Avengers: End Game - Spoiler Free Review

We will never see a cinematic experience like the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).  Many will try to copy it or emulate its success, but the MCU has been the most-successful, best produced series of films of all-time.  It's truly a marvel (pun intended) to behold.  However, like Avengers: End Game, to understand the present, we must look to the past.

Back in 2008, the world was a different place.  We were nearing the end of the disastrous George W. Bush presidency, and while comic book movies were popular, they still weren't considered essential viewing.  That all changed with a simple phrase... "I am Iron Man."  Robert Downey Jr., then a brilliant but formerly troubled actor, took up the mantle of Tony Stark/Iron Man, and the world was never the same.  Little did we know, but the original Ironman movie would go on to change how we view, not only comic book movies, but the film business in general.

Flash forward 11 years and 22 films later (including a monumental Best Picture nomination for Black Panther), and we are at a landmark moment in American cinema.  Avengers: End Game is the culmination of everything that has come before it and a conclusion to the MCU as we know it.  Sure, others will come after it, but we will never experience something like this current form of the MCU again.  That's not a spoiler, but rather a declarative statement.  End game feels like an and and a beginning and everything in between.  It's a wonder of a film and one of the best large scale blockbusters I have ever seen.

It's going to be hard to make a substantive review of End Game without spoilers, since major plot points start forming right from the get go, but I'll try my best.  End Game starts 5-years after the snap heard round the universe.  Humanity is still reeling from being halved in an instant, and this includes the remaining Avengers.  They're a group without a purpose and it's taking their effect.  I like how this film deals with a supposedly invincible group suffering its first major loss.  It makes for interesting character growth.  They're still searching for Thanos and looking for a way to avenge (see what I did there?) their friends and families.  Unfortunately, any more than that and we're canon-balling our way into the spoiler zone.  I will say this.  Thor steals this movie.  His full-on turn into comedy continues here and it's truly a sight to behold. 

I'm giving End Game 3.99 stars out of 4.  It's one of the best superhero movies ever made and it is the perfect capper to this run of MCU films.  At 3-hours, it could rub some people as overstuffed, but I didn't mind it one bit.  It ties together old story lines and current ones.  Its largely self-aware, but not in a way that damages the story.  It's an absolute delight to see.  Bravo to the entirely MCU team and the Russo brothers for pulling this off.

I'll give you one spoiler, though.  There is NOT a post-credit scene, so if your butt is going numb after 3+ hours, feel free to head out during the credits.

'Shazam!' Shows DC Isn't Afraid To Have Fun

If you could have one super power, what would it be?  We've all asked it.  We've all thought about it.  And that's essentially what Shazam! boils down to.  Fulfilling a childhood dream.  It's light, bright and fun throughout... essentially the exact opposite of the first run of DC Extended Universe (DCEU) films.  It was an absolute delight to sit through.  It knows it's silly, and it totally embraces it.

Shazam! fixes the biggest issue that people have had with the DCEU films to date... namely, that they're too dark and brooding.  I don't think this film could have worked had it adapted a serious tone.  This film tells the story of an orphan who happens to stumble upon a secret wizard lair, only to inherit all the wizard's strengths and powers.  There's one catch.  He appears as an adult version of himself and wears a silly suit and cape.  Zachary Levi shines as the superhero version of Shazam.  He plays the character with a child's sense of wonder and naivete.  He has to learn all of his superpowers, so we are treated to multiple "training" sequences.  Each funnier than the last.  The only downside to the endless training montages is that they really cut into the run time of the movie.  As with most DCEU films, the main villain is underdeveloped and (in my opinion) doesn't get enough screen time.  The final fight doesn't feel like it has the weight behind it that it should.  The other, non-Shazam, members of the cast are mostly serviceable.  They fill their roles nicely, but aren't anything to write home about.  This is really Zachary Levi's movie and he does a great job with it.

My complaints about this film are minimal, since it's so much damn fun.  It's a breath of fresh air to the superhero genre the way Guardians Of The Galaxy was.  In a way, it feel like a PG-13 rated Deadpool.  It's very aware of its own silliness, however it's not as self-reflective as Deadpool.

I'm giving Shazam! 3.1 stars out of 4.  There's a couple post-credit scenes to stick around for that set up the next film.  It's a barrel of laughs in a world that needs them.  Definitely check this one out.