Avengers: Endgame

THE GIST: Five years have passed since Thanos succeeded in randomly destroying half of all life in the universe. One day, Ant-Man is returned by a fluke from the quantum field in which he had been lost all along, resurrecting the remaining Avengers' hopes with the potential of time travel. Will they be able to reverse Thanos' actions?

Avengers: Endgame is the follow up and conclusion of Avengers: Infinity War and it matches its predecessor's emotional wallop and excellent structural setup.

Marvel Studios have now produced 23 movies in three phases that have only improved with time in terms of production values and whose storylines amazingly and perfectly intertwine with one another to create a full, cohesive whole.

The end of phase three means that there are likely going to be casting changes in the future, which is to be expected (for instance, Captain America is a super-soldier with incredible strength and stamina who heals faster and ages more slowly than an ordinary man; how would you explain Chris Evans's natural aging process?).

(SPOILER ALERT) Most likely, the death of Robert Downey Jr.'s Tony Stark doesn't mean we won't see this character ever again, as the inability to use of one of Marvel's main superheroes (and the one who started it all) would be unfathomable. Someone else will have to be cast as Tony Stark, which might generate a whole new timeline and a whole new cycle. I guess we'll see what the geniuses at Marvel conjure up.

THE BOTTOM LINE: I'm sure you're not thinking of watching this movie without at least having watched the first part, but if you've enjoyed that one you'll love this one too. Make sure to have some tissues handy ... several times ...

Grade: 10