By Usha Sookai, Staff Writer

Avengers: Endgame is a “once in a generation event” that was worth the wait. The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) broke barriers yet again and fans around the world felt the impact; the action and emphasis on emotion and character development take fans on an epic journey.

Endgame takes place after Infinity War, where the Avengers, still split up, are navigating a post-snap universe. They’re all in different places, evidently dealing with the trauma of the snap in different ways. Over the course of 3 hours, these characters come together after spending some time apart and get satisfying ends to their character arcs.

Going into it, it’s best to have seen at least a few MCU movies in order to understand the infinity stones, the Avengers’ dynamics and the significance of each arc. The more you know, the better it is.

This movie is spectacular, from the characters’ journeys, and the visual effects, to the acting and the score. Every element enhances another, though there are a few moments that feel out of place.

Unlike Avengers: Infinity War, this is definitely the Avengers’ movie. Most of the movie focuses on how they’re dealing with the aftermath, as opposed to Thanos’ perspective. Thanos is also written differently and is less sympathetic than he was in Infinity War.

The highlights of the first and second acts are the scenes that develop the relationships between these characters and show their individual growth. These moments can be jarring and surprising, while others explore things referenced in previous movies. Because of this, parts of the first two acts can seem slow and even boring; there are fewer action scenes and more emotional ones. For longtime Marvel fans, these scenes hit home. They bring back a sense of nostalgia and appreciation for the characters as the directors show moments that we’ve waited years for.

The third act packs a lot of excitement and emotion and includes the best final battle and grand entrances that the MCU has to offer. It is the pinnacle of the movie, where the Avengers take a final stand against the Mad Titan, Thanos.

After the battle, we see a few character arcs come to a close. Many of these conclusions are satisfying, especially for dedicated fans. However, some other endings and arcs are more controversial, and seem a bit out of character, though there is evidence through the film that foreshadows each one.

In retrospect, their strategy to solve the problem can be confusing, and executing the plan takes up a large portion of the movie. At times, details on logistics are left out in favor of emotional scenes, creating more confusion. This also leads to moments of convenient storytelling, where things just seem to work out.

Comedic scenes also provide relief from some of the more serious moments, but they lead to sudden, at times disorienting tone changes through the movie.

Overall, Avengers: Endgame is special for how it handles emotion and so many characters at once. Each major character has moments to shine, especially the women of the MCU. Despite the emotional weight, it has the comedy that we’ve come to expect from Marvel sprinkled throughout the film and references galore from previous movies as a gift to fans who’ve followed these characters for years.

With phenomenal acting and storytelling, the Russo Brothers do a fantastic job with ending a 10 year, 22 movie saga with Avengers: Endgame, in a satisfying and at times heartbreaking conclusion.