Avengers: Endgame proves to be the ultimate culmination for a shared cinematic universe that has defied expectation, directors Anthony and Joe Russo delivering a grand, clever and heartfelt blockbuster sure to enthral its audience.

Since the time George Lucas delivered an adventure tale based in a galaxy far, far away, the film franchise has been a fixture in cinema. Many an action adventure saga has played out on the big screen, yet none has matched what the Marvel Cinematic Universe has achieved: 11 years; 21 films; billions in box-office revenue; and the ascension of the superhero movie as king of the multiplexes. Throughout it all the MCU maintained a consistent narrative thread that now ends with the suitably titled Avengers: Endgame.

Continuing from the events in Avengers: Infinity War, the films begins with Earth licking its wounds after tyrannical alien warlord Thanos (Josh Brolin) wiped out half of existence in order to achieve “balance” in the universe. A broken, beaten, and scarred Avengers team, along with new addition Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), and returning heroes Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Ant-man (Paul Rudd), put together an audacious plan to not only avenge those turned to dust, but bring them back whole.

Directors Anthony and Joe Russo, along with screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, deliver a rather brilliant and non-stop entertaining journey through time, space, and the worlds in between. Avengers: Endgame has much fun delving into its back catalogue of hits, offering a remix or two that that the many fans of the series will get a kick out of. Excellent visual effects work provided by the likes of Industrial Light and Magic, Framestore, and Weta Digital (amongst many others) is astounding, with the digital de-ageing effects especially continuing to impress.

A smattering of action sequences both of the mano-a-mano and large sized battle variety are impressively choreographed and executed, with one hell of a final stand, all out action assault between the sides of good and evil exactly the kind of bombastic, fantastic, and enthusiastic larger than life cinema experience that many would gladly spend their hard earned on.

A big cast put on their A-game with turns both engaging and surprising, with many a character twist providing much dramatic meat for this huge ensemble of thesps to chew on. Highlights include Jeremy Renner who damn near steals every scene he is in with his mix of badassery and anguish; Chris Hemsworth who once again proves his comedic chops are just as strong as his hammer swinging bravado; and Chris Evans who delivers a turn both heroic and melancholy.

At 181 minutes there is a lot to consume with Avengers: Endgame. Despite its length this is an action blockbuster that flows well, pulling off a balancing act between the large and the intimate, the funny and the dramatic, and a pulsating, emotionally rich heart that will give all kinds of feels to those who have invested into those 11 years, 21 films, and contributed to those billions in box-office revenue. Superb superhero movie entertainment, Avengers: Endgame is an epic conclusion to an epic film franchise.