If anyone knows me, I am much of a jokester about the Marvel Cinematic Universe and make puns on the sameness of all of the movies and the fans that only arrive in droves to see these movies and nothing else. As someone who journeys to film festivals and is at the movies 3-4 times a week to see all the new releases, it’s somewhat funny to see people go crazy over every single Marvel movie where, let’s face it, . Even the previous AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR felt more “Plot” than “Storytelling” where we were seeing a Plot Delivery Device rather than a real movie. I arrived to this new AVENGERS with a bit of trepidation, especially after the disappointing CAPTAIN MARVEL earlier this year.
This is not the case with AVENGERS: ENDGAME, where I really think they saved the best for last. The culmination of many movies over 10 years ends with a bang, featuring a LOT of superhero characters, too many to name, all banding together to save the day against adversity from Thanos the evil bad guy. There’s time travel, some great comedy and action sequences that rival even some of the best sequences of the LORD OF THE RINGS movies, while also having some of the most beautiful, intimate moments of anything you will see this year; the final scenes, especially, are incredibly emotional and have every reason to be there.
It’s big, it’s grand and even at three hours in length, there is not a moment wasted. Both with the theatrical presentation along with this Blu Ray release, you are immediately drawn into the complex characters, storytelling and visual delight.
ABOUT THE BLU RAY: Surprising to few, this is pretty much the most perfect release of AVENGERS: ENDGAME that you could ask for and an instant addition to your home collection. Both the 4k and Blu Ray releases are state of the art with a stunning 2.39:1 scope image (though I’m surprised, as the movie was shot for digital IMAX cinemas in a 1.90 aspect ratio, that this version wasn’t presented on this release) that has such a depth of eye-popping colors and contrast that even exceeded the theatrical presentation I saw earlier this summer. The Dolby Atmos and digital soundtracks are replete with powerful surrounds, deep bass and natural sounding dialogue. Note that there is also a 4k iTunes code here, which I sampled, and as well is a breathtaking presentation.
WHAT ELSE IS INSIDE: On the bonus features front, there is a LOT to unpack here. Fresh off its re-release bonus content in theaters, my favourite feature here is a tribute to the late, great Stan Lee from the cast and crew. There are also some deleted scenes (which I am never a fan of personally) featuring varying unfinished effects work, some featurettes featuring character-based behind the scenes footage featuring Iron Man and Captain America, a gag reel and various other bit features. I really liked how these were basic but nicely rounded out the presentation to support the feature film, which is the star here.
OVERALL: This is one of my very favourite Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, and it fully restored my faith in the franchise and these movies. AVENGERS: ENDGAME surprisingly made me excited to check out the next movie instead of being afraid that it would just be the same movie over again. My only wish to film fans? Please see these movies AND other ones in theaters! This is just a great example of the many, many great movies making the rounds theatrically right now. The presentation by Disney on this Blu Ray is also first class, featuring a breathtaking picture and audio presentation with nice, but not overdone, special features of the movie. If you are a fan of the movie or still on the fence about seeing the final Avengers film, this is an easy recommendation.
AVENGERS: ENDGAME is now available on separate 4k and Blu Ray.
