I don’t suppose it would be appropriate to say too much about Avengers: Endgame.  Caught an early showing late this afternoon.  It was a “fan event,” so I walked away with a cool popcorn tub and a metal coin.  It was nice to get done an hour earlier than the other early showings, too (if only because of parking and traffic).

So what can I say?  Well, here goes:

1. It’s risky.  Much like the absence of the Hulk for most of Infinity War, there are a number of things that stand out as “huh, can’t believe they did that.”  And it really works.
2. It’s funny.  Maybe not as funny as Infinity War, but that makes sense.  The stakes are even higher in this movie.  But it’s just funny enough.  Some great one-liners for sure.  But there are also some great movie-long gags that were good to revisit.
3. It’s appropriate in scope.  This really is the end of a major phase of storytelling.  And it feels like they left everything on the court.  It helps that the scale is also intimate in the sense that the cast is relatively small (some might say half the size as normal).  But boy is the movie big, too.
4. It’s balanced.  I had fears of characters like Captain Marvel acting as deus ex machina.  What’s funny is how the movie plays into those expectations.  So not only was the scope appropriate, the balance of characters worked to its advantage.  Every character gets a moment (or two) to shine.
5. It’s over.  The sense of closure at the movie’s end is nice and well-earned.  And while a few new doors have been opened, there’s also a strong sense of Endgame being as much a victory lap as anything else.  The movie owes a lot to Infinity War while being its own thing.  And that works to the story’s advantage.  When the screen fades to black for the final time, you’re okay with it.  Rest has been earned.

It will be interesting to see how the general movie-going population responds to the movie.  It’s a fast 3 hours.  It hits all the right notes.  It will also be interesting to see how it holds up to multiple viewings.