Avengers-Endgame—Super-Life Fantasy or Life Support?

AVENGERS:ENDGAME—SuperLife Fantasy for Beyond-SciFi Fans
Monthly Distraction Corner for IWGers and Wannabe Insecure Scribes

Avengers—Endgame images to die for, so many reasons to stay alive, but do they?

Having succumbed to temptation—aided and abetted by iGen granddaughters—to attend the première of Captain Marvel last month, and believing the hype created by the Marvel Cinematic Universe for mass consumption, I was drawn last weekend into one of the first million seats to view what I thought might be a prequel.

Avengers-Endgame is no prequel. Not even a sequel. It has its own time.

ENDGAME Surpasses Box-Office $357Million Predictions its First Weekend

Having allowed myself the adrenalin rush of multiple technicolor slo-mo explosions as Carol Danvers/Captain Marvel found her niche on Earth, I was prepared to suspend disbelief and await developments—secretly hoping to see my fave characters reappear in EndGame.

The film is a fairly transparent heist caper, along the lines of Ocean’s Eleven—both the Frank Sinatra/Dean Martin (1960) and the luscious George Clooney (2007) versions—where the gang splits into sub-teams to steal the life-snuffing Infinity Stones from Thanos in a time-warp effort to undo his genocidal finger-snap. Ocean’s Eleven tactics induce familiarity, just so our comfort zone can be ripped apart.

Her powerful appearance in Avengers—Endgame is too brief—Brie Larson as Capt.Marvel

That’s all folks! Marvel Studios have done such a great job of keeping the central plot device concealed, I dare not reveal more. What I will say is that, while the mission takes the characters into new territory for them, it is territory which has been explored by countless non-Marvel film and television productions before. War Machine and Ant-Man even list the films their latest adventure reminds them of—a shrewd way of making you an ally, but a hint that you’ll have seen a few twists and jokes before*.

*Teaser—Sometimes it’s a John Wayne-ism; maybe a hint of Band of Brothers; no, that was Donald Sutherland’s Kelly’s Heroes (1970); several James Bond renditions; even some old Burt Lancaster coastline in Aberdeenshire—where the Cove Bay ‘Scottish Unit’ is on location.

Beleaguered Baby Boomers Get the Plot

Much emphasis has been placed lately on how the ‘younger’ generation leads world thinking in conservation, fashion ideals and the future. Current ‘oldies’, having led culture away from wars and into the Peace movement, are now having a hard time amid a youth invasion of media-supported teenagers who have (mostly) only seen war on the silver screen.

Refreshingly, in mid-Brexit-Angst Britain, on the other hand, slightly-oldie but cuddly politician Boris Johnson—former Lord Mayor of London and potential Prime Minister, has grabbed the baton and bravely stated—

Familiar? Iconic egg hatching on original Ridley Scott Alien (1979) set resonates with EndGame Infinity Stones hatching in nonTime (2019)

“With all due #humility to my #juniors, I intend to be #alive for a very long time”
~Boris Johnson, Conservative MP for Ruislip, Middlesex

Thus, familiar Boomers appearing in the Endgame cast, below, seemed to me like avenging angels.

While losing myself in the imagery and effects of Avengers-Endgame, I became immersed in a separate world—one of my own [Boomer, age-related] making. Because I hear around one-third of normal human soundtrack—including plot, storyline, nuances of dialogue—I enter an even-more-rarified time capsule. This I clearly admit is the world of the ‘Sixties Generation looking for recognizable pillars, posts, roadsigns along a rocky new road of the iGens in the 2020s.

Hints of Seinfeld, Big Bang Theory, 2001:Space Odyssey and Little House on the Prairie floated in and out. Alien and Star Trek sets beckoned

But imagery—especially imagery that moves—is always a hit. Add to that psychedelic multi-dimensional lighting and effects, and I was hooked.

Fantasy has traditionally been a realm to retreat to when ‘real-time’ gets scary. Here, we writers/IWSGers try to do the monthly round and help other bloggers, while simultaneously keeping up our own creative level. It can take its toll!

So, when Marvel Studios-Russo Brothers beckoned a second time, I downed tools and followed.

I didn’t feel guilty reclining in the plush cinema seat captured by full surround-sound at high decibels—still could not make out dialogue unless lips were mobile—but transfixed by the animation, I holed up and waited for the Oldies-but-goodies to show.

And they did.
Clever Cartoon Cameo Roles
Apart from Samuel L., who did show for a microsecond, I was expecting more and was disappointed…loved his Nick Fury CGI-youthened image plus cat friend Goose in Marvel

Captain America, Chris Evans doesn’t actually die but his life comes to an end

ditto Annette Bening—expectations dashed
Brie Larson—far too briefly—taste only—she has other Universes to conquer—blatant audience bait
Gwyneth Paltrow—superb
Robert Downey Jr., Iron Man, has become a great ‘older’ actor
Michael Douglas! huge surprise
William Hurt—adorable old man—who would’ve thunk it?
Michelle Pfeiffer—unbelievably stunning
Rocket Raccoon’s clever voice-over Bradley Cooper
Marisa Tomei—like this auntie
Tom Holland flashes in as Spider-Man, black animated spider in tow
Robert Redford—surprised me, but makeup artist not as kind to him as in Man With A Gun. He does a Man with a Gun reprise here! Cleverly cartoonish.

If you were expecting the rest of the cast—vaporized in Marvel, remember?

My inner child was lulled. Excitement, surprise, fave olde actors and actresses in cameo sparkles, flanked by rainbow colored explosive graphics—entering constantly changing imaginary realms. When Thor’s hammer got too threatening, I looked at flashing lights.

Such adrenalin-satisfying; choline-intensifying, calm-inducing dreams afterwards.

Happy May Day-Beltane
A MayDay shoutout to hard-working A-to-Z Challenge winners, NaNoWriMo Campers and @TheIWSG for keeping the flag flying. Besides, our Space Capt. Alex was probably among the first million East Coast moviegoers to catch last weekend’s show.

You know, I think they need Sigourney in there somewhere…
©2019 Marian Youngblood