Avengers: Endgame

As Dr. Strange said last year in Infinity War, "We're in the Endgame now."

Actually, no. Avengers: Endgame may sound like the end, but it's not completely. Spidey comes back in a few months in Spider-Man: Far From Home. A few Marvel sequels and newcomers appear in the next few years. And who knows what else?

Let's give Strange some credit. These next Marvel movies will come with a new status quo. Let's read why ... and not give away too much.

Thanos the Mad Titan fulfilled his master plan to assemble the six Infinity Stones and dust off half the universe. The Avengers, and Captain Marvel, assemble to take down Thanos, get the Stones back and undo his mess. But Thanos already destroyed the Stones. Uhh...

Five Years Later, Ant-Man suddenly returns from the mysterious Quantum Realm. His time there gives The Avengers an idea to clean up the cosmic mess. They'll just go back in time, swipe the Infinity Stones, come back to the present and wish back the dead. Easy?

No. Among other issues, Black Widow and Hawkeye learn the price for obtaining one stone, while Ant-man, Captain America and Iron Man find their stone quests complicated by themselves, and evil follows them to the present.

The film's gargantuan length of 182 minutes sounds intimidating. But it's worth every minute. The first act lets The Avengers reflect on their lives as they cope with the mess. We're introduced to such sights as an overweight Thor and a smarter Hulk (long story). The second act splits up our heroes as they go back to The Avengers, Thor: The Dark World, and Guardians of the Galaxy to find the Infinity Stones. The third act is one last battle with the Mad Titan and his Army. It must be seen to be believed.

So what stands out? Directors Anthony and Joe Russo and their technical and story Marvels deserve praise for syncing the new story with the previous movies. The past characters don't look any older than they did then. The editing is just great. "The Avengers" part gives a nice expansion of the story post final battle. Iron Man, Captain America and Ant-Man's trip to the 70's gives us one last Stan Lee cameo. The new insights into Thanos almost makes me want to take back any benefit of the doubt I had last time. And, of course, the final battle gives everyone much to do.

Avengers: Endgame, more than any other Marvel movie, requires knowledge of the past 21 movies. Even if said knowledge is to know where certain characters come from. Those films all built up to its final battle and it's worth every minute. The resolutions to its long standing characters are sentimental and powerful. It provides some ideas on where to take the next films. But how will they top this galaxy-spanning adventure? Then again...

Oh, and go home once the credits start. There's nothing during or after the credits. You can stay if you want, though. You'll hear more of Alan Silvestri's score if you do.