WARNING: There are spoilers in this review. 

Ending on a high note that brings closure while also sealing up an important phase in the franchise, “Avengers: Endgame” succeeds in blending elements of sentimentality, science-fiction and classic hero vs. villain action.

Following the intergalactic massacre at the end of “Infinity War,” “Endgame” kicks off with the remaining heroes – Iron Man, Black Widow, the Hulk, Nebula, Captain America, Rocket, Thor, Captain Marvel and James Rhodes – attempting to rally together to restore life in the universe. When they corner Thanos on a lone planet, however, he reveals that he has destroyed the Infinity Stones. With no other alternative in the present realm, the Avengers turn to time travel via the quantum realm, resulting in a scramble across history to collect all six stones. Upon returning back to the present, the Avengers are able to successfully revive everyone Thanos killed, but they quickly find that he has found a way back, resulting in a massive showdown between the heroes and Thanos’s army from the past.    

As usual, Marvel delivers in terms of its trademarked humor. One of the more hilarious bits is that between the two films, Thor has transformed into a hairy, beer-bellied couch potato who must be torn away from his Fortnight gaming before he helps save the universe. Another honorable mention is when Captain America runs into his former self in the past and is mistaken for a disguised Loki, resulting in a hilarious fight.  

Rather than providing a non-stop action experience such as in “Infinity War,” “Endgame” touches more upon character relationships and sentimentality. For instance, Tony Stark and Marvel fans alike get a bit of closure when Stark meets his father in the past and shares a serious discussion regarding fatherhood, allowing the two of them to connect on a level they would have never imagined. Also, the relationships between Hawkeye and Black Widow, Thor and his mother and, of course, Rocket and Thor, are allowed to mature further.

While Endgame focuses more on emotions, it doesn’t come without breathtaking action sequences. There is one notable moment when Thor, Captain America and Iron Man take on Thanos alone amidst the ruins of the Avengers headquarters. With fires blazing around them and the rest of New York City in ruins, the scene takes on an epic, post-apocalyptic vibe that is accentuated by dark lighting, visual effects and a killer score. Overall, the production quality of the CGI is stellar and integrates the humans with the aliens perfectly.

The film does seem slow at times, especially during scenes exploring character relationships. “Endgame” is over three hours long and provides high-quality action scenes, which makes its relationship parts excusable and, for the most part, necessary. Without the relationship aspect, “Endgame” would have left many Marvel fans dissatisfied. After all, the film is essentially an entanglement of superheroes whose relationships have been built across the span of many films.

Overall, “Endgame” provides the perfect ending to the Thanos saga of Avengers, and while it may lack the constant edge-of-your-seat thrills of “Infinity War,” it makes up for this by solidifying character relationships and allowing all the blood, sweat and tears invested in the characters to culminate into one final battle.