Yes, with a big America’s “ass” for “assemble”, Greg. Let’s recap.

Five years later, Scott Lang (Paul Rudd, aka Ant-Man) emerges from quantum space where he has been trapped. For him, though, it felt like five hours, giving him the idea of using quantum physics to allow The Avengers to time-travel back to various periods in the past when Thanos was collecting the various infinity stones. In doing so, the Avengers will prevent Thanos from getting the stones and using them to obliterate half of all life in the universe.

Greg, Avengers: Endgame is more than a movie — it is an event, a spectacle, a comprehensive animated encyclopedia of iconic Marvel superhero characters over the past 80 years. The film is packed with fun and frenzy, and is also dripping with heart and soul. It’s first half was slow and character-driven, while its second half sizzled with action, resolution, and some satisfying surprises. It’s beyond the scope of our review to adequately describe the full grandeur of Endgame nor can we give it its full deserving treatment. All we can say is: This movie kicks some serious, notable ass.

One of the many things I liked about Endgame was its emphasis on the heroic theme of life transitions. Life-ending closure, as experienced by Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, is a very mature theme that the vast majority of superhero movies avoid, but here we are witnessing the death of one iconic superhero as well as the life-fulfilling geezering of Captain America. Both these men’s long, full lives reinforce the utility of our finite and limited existence, as well as the need for rest after we’ve fulfilled our calling. Clearly, the Marvel universe is not content to stagnate and is preparing itself – and its audience — for all the inevitable growth, evolution, and demise that all of us must experience and accept.

This year we’re reviewing and evaluating “the message” of the movies, and Endgame has its share of explicit messages. We hear such dialogue as “the measure of a hero lies is their ability to become their true self”, “What you most want is also what you most fear,” and “That’s America’s ass.” An absurdist interpretation of this film’s emphasis on Steve Rogers’ ass, one that Marvel might appreciate with a wink, is that all things must come to an “end”, that The Avengers are putting Thanos “behind” them, and that Cap-America is sent to a date “posterior” to the present time.

But the implicit messages of Endgame are far more intriguing to ponder. Life, it seems, is a team effort. No one saves themselves alone, and no one saves the world alone. If ever a movie drove home the necessity of world community engagement in solving the world’s deepest problems, this movie does. If only we had the global leadership today, and the global call to collaboration and cooperation that this film says is possible as our world faces the spectre of life-ruining climate change, tyranny, and tribalism that infects us all. Where are the Iron Men, the Captain Marvels, and the Captain Americas that we need to rally everyone toward cooperative problem-solving today?

Avengers: Endgame has earned every penny of its 1.2 billion-dollar opening weekend. Greg, I don’t even pretend to fully understand the massive appeal of this film. The theater I was in was sold-out, packed to the rafters, and buzzing with energy, joy, and rapture for three whirlwind hours. Frankly, I’ve never seen anything like it. And quite honestly, I need more time to digest how Endgame so effectively and entertainingly has created a gestalt where the “whole” is head and shoulders greater than the sum of its parts. If you’re a fan of the Marvel universe, it doesn’t come any better than this, and I’m curious how and where – with the bar set so high now – Marvel goes from here. Like you, Greg, I give this epic movie the full 5 Reels out of 5.

Can a movie have too many heroes? Apparently this film is an exception to the rule that too many cooks spoil the superhero broth. This nexus of superbeings can seemingly never be equaled, nor should Marvel try to. If there is a flaw in the film, it may be that superheroic quantity can clash with quality, although that’s a debatable quibble given the solid storytelling of Starks’ and Rogers’ life-arcs coming to a satisfying close. Because the heroic storylines are spread a little thin among the dozens of heroes, I’m giving this mega-hero ensemble 4 Hero points out of 5.

I’ve already discussed the possible messages of Endgame and so suffice to say we’re left with some meaty issues to ponder about the nature of good and evil, as well as how good should be able to defeat evil. I was impressed with how Marvel injects some heartwarming humanity into superbeings that transcend humanity. I award this film 4 Message points out of 5.

Movie: Message: Heroes: