I am pleased to announce that Aaliyah Harris has joined me to talk about the latest blockbuster, Avengers: Endgame! Heads up, there will be MAJOR SPOILERS in this article. *** Aaliyah: First off, what would you rate it? Charlie: Oh, that's a tough one for me. I adored the film. Well, perhaps adore isn't the right word for a mostly somber film. Anyways rating films is tough for me since it seems as if ratings can be interpreted in different ways. For example, some people view a three out of five star rating as good while others view it as "meh". After that spiel, I'd probably give Endgame a 9 out of 10. Aaliyah: I enjoyed Infinity War better. I think Endgame is good overall but I think there is a plot hole. I would give it an 8 out of 10. Charlie: Oh, that's fascinating. Why did you enjoy Infinity War better? Was it because of the plot hole in Endgame and which plot hole are you speaking of? Aaliyah: Yeah I definitely felt like the Russo brothers wrote the story line better in Infinity War. It felt like a classic comic book that came to life. It had me on my edge of my seat and very excited. Give me a minute to think about the plot hole that I caught. Charlie: Take your time. I agree with you on the excitement factor by the way. Epic is a word that gets thrown around a lot to describe films (usually a touch unwarranted) but Infinity War truly felt like it belonged in the genre of an epic. I enjoyed Infinity War very much but I enjoyed Endgame better. One of the reasons on why I enjoyed it a bit more is because it is primarily a character centered drama sci/fi rather than a sci-fi action epic. I'm a fan of exceptional action yet if I had to choose between the two, I'd choose character-centric drama over action almost any day. Aaliyah: Yeah, absolutely. I agree with your analysis. So maybe this is more of a critique rather than a plot hole but why didn’t Nebula tell the Avengers that whoever travels to the planet where the soul stone is that one of them has to die? Charlie: I think I have an answer for that. Perhaps not a good one but maybe an adequate one. I think Nebula knew the location of the Soul Stone because Gamora found it and told her...or let the knowledge slip. However, I don't think she knew about the soul sacrifice necessary to retrieve the stone since Gamora didn't actually try to retrieve it. Thus the Red Skull, guardian of the Soul Stone, wouldn't have told her about that. After all, Gamora didn't seem to know about the necessary sacrifice when she went with Thanos to Vormir in Infinity War. Aaliyah: Ohhhh ok. That makes more sense. Another one of my criticisms is Captain Marvel....how is it that she can obliterate an entire heavily armored spaceship but when she fights Thanos he takes her down with just a few hits? Charlie: I understand the criticism with Captain Marvel only being able to get a few hits in. Thanos did use the power stone to knock her out but he wasn't using the stones on her before so she should have been able to do more damage...she should have blasted him at least. If I were to try to work around that situation in a logical manner, then I'd say that Thanos was a better hand to hand combatant with faster reflexes so he was able to hold her off for that brief confrontation (which still doesn't explain why she didn't try to blast him... but perhaps she wasn't thinking clearly out of fear or anger?) As you can see, I struggled to come up with an adequate answer. Aaliyah: Oh no, it’s fine I understand you but I think she went into it a little over confident and thought she could really get him the next time she sees him because the first encounter was a piece of cake. Charlie: Great point. Aaliyah: Thanks. *** Aaliyah: The emotional moments and deaths were good and felt justified though what do you think? I like that they gave Tony Stark time with his father to say thank you. I also like that they let him have a family with Pepper Potts. Charlie: I absolutely agree. Those aspects with Tony are particularly beautiful. He harbored a bit of bitterness for his father; which was first revealed in Iron Man 2 if I remember correctly. To finally know a side of his father which was unguarded by crude humour or a stern exterior allowed him to fully love his father as he loved Tony. Also, as soon as I saw that Tony had a daughter, my heart was pierced from happiness yet also dread because it seemed to signify that he would, indeed, die. Aaliyah: How did you feel about Black Widow's death? I understand why she had to be the one to die but it’s still upsetting because I wanted her to at least say goodbye to Hulk or share some sort of moment with him because they did have history. Charlie: The Hulk and Widow not having another moment together did hurt yet it fed into the tragic aspect of the story and thus enhanced it in a way in my view. Not everyone gets the chance to say goodbye to the people whom they love which is what I think the filmmakers wanted to portray...or perhaps I'm over analyzing that aspect. I thought that her and Hawkeye's fight to sacrifice themselves for one another portrayed their commitment to the overall fight and to their deep friendship. It was a nice reversal of the scene where Thanos sacrificed his daughter in Infinity War but Black Widow and Hawkeye fought to keep the other alive by attempting to sacrifice themselves. Also, though both were hurting emotionally, neither was suicidal because the Soul Stone also required them to sacrifice not only a soul but that whom they love. So even through the pain, they still loved their own lives yet were willing to sacrifice them. That was one of the most powerful scenes in my view. Forget gut punches, that was like a heart punch. Aaliyah: Oh ok, cool. Great analysis. And you're right about the tragedy aspect bringing more depth to the story arc. Charlie: Thank you. Aaliyah: I also wanted to discuss the female empowerment scene in the final battle. To me it was ok but a little forced. How did you feel about that? Charlie: Oh, yes. I loved seeing that moment but it did seem contrived to have all the major female characters in one spot during that massive battle. I remember thinking that scene was quite convenient when it happened as well. That moment when Doctor Strange brings the army through the portals though? That is the most euphoric moment in cinema...well, I haven't seen every film so I can't really say that. However, it was the most triumphant I felt during a film. Aaliyah: Yes I was actually jumping in my seat for that, it was absolutely beautiful! That moment was a cinematic masterpiece for sure! I even clapped a little! Charlie: Oh, that's awesome that you jumped in your seat! *** Aaliyah: I’m sure there is more that I would like to discuss but I’m so tired I can't keep my eyes open [laughs]. I’ll message you tomorrow if I remember anything else. Thanks for tonight's discussion. Charlie: No worries, thanks for having this conversation with me! Good night Aaliyah! Aaliyah: Good night Charlie and God bless. Charlie's Post-Chat Thoughts
★ I believe that Tony Stark's arc is perfect. He went from a self-interested playboy to being as selfless as one can be. His final line, "I am Iron Man" is not only a flawless retort to Thanos but a beautiful reflection of his final line in Iron Man. ★ Speaking of Tony, did anyone else catch that brief and shocking revelation that his grandfather abused his son (Howard Stark)? ★ That final scene of Thanos was a nice inversion of the final scene of Infinity War. Thanos wearily sat down with a smile on his face at the end of the prior film while he wearily sat down, despondent at his defeat, before he got dusted in this film. ★ I thought Captain America was going to die when it was just him facing Thanos and his army before the cavalry arrived. ★ There was less action in this film than in Infinity War but the violence in here was far more brutal and more effective to me due to the filmmakers restrained display of it and the viscerality of the combat (particularly in the third act). *** Our conversation took place shortly after April 28th's Midnight and it was edited to flow all the way through.
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