The Infinity Saga is a cinematic triumph. The solo films that began the franchise were a big success, cementing a timeless formula for translating comic books to the screen, and after The Avengers successfully brought all the characters and their backstories together, the sky became the limit.
In 2018, after 18 films, Avengers: Infinity War finally brought the series to its long-awaited finale in spectacular fashion. 2019's Avengers: Endgame was the cherry on top, a conclusion to Infinity War and a nostalgic celebration of the saga. But as brilliant as it was, it was nothing like any of the films that preceded it.
Storytelling: Pro
Good storytelling is a feature the MCU often sacrifices for the greater good. With such a wealth of material to adapt and squeeze into feature-length, secondary storylines and characters are often overlooked.
But even with the many, many moving parts - something Infinity War couldn't handle - Endgame managed to weave all the action and characters and time travel free-for-all into an emotional and compelling story. The scene with Nebula and War Machine is the best example; effortlessly weaving nostalgia, comedy, and character together before seamlessly driving the story to the next scene and pulling the rug out from under us.
Continuity: Con
While the sudden changes made for an outstanding movie, they weren't all consistent with the series up until that point. The tone, for one, was a lot darker and contemplative, which contradicted the light-hearted comic book style the MCU had perfected.
Even with the introduction of Thanos Infinity War managed to remain tonally consistent, with just the characters forced to take everything more seriously, whereas Endgame demanded the same thing of the audience.
Character: Pro
Endgame's aforementioned excellent storytelling was completely character-driven, as all good storytelling is, and as a result, it was one of the few MCU movies to do the iconic characters justice in terms of humanity and their internal conflicts. Characters like Tony Stark and Thor went on harrowing emotional journeys, and Nebula was exquisitely utilized and explored.
And for once, the MCU knew how to use Captain America, without cheating how powerful he is physically. He holds back from the Thanos confrontation until he's pinned down by the more powerful Avengers, acting as the general, knowing how best to utilize everyone including himself.
Depth: Con
If the list was about how good a film Endgame was, the film's depth and thoughtful nature would be a pro, but the list is about whether Endgame was a good ending for the series as a whole, and the tonal shift was very jarring so late in the franchise.
The table football scene between Iron Man and Nebula tells us everything we need to know about the characters and where they're at instantly; 2 minutes in and it was already the most subtle and character-driven MCU movie by leaps and bounds. But it was too much too late, at times feeling like it was part of some other franchise altogether.
Emotion: Pro
There were multiple moments of real emotion dotted throughout Endgame. Cap catching Mjolnir in the final fight is one of the most emotional moments in the entire series, and it's a lot harder to evoke tears from joy than it is from tragedy.
Not that Endgame's tragic elements should be sniffed at, particularly the memorable soul stone scene. Endgame handled the emotional aspects a lot better than Infinity War and brought some raw feeling the MCU had been missing since Thor tried and failed to lift his hammer in 2009.
Impact: Con
Thanos was the biggest antagonist of the Infinity Saga, and his pursuit of the infinity stones was well-developed throughout the story. His actions in Infinity War turned the universe, and therefore the MCU, on its head.
But Endgame's solution was so thorough - ie making the last movie's plot completely unhappen - that when you think about it, the whole infinity stones rigamarole ultimately had zero impact on the MCU. It may as well have all been a dream...
Action: Pro
Infinity War raised the MCU's action game, with some truly spectacular fight scenes, but Endgame went even further, bringing some subversion into the action. The best example of this kind of subversive action has to be the badass and emotional fight-to-the-suicide between Hawkeye and Black Widow.
As well as being emotional, Cap catching Mjolnir is also the most downright awesome moment in the saga, saying so much without saying anything at all, just like paper football but this time incorporated into the action. It also demonstrates just how formidable Cap is proportionately - the way Bruce Wayne can easily kick Clark Kent's ass when he's suffering from mortality.
Denouement: Con
After a cinematic journey that ticked all the boxes, Endgame's denouement was disappointing. As with The Return Of The King, the post-climax scenes were necessary to tie up various loose ends and character arcs. After Cap gets zapped back in time once more to restore the balance, Hulk is unable to bring him back.
It seems like the perfect cliffhanger to lead us into the next age of the MCU, but instead, we got the incredibly cheesy Cap ending. Good for him I suppose, but his decision also didn't jive with his well-established sense of duty and honor. From what we're shown he'd be more likely to run away and start a new life with Bucky.
Music: Pro
As well as bringing back - and maybe overusing, a little - his classic Avengers theme, Alan Silvestri also threw down a beautiful original score for Endgame. It was more orchestral and emotive than previous scores and drew a lot of attention to itself due to being undeniably cheesy and melodramatic.
But that is exactly the kind of score the MCU needs. One of Silvestri's themes even nods to Philip Doyle's Thor soundtrack, which probably has the best thematic material of any non-avengers films in the series. The decade in between the 2 movies was sorely lacking in memorable MCU scores.
Knowing Its Place: Con
Endgame was a brilliant movie, and rose from the ashes of what no-one wanted to admit was a franchise losing its steam. As a movie in its own right, it's one of the best to come out of the MCU, but as a superhero movie, and an epilogue to the MCU series, it's a little unsettling. Ultimately, for all its charm, it was simply too good.
You want to recommend it to non-MCU fans but nearly every one of the 22 movies they'd have to watch first doesn't do Endgame justice, and if their goal is solely to watch good movies you'll probably lose them somewhere in phase 2.