Ready Player One. That said, there's something right near the end that pisses me off. It's emotionally appropriate, but not logically correct.

I don't want to say any more, except that you can message me if you want.

[loosy]

Longtime lurker here, but planned to come out again for this. Went to a midnight preview last night and loved it. My level of regard for the MCU might be read from the fact that i crossed the big 4-0 some years past and still went to work 3 hours after leaving the theater. And yes, i felt too old for that shit, but damn if it wasn´t worth it! From funny to sad, silly to hilarious, filled with so many throwbacks that you´ll still miss/don´t recognize some even if you can recite the movies backwards, and number of gratifying crowdpleasers make it feel to me like a true climax for the story so far. There were a few things, which didn´t seem logic to me and i´m looking forward to reading some explanation for that. I´ll come back with more later, need a little more time gather my thoughts. And get some sleep.

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That said, there's something right near the end that pisses me off. It's emotionally appropriate, but not logically correct.

I felt similar about something like that, Anduin, i wonder if we mean the same thing. Let´s see if i can figure out messaging.

[Dee]

That was a LOT of fun.

[Cranberry]

Okay, since it's released in North America now, I'm gonna get incredibly spoilery up in here.

.

.

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I've gotta give it to Chris Hemsworth for happily playing an overweight, unkempt version of Thor for the entire movie. He was hilarious, as were all the quips about his condition -- "eat a salad," Cheez Whiz in his veins, Lebowski. I love that he's now joined up with the (As)Guardians of the Galaxy. Interested to see how past/new Gamora will fit in with those guys (if she does).

Cap in the elevator was such a nice throwback to the elevator scene from Winter Soldier. Cap saying "Hail Hydra" was a nice nod to a comics storyline. I liked the Cap vs Cap fight scene. I LOVED Cap wielding Thor's hammer (as did everyone else in the theater; there were cheers). I liked his ending, too. I was worried something like that would retcon everything that came before, but the movie's explanation of time travel made sense -- that time with Peggy was our Cap's future; it just happened in our past. It doesn't erase anything that happened in prior movies. And of course I'm glad he was Peggy's heretofore-unseen husband.

Some people are going to be pissed that Sam got the shield instead of Bucky, but I like it. He got it in the comics at one point, too, so it's not like it's out of nowhere. I guess that means their Disney+ series will actually be a Captain America series?

Nat's death was the one major thing I was (inadvertently) spoiled for, so the clifftop scene lost some of its tension, but damn if I didn't cry. I kept expecting them to find a way to bring her back, but I guess not. I'm disappointed to lose her. I guess the Black Widow movie will be a prequel.

Captain Marvel's hair was amazing. She was powerful, but not too powerful (some "fans" were concerned she'd come in and easily off Thanos, which was clearly never going to be the case). Loved the scene with all the female characters backing her up. Valkyrie had her kickass horse! Speaking of Valkyrie, I like that Thor made her the "king" of New Asgard.

Loved the melding of Bruce and Hulk. He was so funny in the scene where he ripped off his shirt and halfheartedly punched a car while saying he found it gratuitous. The scene with kids asking for his autograph was fun, too.

Tony's was the one death I absolutely expected, but that didn't make it any easier. Both the death and funeral scenes were very well done, and I definitely heard some sniffles in the theater. (If, like me, anyone was wondering who that one boy standing alone at the funeral was, it was the kid Tony spent time with in Iron Man 3 -- and yes, it was the same actor.) The MCU won't be the same without RDJ. This really feels like the end of an era.

I loved this. I really have no idea how they'll ever top it in scale.

[Anduin]

My big complaint was Tony's death. Shuri and Dr Strange are both qualified medics. There's all sorts of advanced tech and magic floating around that battlefield. If someone had shouted for a medic, maybe they could have done something. But no, they had to let Tony die.

OTOH, my heart was hammering in my chest for the whole of the battle. Essentially, pure fanservice from the moment the portals ended until the credits started.

How does Scarlett Johansson feel about Black Widow dying? OTOH, three of the original six survived. I put Cap in the 'too old to fight' column. Half is appropriate, considering Thanos' plan.

Also, there was a bit of time travel craziness going on. Yeah, they were big on not disrupting history. But then Thanos died before he could gather the stones in the first place... Maybe Avengers 5 will involve fixing the timeline, or just dealing with other side effects.

[anna0852]

I just saw it. I'm trying to formulate my thoughts but I can't. 

It was perfect. I couldn't believe how many faces we saw. My whole theater just kept whooping and cheering. 

I went to a 12 screen that was running this on 8 of them tonight through 9 and then all 12 were going over Endgame for the midnight shows. The parking was so full that the people had to park along the street and the ushers were chasing us out during credits.

The credits were *gorgeous* by the way.

I'll post more tomorrow when I can think again. 

My. God.

[raven]

I was totally unspoiled so was surprised and not happy to lose Nat.   I figured either Tony or Cap would die, thought if I had had to pick I would have said Cap.  I should have known when they showed little Morgan Stark, though.  Or I should have suspected Nat's death when we got all of the great Nat/Clint bonding (like their joy at being in space), which I have been wanting to see for a while now.  I was honestly thinking they would jump together which would somehow get them the stone (hey, magic, right?)

58 minutes ago, Cranberry said:

I've gotta give it to Chris Hemsworth for happily playing an overweight, unkempt version of Thor for the entire movie.

CH's comic timing is impeccable.   I enjoyed everything about fat, drunk, sloppy Thor and I'm happy that he's with the (As)guardians of the Galaxy.    Rocket is one of fave MCU characters so I loved his expanded role here.   He still has a heart; he smacks Thor on the face and tells him he lost the only family he ever had but he's still getting the job done.

After the five year jump, I liked seeing how everyone was coping - Nat managing the group; Cap being a counselor; Clint as a vigilante.   I also thought it was a good touch that Tony returns from space bitter and physically wasted.

Nebula's expanded role was a good one and I liked seeing her bit with Rhody where he tells her he's not quite the same as he was, either..  I was a bit peeved at the end when Gamora tells her (before the end battle) that they can take Thanos down together and then we don't see them together again!  Maybe I missed it, there was a lot going on.  I was waiting for one/both of them to deliver the killing blow. 

Big cheers in my theater (and I teared up a bit) when Cap swings the hammer (and Thor's delighted "I knew it!"); "on your left" "Avengers, assemble!" 

Bruce and Hulk being melded together for nearly all of the movie annoyed me a bit.  The Hulk CGI has always bugged me so there was too much of it for me.

I think Sam is the right choice for the shield; he's a good man who knows who he is.  Bucky is still not 100%, though I liked how he kinda knew Cap wasn't coming back.

58 minutes ago, Cranberry said:

it was the kid Tony spent time with in Iron Man 3 --

Thanks!  I was wondering who the heck that was.

I thought the movie did a good job of managing the time on screen of our original group, with expanded cameos from Rocket and Nebula. 

I'm seeing it again this weekend so hopefully I can pick up on details I missed.

One other thing - I think the overwhelming theme is trust.  Tony and Cap; Nat and Clint; everyone trusting Scott's plan; Gamora and Nebula;  the Ancient trusting Dr. Strange and Bruce after Bruce tells her Strange gave up the stone; ack, everyone, really.

[anna0852]

Okay, I have more thoughts now.

"Avengers Assemble" is possibly going to be *the most* iconic scene in cinema history. Up there was "I am your Father", "I'll never be hungry again" and "We're going to need a bigger boat."  Absolutely epic. 

And that scene with the women, My god. It was worth 10 years just for *that*. Marvel gets all my money. They can have it, just for that scene.

I got the (most) of the reunions I wanted to see and heart and humor and so.many.faces.

So many faces

[wingster55]

45 minutes ago, Anduin said:

My big complaint was Tony's death. Shuri and Dr Strange are both qualified medics. There's all sorts of advanced tech and magic floating around that battlefield. If someone had shouted for a medic, maybe they could have done something. But no, they had to let Tony die.

I didn't think about that. 

My big complaint was that Tony got the big hero funeral...but Natasha got nothing? Seriously?

[Cobalt Stargazer]

17 minutes ago, anna0852 said:

My. God.

I'll see your 'My. God.' and raise you a "Natasha!" *sob* Did not expect that at all.

[dkb]

I loved it totally, heartbreak and everything. So many unexpected laughs, a few cries and all the nods to the last 10? years. I think this movie encapsulates what it means to say bittersweet. 

"America's ass" killed everytime it came up.

So good to see so many faces from the past, present and possibly the future of the MCU. 

[scarynikki12]

This movie is beautiful. 

I'm so, so happy they waited to have Cap wield the hammer. It would have been great if it had happened earlier like we all thought but waiting until this movie, when the battle was Cap, Tony, and Thor vs Thanos, was the perfect choice. And Thor was as thrilled as the rest of us.

Before this movie I was certain that I wanted Nebula to end Thanos like she does in the comics. But Iron Man, who started all of this, being the one to end Thanos by dusting him and his was epic poetry itself. And Pepper assuring him and she and Morgan will be fine and letting him know he can finally rest was so moving that I couldn't have conceived it myself but was the obvious choice once I saw it.

The pinnacle of this movie, and these first 10 years of the MCU, was Avengers Assemble. That whole sequence, from the long shot of Cap bathed in light opposite Thanos and his gigantic army, to everyone walking through the portals to have his back, to the lady Avengers gathering for battle, to the final moment when Tony takes the stones and snaps his fingers. I can't find the words to express how much I loved that and I've been trying for about ten minutes now. It was just amazing and I almost hope I never find the right words. 

I was sure that Cap would die but him choosing to finally live his life, and have his dance with Peggy, was the best ending for him. Thor joining the Guardians will be nothing but awesome, so I'm looking forward to that. Nat dying was sad but, like with Gamora, I'm expecting her to eventually be released from the Soul Stone so I think that's why we didn't see any funeral for her beyond Clint and Wanda taking their moment.

I do have a question about the funeral scene. Who was that teenage boy? He was standing in front of Ross but I didn't recognize him. My first thought was that he's a hint about the next phase but the camera didn't linger on him in any meaningful way so I'm wondering if I just forgot who he is.

[shireenbamfatheon]

Lots of great moments, but I'm really disappointed by both Tony and Steve's arcs and feel that it'd have been better if their fates had been reversed. We've seen Tony sacrifice himself in nearly every Avengers movie and I really expected Steve to take on that role this time. But nope, it was Tony having to sacrifice himself once again and this time for good, leaving his kid to have to grow up without a father just like he did. It just felt needlessly cruel, especially when Steve's arc also contradicted everything up till now. 

I know Peggy is a fan favorite, but Steve's decision to ditch everyone, including his BFF Bucky who's also a man out of time and a lot more traumatized than Steve ever was, to be with her invalidated his entire journey throughout the MCU and rang hollow. "I'm with you till the end of the line", "The man who wanted family and stability died in the ice 75 years ago", "When I see a situation headed south, I can't look the other way," the Sharon kiss, his friendship with Sam, his bond with the rest of the Avengers -  all this development to show that he'd found a new family, place, and purpose, was tossed aside so he could be with a woman he knew for 2-3 years and who went on to have a happy marriage of her own with someone else. Steve tore the Avengers apart and nearly killed Tony for Bucky, reunited with him briefly, lost him again to Thanos for five years, and then he finally got him back and they barely exchanged two words before Steve left him for good. 

Peggy moved on and went on to have a life of her own, and so should Steve. If they couldn't even give him that, I'd much rather he'd died defeating Thanos and giving Tony the opportunity to be present for his daughter's childhood. RDJ wouldn't even have needed to be in any more movies since his character had already retired for Pepper and Morgan.

Additionally, Tony telling his dad that he did his best was some grade A BS. A man who never even bothered telling his son he liked him certainly did not do his best. His emotional abuse was the root of 99% of Tony's issues and insecurities. I really expected Tony to tell Howard that his father taught him how not to raise one's child. I'm not here for him suddenly empathizing with his abusive and neglectful father when Howard did nothing to earn it.
 

Edited April 26, 2019 by shireenbamfatheon

[calliope1975]

It was the perfect ending, and any director or show runner who calls something a love letter to the fans better back up those words because that's exactly what this was for me. I was basically a crying mess for the last 30 minutes. I rolled a few tears during but stupid Tom Holland always gets me and when he was talking to Tony as he was dying, I lost it. 

I want that battle, from start to finish, loaded into my brain. From the big three walking out to confront him to Cap and Mew Mew - just fabulous. I kinda thought Carol was going to show up with her own army of people from planets across the galaxy who were also pissed at Thanos but I'm good with her punching through spaceships. And that all lady scene - can we get a movie people? Like, a 4 hour movie with all those awesome women?

RIP Thor's hot bod, but Hemsworth has such great comedic timing, I'll allow it. Plus we got Korg and Miek!  

Nat's death affected me more than I thought it would. Probably because I was like - bye Hawkeye. I'm so glad so many actors returned even Natalie Portman which surprised me. 

This entire series of films has meant so much to me that I don't even have words right now. I'm seeing it again tomorrow so maybe all the stuff I loved but can't think of will come back. 

[hjmugillecuty]

The teenager at the funeral was Harley, the kid from Iron Man 3.

That battle, OMG... when Cap stood facing the army and he hears Sam in his ear, then the portal opens and you see T’challa, Shuri and Okoye, then Doctor Strange, the Guardians and Peter, and, and, and. I was a mess! And something just entered the upper atmosphere! All the way to I am Iron Man.

Only thing I missed was a moment between Fury and Carol.

The time travel stuff was fun. I liked Scott saying the Shield/Hydra agents LOOK like the bad guys. I also found Bruce’s talk with the Ancient one interesting, especially the trust she had in Doctor Strange even though she hadn’t met him yet. 

Loved the presentations on the stones, including the moment they realized 3 of the stones were in New York at the same time. I did think we might get the Collector or Xandar.

Edited April 26, 2019 by hjmugillecuty

[thuganomics85]

And so it ends… well, until Spider-Man: Far From Home comes out in a few months!

Like with Infinity War, there were a few issues that prevented it from beating out my favorites, but all in all, I felt it more than stuck the landing.  Again, at the risk of sounding cheesy, it really did feel like a must see event and spectacle that is hard to replicate in this day and age.  And the fact that they pulled all of this off with all of the hype and history; not to mention al of the effort it likely took to getting all of their ducks in a row; is just pretty damn impressive.

Anyway, it’s SPOILER time!

Considering all of the dread and nervousness leading up to this, I was a little surprised that the final body count was lower than expected, but I think it actually worked in that it made the deaths mean more, hurt more, and show it how it effected everyone.  And I think it made sense for both characters.  While I could see a case being made for either Natasha or Clint being the one to sacrifice themselves for the other in order to get the Soul Stone, I think Natasha made more sense in that she wasn’t going to let Clint do it if there was a chance he could get to reunite with his family, and I think after everything she went through post-snapping trying to keep order and the rest of the Avengers together, she had the extra drive to outsmart (and outfight) Clint, and be the one to make that sacrifice.  Still, Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner sold the hell out of all of it, and I can’t wait to see where they go next (since Scarlett still has that solo project, which I guess will be a prequel.)

And then there was Tony Stark.  The arrogant billionaire who started out only out for himself at the beginning, and it all ends with him sacrificing himself in order to rid the world of Thanos and his army for good.  Even wielding the Infinity Stones and did the snap, knowing that it would kill him and he wouldn’t see Pepper, his daughter, a recently revived Peter, or any of his friends again.  But he truly was a hero and wasn’t going to let Thanos destroy the universe he has helped protect all of these years.  A bitter, but fitting end for him and in some ways, it almost reminded me of how Logan ended in that I almost felt relief that he no longer has to carry those burdens with him anymore.  Still, it is sad that it means Pepper and his daughter have to go one without him, but at least he got to spend a few happy years with them, and his daughter will likely still have good memories of their time together (and hopefully good stories from the likes of Happy, Peter, and so forth.)  It truly does feel like an end of an era without Iron Man, but what a way to go.

And, of course, Captain America himself also makes an exit, although for him, it is staying back in time and living a happy life, and a loving one with Peggy.  I’m a little more mixed with this ending, but I’m glad that Steven finally got the happiness he had always wanted and got to be with the woman who was probably always the love of his life.  Steve Rogers will no doubt be missed as “Cap”, but I’m looking forward to seeing Sam Wilson eventually assume the mantle (and be on a television show with Bucky!  That should be so much fun!)

Now, on to some more fun stuff!

I had no idea how much I wanted to see an overweight, “Dude-ish” Thor, but here we are!  Seriously, once everyone started realizing the comedic chops Chris Hemsworth has, both the films (MCU and other) and Chris as an actor has benefited in almost every way.  But I also liked how they still showed the guilt and pain Thor was feeling, and how he was able to overcome everything.  And while I have no idea what James Gunn has in store for Guardians of the Galaxy 3, I really do hope he stays with the Guardians for a little bit, because he really fits in well, from his little feud with Quill and especially his scenes with Rocket, which is really starting to become one of my favorite pairs out of the entire MCU.

Despite always liking him, I’m still delightfully surprised to say that I thought Scott Lang ended up being the stealth MVP here.   While obviously all of the heroes deserve their fair share of credit at the end, it really feels like Scott was what was needed to get everything to line-up, with his knowledge of the quantum realm and ideas on how to use it.  And pretty much every scene and interaction he had with the others was gold.  I just love that the film actually let the character who arguably has one of the less successful franchises in the series (by Marvel’s standards) get so many big moments.  I really hope this gives Ant-Man a boost going forward.  Plus, Paul Rudd is just a damn treasure, who lightens up the screen whenever he shows up.  I love that he’s in a big, successful franchise like this, and I hope we see more of it (especially since he’ll probably only start looking like he’s 50 when he’s 80!)

To steal from the rival franchise, Holy surprise appearances, Batman!  I obviously suspected all of those who got snapped would be back and we’ll see a few other familiar faces, but they went all out here!  Crossbones and Jasper Sidwell.  Alexander Pierce.  The Ancient One.  Korg still being around (and Miek!)  Frigga!  Even got Jane Foster for a bit, despite hearing Natalie Portman didn’t leave on good terms, although I wonder if they simply took footage from Thor: The Dark World and inserted Rocket in it.  But my favorite?  James D’Arcy has Edwin Jarvis!  I love that the Agent Carter show managed to get a reference here!

Hulk and Banner basically combining was a good twist and it was eerie how much he looked like an actual giant, green Mark Ruffalo.

Thanos vs. the Original Trio was a highlight.

Loved all of the callbacks and references.  You could hear a pin drop during the elevator scene that was clearly paying homage to the big elevator scene in The Winter Solider, and everyone wondering how that was going to play out.

After all the whining and general hate from the trolls about Carol Danvers taking focuses away from everyone else and being too powerful and possibly defeating Thanos single-handily, she ends up only being on screen for a few minutes and while she awesomely gives him a good thrashing, he’s still able to counter her and knock her away.  That said, she did managed to single-handily bring down Thanos’ ENTIRE FUCKING SHIP!  Between that and the shot of all of the fellow main female heroes teaming up with her for that final run, I’m very giddy over the film more or less going “Yep, she and the rest of these awesome female heroes are here to stay.  You trolls are still fighting a battle you’ve already lost!”  At the risk of ending this on a shallow note though, Brie Larson was really rocking that short-hair look.

In general, I think this film did a better job with giving every hero a moment or two to shine.  Heck, I’m usually not that wild about Wanda, but her taking on Thanos might have been one of the highlights.  And almost all of the character interactions were great and got some new and unexpected ones that I never knew I wanted (I thought Nebula and Rhodes teaming up worked extremely well.)

Glad that a version of Gamora is still around, even if this one doesn’t have the bond with Quill and the Guardians anymore.  But I guess Nebula is pretty much a Guardian now, so I’m glad for her!

As for the negatives, I did think some of the pacing and timing was off in certain scenes.  I didn’t mind the somewhat slow opening act since it was showing how the snap effected everything, but I thought there were moments or gags that simply went a few beats too long and whatnot.  An example would be the phone bit with Hulk and Scott at the diner, which was funny at first, but I thought it just overstayed it’s welcome a bit.  Basic stuff like that.

While generally a great looking film, there were a few CGI moments that didn’t quite work.  In particular, it was obvious that almost all of the characters at Tony’s funeral were CGI-ed in, which I guess I understand since it would have been a logistical nightmare to have the entire cast in one location, but it was a bit obvious to me.

While still effective enough, I thought Thanos was a bit more one-note this go around, compared to how he was in Infinity War.  Granted, some if might have been that this Thanos was from the past, so maybe he was just more arrogant and grandiose compared to his future, older self, but still a little disappointing.  Never the less, I still thought Josh Brolin did an excellent job at making him a villain who wasn’t some typical, diabolical, power-hungry monster, but a truly crazy individual who honestly thought that he was saving the universe with his brutal methods.  If nothing else, it was almost amusing seeing him practically saying “Dammit, you bastards!  Why can’t y’all just let me kill half the universe?!  Quit taking things so personally!”

And this is more of a personal preference, but while I always love John Slattery, I still consider Dominic Cooper to be the "definite" Howard Stark, and wish they got him instead.  Having D'Arcy there probably made it more jarring, and if they really did want to go with Slattery again, I almost wish they just had Paul Bettany play Jarvis instead.

Not sure what my overall favorite moment was, but judging from my crowd’s reaction, the contenders are a) T’Challa, Shuri, and Okoye’s entrance, b) Danvers wrecking Thanos’ ship like a boss and c) Steve wielding Mjolnir!

Probably my favorite end credits, with the way they did the majority of the cast first, but did longer, special ones for the original avengers, complete with the actor’s signatures.  Part of me almost wishes they did Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. at the same time, but I can see why they would have Robert be the final one since it really was him/Tony that kicked off this franchise and helped make it as successful as it is now.

Overall, a great time that I think it worked both as an ending for some characters, but made me excited for what is to come for others.  Thanks to the Russo Bros, the writers, Kevin Feige, and the rest of the behind the scenes folks for making this happen.  Thanks to the extremely talent cast for making these characters some of my favorites in film, and special shout outs to both Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr., who will be missed and will always be Captain America and Iron Man to me!

Edited April 26, 2019 by thuganomics85

[xaxat]

I was getting kind of antsy through the heist scenes. But that final third? Holy shit!

My favorite part was when the sorcerers started opening the portals. The various reveals really brought to mind how many characters I have come to know during the decade, and how much time I have invested in their stories. It's been a hell of a ride and, given the scope of the story told, it's pretty amazing how well Marvel stuck the landing.

(My only regret is that Drax didn't get a stab in on Thanos.)

[ChromaKelly]

Saw it and I'm so glad we went on opening night. 

I'll get my negatives out of the way first -
Thor being fat the whole movie. I kind of felt like that was a gag that went on too long. I was hoping when he lightning'ed up he would change back to buff Thor. 
Bruce being half-Hulk, half-Bruce. Same as above. It was kind of distracting.
Steve/Bucky barely interacting. Review upthread shares a lot of my feelings on this. I knew we weren't going to get full-on Stucky, but seriously? A bro-hug and about two sentences was all we got.

All the hell yeah moments were awesome. Cap with the hammer and "I knew it",  the Snapped coming back to enter the battle, Avengers Assemble, I am Ironman. I'm sure I'm forgetting some but it was all great. Time travel and different timeline stuff always confuses me so I just have to go with it. I liked all the banter about time travel movies and how it works. 
Nat's death surprised me. Wondering if she will get out of the soul stone somehow or is that just dead dead. Wasn't surprised about Tony but was still sobbing. Then they got me again with the credits. As much as I do like Captain Marvel, I'm glad she didn't just swoop in and save the day. She was helpful yes, but not in a way that took away from this being primarily an Original Six movie. Loved all the call backs to previous movies, especially the elevator scene.
It was great. Need to see it again to pick up on everything. 

[Dee]

6 hours ago, Cranberry said:

Captain Marvel's hair was amazing.

Yes! Carol looked amazing throughout the film! The short hair is such a great look for her & Brie looked positively refreshed during the final battle. And they even added a bit a blink and you miss it bit of Rhodey/Carol flirtation!

The all female scene was awesome! I particularly liked Hope materializing out of nowhere to make sure she didn't miss a chance to kick some more ass. lol

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Loved the melding of Bruce and Hulk. He was so funny in the scene where he ripped off his shirt and halfheartedly punched a car while saying he found it gratuitous. The scene with kids asking for his autograph was fun, too.

Original Recipe Hulk bitching about taking the stairs had me on the floor!

Edited April 26, 2019 by Dee

[Cobalt Stargazer]

35 minutes ago, thuganomics85 said:

 Not sure what my overall favorite moment was, but judging from my crowd’s reaction, the contenders are a) T’Challa, Shuri, and Okoye’s entrance, b) Danvers wrecking Thanos’ ship like a boss and c) Steve wielding Mjolnir!

A personal favorite of mine was Thanos punching Carol full in the face, and she just looks at him like, "And?" Because he had to use one of the Stones to get her off of him, removing it from the 'new' gauntlet, and I heard someone in my theater say, "Now that was smart." Heh.

I'm still processing. There's a lot to unpack here, maybe even more than from Infinity War.

[Dee]

57 minutes ago, thuganomics85 said:

But I also liked how they still showed the guilt and pain Thor was feeling, and how he was able to overcome everything.

Thor's scenes with Frigga were a great exhibit of how much Hemsworth has grown as an actor.

He emotionally modulated so beautifully when she warmly urged him to open to her, without venturing into camp or going OTT. You could actually see all the accumulated years of Thor's grief and pain just dissipate during their time together.

Just great work from both Russo & Hemsworth.

[Traveller519]

When 2014 Thanos and Gamora (because all the Galaxies use the Christian Calendar thankfully) began accessing 2019 2023 Nebula's memories via 2014 Nebula's hardware my friend whispered in my ear:

"Damn automatic cloud backup, spilling your secrets to your family."

I giggled through the remainder of that scene.

.

I enjoyed Joe Russo playing our audience surrogate in the counselling session. I chose to believe he was splaying the same character as the doctor who saves Fury in the Winter Soldier, which is why he was at Caps group.

.

Finally. A couple more Community cameos. Ken Jeong (non-speaking) and Yvette Nicole Brown looking all sorts of fabulous in 1972!

Edited April 26, 2019 by Traveller519
Cleaned up some editing since it's no longer 3am

[Anduin]

I love the moment when the ship's guns suddenly point upwards. I thought, "What the hell is coming?" Then Carol punches through the ship. Twice. Wonderful moment. Thanos and his people must know about her, if not have had direct confrontations. Maybe she's been causing trouble for him too.

[Jenniferbug]

I saw this last night and really loved it! Random thoughts in no particular order to follow. 

It seemed incredibly fitting that Tony was the one to end things. And Pepper's last words to him were incredibly fitting. As soon as they introduced his daughter, I knew either he was a goner or she was going to be erased in a reset. I did love seeing happy family man Tony. He earned some peace, but of course he was never going to abandon the Avengers and the lost if he could fix it. He's the mechanic, it's what he does.

So let me see if I have this right- Captain Marvel shows up at the compound in her end credits scene, and then they presumably explain what happened and she goes out looking for the rest of their team, finding Tony and Nebula? 

Loved Carol in this too. I really wanted to see her and Fury reunite! I'm bummed they didn't do that. I adore the moment when Thanos head butts her and she just looks at him like "And?" She's terrific.

I'm not sure how to feel about Steve staying in the past with Peggy. I get why he would want to, but I was like "DUDE. Alternate realities". Like, did Peggy still form Shield? Would he really be able to resist warning her about Hydra infiltrating it? Would he really have no role in Shield? Did they have kids? They could have kids my age or maybe even teenage grandkids. How do you explain Cap running around in 2015 in Ultron with his kids and grandkids being like "oh hey, there's dad on the news before he went back in time to hang with mom and have us!" It's weird. But I honestly don't know how else they could have wrapped up his story so I guess it works. It just left me with a lot more questions about the timeline and reality than a resolution really should. 

I'm so glad Hawkeye got his family back. That really was heart breaking for him to lose them all. What I don't understand is why it took 5 years for Natasha to reach out to him? For real? He's her best friend and they don't reach out to him till he's 5 years into his murder spree? (which, while not right, was understandable- why do these terrible people get to live and not his innocent kids? Again, not right, but I could see his viewpoint and why someone like Clint would go for vengeance) I'm assuming at some point they figured out he was alive. I guess I would have liked a scene shortly after the snap where they talk or fight or whatever and he decides to go his own way. Also, dropping a building on him still doesn't kill him, huh? Ok. But as one of about 4 Hawkeye fans, I'm just glad he can retire with his family in peace. 

Natasha seemed like she was barely holding it together the whole movie. I'm a little surprised that she and Bruce never rekindled their relationship in all that time. I appreciate that she took over as leader and coordinating everyone, trying to be everything to everyone. She became the leader of what was left of the Avengers/Guardians similar to Fury leading Shield. I didn't cry when she died, but I honestly thought it would be reversed. I was surprised at the end when she didn't show up.

I also was surprised that Vision wasn't resurrected. We lost more character than I expected, I guess. Natasha, Vision, Loki, Gamora, Tony. 

I liked the Professor Hulk, and think it was a fitting end to his story. He seemed happy in his life. I loved that he tried so hard with the snap. 

I'm not sure what to think about Thor either. I appreciate that he added some comic relief, and goodness knows the guy had been through hell and back so I don't blame him for giving up. But it almost felt like the gag went on too long, and I wanted Thor to snap out of it sooner and go back to being a badass fighter again. 

The end battle was amazing. As soon as Sam said "on your left", my tears started flowing. That was amazing. Everyone left coming together was really everything I could have hoped for. I appreciated that they threw in another female moment, similar to the "she's not alone" from Infinity War. More of this please. More of strong women supporting each other. Thank you, Marvel. 

There are a million other things to say, but I have rambled long enough. I'm seeing it again tonight with my husband so I'm excited to catch more. 

Now to go back and catch up on this thread...

[Anduin]

@Jenniferbug My guess is that Carol knew or could guess where Tony and co had been taken, followed the most obvious path until she found the ship.

[VCRTracking]

To sum up my viewing experience:

Edited April 26, 2019 by VCRTracking

[Dee]

‘Avengers: Endgame’ Soars to Record-Breaking $60 Million Opening in North America

Quote

Disney-Marvel’s “Avengers: Endgame” has opened astronomically in North America with a record $60 million in Thursday night preview showings.

It’s the top domestic preview number of all time, besting “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” at $57 million in 2015. Imax showings scored brought in $4.8 million at 412 locations, the third-highest total of all time.

Anticipation has been sky-high this year for the fourth and final Avengers movie. “Avengers: Endgame” will open in over 4,600 North American theaters this weekend, marking the widest release of any movie at the domestic box office. The current opening weekend record for North America was set a year ago when “Avengers: Infinity War” launched with $257.7 million.

The movie has taken in a stunning $305 million in its first two days of global release in 46 markets, led by a powerful $154 million in China. The Chinese opening day set a record at $107 million. The U.K. is the second-largest international market with $15.3 million, followed by South Korea at $14.2 million and Australia at 13.9 million.

[Grumpymonkey]

I thought endgame was extremely satisfying, with some flaws but you can so overlook the flaws with everything they gave you in this movie.  The big three going up against Thanos and the that final battle scene? I can't even put into words the emotions I felt in the theater. An awesome experience.

I loved all the callbacks, I loved the focus on the originals, and so glad they had humor sprinkled throughout. Time travel confuses me but I just went with it. Cap and the hammer and Avengers Assemble got the loudest cheers in my theater. When Sam said on your left? I think I was crying and super excited at the same time. Everyone coming out of the portals was something to see. Just awesome, awesome, awesome.

I'm going to watch again, to sit and enjoy, I was so nervous watching the first time, I know I had to miss stuff, plus this time I can probably just relax and really soak it in.

I'm going to miss the Avengers I grew up with it, I was bummed leaving the theater knowing this was the end to the characters I enjoyed so very much, but also very grateful for everything. 

[quazimodo]

Just been to see it. 

Even though I pretty much blubbed my way through a lot of it these were the most heartbreaking moments for me:

- Natasha and Tony’s deaths. So heroic and so very fitting for who they both were but still fracking horrible for everyone who has watched them over the last 10 years. The last scene with everyone together was just 😭

- Every moment of  the Thorn and Frigga reunion

Best hell yeah moments

- Steve wielding fracking Mjölnir like a pro

- Carol destroying the ship and kicking Thanos’ assnuntil he cheated and 

- the Marvel ladies all together (need a full team up movie for them please!!)

- Avengers Assemble. That moment was just so emotional and hell yeah at the same time. Seeing the culmination of the last 10 years and everything that The MCU has built and all the characters who are part of this “family” was amazing.  Loved it. 

[Cobalt Stargazer]

4 hours ago, Jenniferbug said:

I'm so glad Hawkeye got his family back. That really was heart breaking for him to lose them all. What I don't understand is why it took 5 years for Natasha to reach out to him? For real? He's her best friend and they don't reach out to him till he's 5 years into his murder spree? (which, while not right, was understandable- why do these terrible people get to live and not his innocent kids? Again, not right, but I could see his viewpoint and why someone like Clint would go for vengeance) I'm assuming at some point they figured out he was alive.

In the scene where Natasha is doing the holo-conference, Rhodey stays online after everyone else has signed off and tells her that some "cartel guys" were found dead in Mexico and he was pretty sure Barton was responsible for it. He says something to the effect of, Do we even want to reach out to him if he's this far gone? With everything they were already dealing with, I can see how she might have wanted to put off trying to talk him down.

[dmeets]

4 hours ago, Jenniferbug said:

I also was surprised that Vision wasn't resurrected. We lost more character than I expected, I guess. Natasha, Vision, Loki, Gamora, Tony. 

I think they left a loophole for Loki, since his 2012 self got away with a Tesseract. Although I wasn't quite following Banner's correction on what time travel does to the past/future. I was also surprised Vision stayed gone; I thought for sure we were going to see the white spectral version.

I get why Sam got the shield instead of Bucky, and I know he'll do great with it, but I'm still a little disappointed, because Sam already had a kick-ass Avengers superhero identity in Falcon. Meanwhile Bucky's still Winter Soldier, which he was given while a brainwashed Hydra assassin.

I hope Disney expands on the premises of WandaVision and Falcon and the Winter Soldier soon. I kind of hope the latter is about the two sharing Cap duties, with the occasional appearance by their mentor, Old Man Rogers.

[Jenniferbug]

9 minutes ago, Cobalt Stargazer said:

In the scene where Natasha is doing the holo-conference, Rhodey stays online after everyone else has signed off and tells her that some "cartel guys" were found dead in Mexico and he was pretty sure Barton was responsible for it. He says something to the effect of, Do we even want to reach out to him if he's this far gone? With everything they were already dealing with, I can see how she might have wanted to put off trying to talk him down.

Right, but that was after the 5 years later point, correct? It just seems very odd to me that they tracked down that Scott was among the missing early on, so presumably checked on Clint too and knew he was alive shortly after the dusting. But he's not there planning with them. Even when Carol shows up and they're going into space to get Thanos and reverse the snap, they don't call him to say "hey, we're going to fix this, wanna help get your family back?" I think it would make a lot more sense to me if he was with them at the Garden, knew the stones were gone and Thanos dead, lost all hope, and then turned into Ronan, which resulted in them being wary of approaching him again. But it seemed like they didn't have contact with him between the dusting and Tokyo. In the grand scheme of the movie, it's a minor thing so I'm not too worked up over it, but to me it feels like there are huge gaps in his narrative between his family being snapped and him rejoining the Avengers. Maybe some of that is being saved for his streaming series? 

[calliope1975]

It's a hand wave but I just figured Clint went off the grid, and while Nat probably could have found him, maybe she let him do his thing for awhile while she began managing the team.

[VCRTracking]

I knew there was going to be time travel in it and like most time travel in movies, books and TV it was  confusing as hell when I started thinking about it afterwards so it's best stop. Nebula shooting her past self and not disappearing indicated that that was an alternate timeline version. So going back and killing baby Thanos would not have worked.

Before the movie I figured they would just undo and reset. Then little Morgan Stark appeared, and managed to outcute young Cassie Lang and I thought "Ohhhh crap. This is complicated now."

As a fan of the Agent Carter show I loved James D'Arcy's Edwin Jarvis cameo.

Also seeing some complaining that Carol is too powerful. There's a reason Superman wasn't on the Justice League for a lot of their history and when he was, writers had to always find a way to weaken him or take him out of the picture early.  Batman also has to be the smartest and most prepared man in the world.

Edited April 26, 2019 by VCRTracking

[xaxat]

The fourteen year old Dungeons and Dragons player in me really wants to roll up a Stormbreaker/Mjolnir dual wield character.

DM "I don't care if it was in the movie! You can't do that!"

[bettername2come]

I enjoyed it. Ah, Tony! Original Recipe Gamora! Natasha! I wanted them to live! And then when Nat died I thought that meant she’d be the only one. 

I’m glad Tony got to have a kid and that we got to see him being an adorable dad. And Pepper got to kick ass! And Peter got his hug! Because they’re there now!  And Cap and Peggy! And he wielded the hammer! And Thor knew it! I loved how the battle went from the Big Three of the MCU to every superhero on Earth so quickly but believably.  

Okay, my big question - so did everybody in Peter’s grade get snapped? Because it looks like all of them are still in high school for in the Far From Home trailer. And they made it clear the five years have really passed.

Edited April 27, 2019 by bettername2come

[DkNNy79]

I plan on bringing lots of tissue to the movie theater.  Expecting to do some serious ugly crying.

[Sakura12]

Just got back. Wow, that was a roller coaster of emotions. So much happened, so many characters, reunions, revivals, deaths and time travel to bring back characters and ALL THOSE CAMEOS I was not expecting. I loved seeing Jarvis from Agent Carter and the Ancient One. They had some great humor lines in there too which are needed in a movie that is this heavy. 

"I get emails from a raccoon, so weird isn't so weird anymore"  or something like that. Lol

"I swear I thought you were a build-a-bear, until a few seconds ago"

Cap picking up Mjolnir got so many cheers from my audience. I also loved that Thor was happy that he could. And then when he gave Cap Mjolnir because he should have the big one and Cap can have the little one. 

I'm also here for King Valkyrie. And the all the woman coming together even though Captain Marvel took down a whole space ship by herself. I did like that Carol held her own against Thanos. (mostly for haters). Thanos headbutted her and she felt nothing. Then the only way to get her off of him was to take one of the stones off and hit her with it. 

Now for the endgame for Tony and Cap. I loved that Cap got to be with and grow old with Peggy (even thought that should probably screw up some thing, but I don't care. They got to have their dance :D) Tony being the one to snap Thanos and his goons away was wow, then him finally getting to rest. I feel bad for his daughter, but I can see being future Ironwoman. Nat's death was a shock to me since everyone only talked about Steve and Tony dying. 

There is still so much to take in, I'm seeing it again next week. 

Edited April 26, 2019 by Sakura12

[Sakura12]

Okay, my big question - so did everybody in Peter’s grade get snapped? Because it looks like all of them are still in high school for in the Far From Home trailer. And they made it clear the five years have really passed.

I was wondering that too. That meant Peter's entire High school got snapped and all their parents and teachers. 

Edited April 26, 2019 by Sakura12

[Sakura12]

Also forgot to add I'm looking forward to the Asgardian Guardian's of the Galaxy. 

[Spartan Girl]

8 hours ago, Jenniferbug said:

I'm not sure how to feel about Steve staying in the past with Peggy. I get why he would want to, but I was like "DUDE. Alternate realities". Like, did Peggy still form Shield? Would he really be able to resist warning her about Hydra infiltrating it? Would he really have no role in Shield? Did they have kids? They could have kids my age or maybe even teenage grandkids. How do you explain Cap running around in 2015 in Ultron with his kids and grandkids being like "oh hey, there's dad on the news before he went back in time to hang with mom and have us!" It's weird. But I honestly don't know how else they could have wrapped up his story so I guess it works. It just left me with a lot more questions about the timeline and reality than a resolution really should. 

Yeah, I hated that that part of the ending. It is such a cheat on so many levels and it retcons EVERYTHING in Agent Carter, parallel timeline or not. So you had to go back to the past for Peggy so you could be happy, Steve? You couldn't just try to move on in the present like you were advising your support group?! Hypocrite. Plus now the stuff with Sharon is weirder now. Thanks a fucking a bunch for caving to the trolls, Russos!

Honestly, I wish Steve had gone down in battle, it would have been much for fitting. At least he got the hammer -- that got a big reaction in my theater.

So everyone just lost 5 years? Okay...

Gripes aside, I loved everything else. Dad Body Thor, BAMF Carol, and the mother of all calvaries with the Dusted League (damn you, Honest Trailers!) and the female Avengers -- give us a spin-off, Marvel!

 RIP Gamora, Nat,Vision, and Loki. And Tony's death broke me. So damn beautiful. But what the hell was that shitbag Ross doing at the funeral?! Hope Professor Hulk threatened him into giving them pardons.

"That is America's ass!" LMAO!

1 hour ago, Sakura12 said:

Also forgot to add I'm looking forward to the Asgardian Guardian's of the Galaxy. 

 As am I!

Edited April 26, 2019 by Spartan Girl

[VCRTracking]

The timelines explored and created in Endgame laid out in this article:

The most controversial thing about ‘Avengers: Endgame’ is going to surprise you [SPOILERS]

[Jenniferbug]

44 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

Yeah, I hated that that part of the ending. It is such a cheat on so many levels and it retcons EVERYTHING in Agent Carter, parallel timeline or not. So Steve had to go back to the past for Peggy so you could be happy? You couldn't just try to move on in the present like you were advising your support group?! Hypocrite. Plus now the stuff with Sharon is weirder now. Thanks a fucking a bunch for caving to the trolls, Russos!

Honestly, I wish Steve had gone down in battle, it would have been much for fitting. At least he got the hammer -- that got a big reaction in my theater.

So everyone just lost 5 years? Okay...

Yes! The Sharon thing occurred to me last night too but I forgot by the time I was posting this morning! That's kinda gross that she's going to grow up with him as her Uncle Steve. Wouldn't she recognize him when they meet later? This is why this time travel doesn't work- because even if his future is in the past, his future in other character's pasts (ie, Sharon). 

I totally agree that I would have preferred Steve to die in battle over Tony. I don't see why Cap- the guy who would lay down on the wire so others can get across- couldn't have snapped so Morgan could grow up with her father. But, I also like the symmetry of Tony beginning and ending the saga. 

[KnotsLanding]

I really enjoyed this. I found it covered so much ground, especially with time travel which allowed them to pay service to so many characters. On the subject of Thor, which I understand will be controversial, I loved it. People grieve in different ways and it is likely someone would give up the way he did and gain weight. I loved that a superhero movie actually took that beyond the joke. He wasn’t instantly cured of his alcoholism and he didn’t suddenly get a six pack. His new reality was his new reality and he had to overcome it to succeed and he did! There’s room for heroes who aren’t perfectly ripped studs and I liked what he brought. It made him feel very human and relatable. Overall I was stunned with how well they handled the overall trauma of what everyone had gone to. 

Even though the movie was long, it didn’t feel long because they included so many different characters. It felt like time well spent. I liked the potential of Thor in an upcoming Gaurdians film as well as the potential for Valkyrie in Thor-land. The Captain America switch makes me excited for the new Falcon tv show which I’m hoping isn’t a prequel and is actually taking off from that big story element.

I’m just happy that in addition to tying everything up that they gave them a pretty blank slate for future films. Eliminating Iron Man, Black Widow and moving a new Captain America to the tv series opens them up to allow the newer heroes to take center stage for the next Avengers film.

[bettername2come]

2 minutes ago, KnotsLanding said:

On the subject of Thor, which I understand will be controversial, I loved it. People grieve in different ways and it is likely someone would give up the way he did and gain weight. I loved that a superhero movie actually took that beyond the joke. He wasn’t instantly cured of his alcoholism and he didn’t suddenly get a six pack. His new reality was his new reality and he had to overcome it to succeed and he did! There’s room for heroes who aren’t perfectly ripped studs and I liked what he brought. It made him feel very human and relatable.

Remember when the internet was lit up with why Thor was just sitting there eating bread in the scene where they first meet Captain Marvel? Now we know he wasn't carbo-loading. He was comfort eating. 

[VCRTracking]

1 hour ago, Spartan Girl said:

Yeah, I hated that that part of the ending. It is such a cheat on so many levels and it retcons EVERYTHING in Agent Carter, parallel timeline or not. So you had to go back to the past for Peggy so you could be happy, Steve? You couldn't just try to move on in the present like you were advising your support group?! Hypocrite. Plus now the stuff with Sharon is weirder now. Thanks a fucking a bunch for caving to the trolls, Russos!

Cap didn't change the timeline. He created an alternate one where he lived the rest of his life in the past with Peggy. Nothing in the past MCU was changed. The stuff in the Agent Carter series still happened. There are now alternate realities where Quill gets knocked out on Morag, Thanos and Nebula are killed and Loki escapes with the Tesseract. Now what's really confusing is how Cap ended up back in the present of the main timeline. He had the Quantum GPS so he could have arrived somewhere else to give Sam his shield.

Edited April 26, 2019 by VCRTracking

[Cobalt Stargazer]

24 minutes ago, KnotsLanding said:

I’m just happy that in addition to tying everything up that they gave them a pretty blank slate for future films. Eliminating Iron Man, Black Widow and moving a new Captain America to the tv series opens them up to allow the newer heroes to take center stage for the next Avengers film.

It also halves the Original Six, which might have been deliberate on the Russos parts given what Thanos had in mind when he hijacked 2019 Nebula's brain.