This review will be spoiler free using only information that viewers of previous Marvel Cinematic Universe films, particularly Avengers: Infinity War  are aware of.

When I reviewed Infinity War  I said that I had to withhold final judgment on that film as it presented only the first half of a story and it would not be until the next film presented a conclusion that I could have an informed opinion about its artistic merits. Taken together the two movies give us a five hour plus ending chapter for the first decade of the gran experiment, the MCU, that started with Iron Man   and surprisingly it pays off.

Endgame  opens shortly after the Avengers shattering defeat at the fingers of Thanos that resulted in the sudden obliteration of half of all life in the universe. Faced with their failure and wracked with the guilt both as heroes who were unable to stop the mass slaughter and as survivors the Avengers and the other surviving superheroes deal with, and in some cases in manners that are quite unhealthy, the various phases, stages, and, manifestations of grief. Eventually a plan is hatched and the second act of the film launches out beloved characters into action that is meaningful to each character on a personal level, advances their goal of trying to salvage something from the wreckage of the universe, and pays services to nearly every previous movie in this amazing franchise. This complicated, and at times emotionally devastating act takes it time deepening character and giving us even more to grieve and to love in their journeys before opening on a third act and massive set piece battle — it is not a spoiler to say that a *superhero* film ends with a third act battle — that dwarfs anything achieved by any MCU feature. Endgame   concludes with denouement that provides closure on the storyline that require it and revealing the path forward for the massive cinematic juggernaut.

Leading up to the film’s release much ink and discussion revolved around the feature’s three hour running time but in my opinion the writers and directors earned their massive size. Endgame  does not suffer from bloat, it juggles a dizzying number of plot lines each with several characters to manage and that’s before you reach the third act that features the intersection and conclusion of all those narrative arcs and plots. A massive project unlikely to be equaled for another decade Avengers: Endgame  delivers the good to a fan base that Marvel Studios have been building ever since that rolled the dice on a B-level hero with an actor that many had thought had ruined his career to create not only a wildly successful franchise but a culture defining series of stories and characters that will be with us and inspire us for decades to come. If you are fan of this experiment in long form saga storytelling that Marvel has given us do not miss Endgame, this is not one to wait for home video.