«Avengers: Endgame» puts the cart before the horse

Avengers: Endgame concludes the Avengers' adventure against the fearsome Thanos. In this film, we find the recipe that has made Marvel's reputation: a big spoonful of action, a dash of humor, a few famous figures (a little too many), then mix it all up with some epic music and, above all, don't forget the superheroes! But if you try to go too fast and do too much, you'll end up losing your breath.

A promising start

Half the world disappeared overnight. Relatives, friends, children. It's pain and sadness that surround the beginning of the film with a cold, dark envelope. The Avengers have been defeated by Thanos, and they can't all accept their defeat.

«Everybody learns differently and everybody gets to a certain point from a different direction.» Stan Lee

We see in turn how everyone has lost hope, resigned themselves to the situation or turned to violence. The characters, like us as viewers, mourn the end of’Avengers: Infinity War. This suffocating atmosphere finally reveals the humanity of superheroes, not their beauty, strength or courage. And that's something we really appreciate! After all, it's because they're human (or almost human) that we love them. The whole beginning of the film wisely takes the time to set the scene, a dark and bitter one. I had high hopes for the film, seeing how mourning suits Marvel so well... but if you don't want something natural, you'll get it!

Read also: Avengers: Infinity War, a blockbuster with a sense of humor

It was too good to be true. After a sublime opening... wham! It's a cascade of action, humor, pointless references, clichés, characters, places and quotas that spills out on all sides. Too much, too much, too much: there's too much! too! The time taken up at the beginning suddenly speeds up and the script doesn't keep up. It becomes too complex, the stories intertwine, events follow one another far too quickly, and the multiple time travels don't help matters. The film loses quality, and that's a real shame.

Five years have passed since the defeat of the Avengers. Suddenly, like deus ex-machinas, Captain Marvel and then Ant-Man appear, providing solutions and solving problems that have gone unsolved for five long years with a snap of the fingers. First of all, we try to find out where Thanos is hiding, then we try to create a time machine to prevent him from dissipating half of the Earth's population, then we have to go and find the Infinity Stones in different eras, etc., etc... The plots are such that it's not surprising that the film lasts three hours. And yet it doesn't seem to be long enough...

Stifled sincerity

The rare moments of real sincerity are drowned out by the excessive flow of the script. Yes, some sequences are pure and devoid of superficiality. In fact, the absence of music allows the emotions to fully express themselves, even bringing a tear to our eye in the process. Unfortunately, these moments are quickly swept aside in favor of jokes and humor that are a little forced, which is regrettable.

It's also about dealing with current social issues. Whether it's ethnic differences, sexual preferences or feminism, society offers plenty of material for portrayal. But if you're going to do it, you'd better do it with finesse, or you'll end up looking ridiculous. One could easily point the finger at the film's sequences dedicated to societal themes. They're so crudely done that we fall into absurdity every time.

For example, let's talk feminism. Instead of showing women fighting alongside men at equal strength, the film takes a few minutes to show us how women also manage to fight without the help of men. All with the help of punchlines that I didn't even take the time to note. As if the viewer was too stupid to understand, the film had to highlight the strength of the women with words and a sequence that was, in my opinion, totally unnecessary and overplayed.

A se thordre to laugh

I've already mentioned the film's somewhat forced gags. However, I'd still like to come back to a character who, in my opinion, carries the humorous aspect of the film all by himself: Thor. We know him, he's handsome, he's strong, he's sometimes a bit stupid, but above all he's hyper-confident. Well, all those certainties we had about Odin's son are about to crumble in Thor. Avengers Endgame.

Thor is unrecognizable. His appearance is so at odds with our idea of a deity that even in sad sequences where the gag isn't intended, he makes us laugh. His mere presence is comical. For once, we have a character who isn't portrayed as a beauty canon, in tight, tailored clothes that reflect his bulging protein muscles. I salute the actor, Chris Hemsworth, for his performance and for the self-mockery he displays throughout the film. For once, an actor who doesn't take the piss and dares to be ugly, dirty and, above all, weak.

Write to the author: melisa-orl@hotmail.com

Photo credit: © Marvel Studios