175. Avengers - End Game; movie review

AVENGERS - END GAME
Cert 12A
181 mins
BBFC advice: Contains moderate violence

That was awesome!
Anyone who reads this blog will be aware that I am not a fanatical devotee of superhero films and am disappointed that they seem to have taken over the cinema calendar.
However, I have never known three hours go more quickly than they did during Avengers - End Game.
The Avengers franchise was brought stunningly to a close with fabulous action, great storytelling and superb contributions by a Hollywood hall of fame.
I was apprehensive ahead of Anthony and Joe Russo's blockbuster because of the superlatives thrown around on social media but, for once, a mainstream movie met the hype.
Over recent years I have become frustrated at the way franchise movies have presumed knowledge, not taking into account those of us who have might have forgotten nuances from previous episodes, often after they were released several years previously.
The great skill of the makers of this film was their stealth in laying out reminders so that everyone could enjoy the movie.
This was all the trickier because they were not just linking to one picture or even one character - they had to bring in the back stories of a legion of superheroes.
Avengers End Game begins three weeks after Thanos (Josh Brolin) has snapped his fingers using the infinity stones to kill half of life across the universe.
Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) rescues Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) from deep space and they join up with the surviving Avengers, Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo), Captain America (Chris Evans), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), The Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and James Rhodes (Don Cheadle).
Under the guidance of Nebula (Karen Gillan), they find Thanos and oops... I was just about to throw our a spoiler.
Five years later, with everyone a bit down in the dumps because humanity is on its backside, Ant Man (Paul Rudd) emerges with a plan to create a time machine and go back to a time before Thanos killed their pals.
And so it begins... the fights, the gags, the sadness and the counting of the movie stars.
The fans in the IMAX screen at Nottingham Cineworld lapped it up, laughing in all the right places and even sobbing when emotions were raw (Miss W said she shed tears three times when she watched it).
I was unexpectedly engrossed, buying into the Marvel characters like never before.
The only caveat I have surrounds the time travel strand which prompts what appeared to be continuity issues.
Never mind, Avengers - End Game will be the most successful movie of all time at the box office and is a cracker.

Reasons to watch: The best superhero film in recent years
Reasons to avoid: Time machine continuity errors

Laughs: Three for us more for others in the audience
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 9.5/10

Did you know? As a teenager, Brie Larson, all-action Captain Marvel, was a singer and released an album entitled : "Finally Out of P.E.”

The final word. Joe Russo: "The thing we’re most proud of is how diverse the Marvel universe will be, moving forward. The first gay hero is coming, characters of different nationalities are going to be introduced—it’s going to pull the entire world into the story."

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