Simply incredible. What an amazing achievement and conclusion to the cumulation of 21 films over 11 years. Was it super over-the-top fan service? Hell, yes, but it was such sweet, glorious EARNED fan service and I'd do it all over gain!
I loved how the film managed to defy expectations and, unless one followed the behind-the-scene spying spoilers, one probably wouldn't have thought time travel would have played a key role in overcoming the dusting. Even with that hinting, the time traveling didn't play out in such a manner that I expected, instead focusing on plucking out each gemstone from a known time and location as seen in previous films, with the added complication that Thanos in the
past gets a wind of their activities and takes advantage of the situation.
As hoped, each of the original six got their own satisfying story arcs, but while I fully expected either Tony or Steve to die, I didn't see Natasha dying, too. I loved the parallelism with
Infinity War on Vormir but with the added twist of Clint and Natasha fighting each other for the noble sacrifice, which made it all the more heartbreaking to see her "win" that battle. As hard as it was to take, I greatly appreciate the film's restraint in not allowing Bruce or Tony to bring either her or Gamora back when they did their respective Snaps.
Tony. I should've known this would be how his story would end. As Pepper said, now he can finally rest and worry no longer, if only in the worst way possible. "Proof that Tony Stark has a heart" indeed.
And Steve. I genuinely thought he would be the one to do the Grand Sacrifice at the end, complete with an afterlife stinger showing him and Peggy finally getting that dance. Instead, he returned to the past after returning the stones to their original time and places and he got to have that dance for real...and then returned to the present the long way. While that might feel like a thematic cheat (not unlike with Fry in
Futurama), it still works for me because of that dance and because Steve was able to pass the shield to Sam. That said, it was a little weird that he and Bucky didn't have a final scene together after he grew old.
I would never guessed in a million years a fat Thor, but after the shock finally passed, I loved how ridiculous he was in his fallen from grace nature and just how well it actually worked. Even better, we got the surprising return of Rene Russo as Frigga who, as any mother would, helped guide him back onto the right path. And now he's part of the Asgardians of the Galaxy, I mean, the Guardians of the Galaxy? Hell,
yeah!
Calm, intelligent Hulk has always been my favorite version of him in the comics, so I'm thrilled we finally got him here at least, even if the CGI was dodgy at times (particularly at the funeral). I loved how in this new state of mind, he became less anxious and more goofy, while still maintaining his Hulkness and Banneress.
Beyond the original six, I didn't expect much in the way of character arcs for anyone else, but I was pleasantly surprised Nebula got one and how important it was. From the goofiness of her and Tony killing time in space to silently commiserating with Rocket to reestablishing a peace with Gamora in the past, I loved how we got to see the softer side of Nebula as she continues her path of recovering from the traumas Thanos inflicted on her whole life. I was briefly worried for her safety while under past Thanos' capture, but I'm thrilled she a core member of the Guardians now. Plus, she gets to say she killed herself and lived to tell the tale. Not many people can say that!
While I knew they would go out in this film with character appearances, I truly did not expect some of the cameos we got. Not just the aforementioned Frigga, but also Sitwell, Rumlow, younger Howard Stark, the Ancient One (in a surprisingly important role), Pepper as Rescue, Alexander Pierce (Robert Redford in a
cameo?!), even James D'Arcy reprising Jarvis, (even it was weird to have him alongside John Slattery instead of Dominic Cooper), making him the first original TV character to appear in one of the films!. It's a shame Jane Foster's cameo was a blink and you miss it moment, but at least they managed to squeeze her in. It's also a shame Coulson couldn't be squeezed in some way.
There's still so much to process and talk about, and I'm sure much of it has been discussed already (reading it all now), but these are my initial thoughts. My only real complaint about the whole film is that I wish Carol had a larger role in the film, but at least she got some good hits on Thanos and he genuinely looked frightened by her.