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MESSAGE IN THE MOVIES

So, what’s the big deal about the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) and why did millions of people worldwide rush to see a 3-hour movie and spend over a billion dollars to buy tickets on the opening weekend of Avengers: Endgame?

1. The film resolves a cliffhanger from last year’s Avengers: Infinity War in which half of the team is presumed missing or dead as a result of a treacherous act from Thanos (James Brolin) who possessed all six of the Infinity Stones and was determined to randomly remove half of the population from the universe as an act of environmental stewardship.

2. Last summer’s Captain Marvel introduced us to Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) and her extraordinary powers; Endgame promised a meetup with the Avengers.

3. The search for the Infinity Stones began with 2008’s Iron Man and has been the plot thread for over 20 MCU films since then; Endgame concludes this storyline.

4. There is a character for everyone to root for, including an egotistical but caring inventor (Downey Jr.), an All-American patriot (Evans), a mythological god (Chris Hemsworth), a talking raccoon (Bradley Cooper), and an African king (Chadwick Boseman). There’s also a really bad guy (I’m talking to you, Thanos!).

5. The first hour of the film is focused on the shared grief of a world suddenly torn in half and shows how loss has affected every Avenger. The second hour is a detailed and clever depiction of an evolving solution that will bring hope out of despair. The third hour moves the story from hope to joy, but not without some significant pain and loss along the way.

6. From a Christian perspective, this movie is a visual representation of Romans 5:3-5: “[We know] that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.”

7. The film is a lot of fun and is fast-moving and consistently entertaining, a movie that families can enjoy together. Kudos to Cleveland’s Russo Brothers and script writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely for delivering a great summer movie in April.

In our current culture of partisan politics, violent acts of bigotry, and theological division I find the idea of a group of superheroes working together for the common good a welcome example of Kingdom living. May it come to be realized in our time.

Note: This review is spoiler-free, as are all of my reviews, to the best of my ability.

Halo and Pitchfork Rating:

Four halos: Faithfulness, loyalty, teamwork and sacrifice combine to bring order out of chaos.
Three pitchforks: Extreme comic book violence, including dismemberment; mild swearing; intense grieving and loss.

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