Avengers Endgame (UHD Blu-ray) review

[David Vaughn]

Studio: Disney
Release Date: August 13, 2019
Rating: PG-13
Film: 4.5/5
 
Plot
The fourth installment of the Avengers series is the once-in-a-lifetime culmination of 22 interconnected films and the climax of an epic journey. Earth’s heroes will finally understand how fragile our reality is—and the sacrifices that must be made to uphold it—in a story of friendship, teamwork and setting aside differences to overcome an impossible obstacle.
 
My Thoughts
The infinity saga started in 2008 when Iron Man burst on the scene. Having not read comic books growing up, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the film. It turned out that I loved it for multiple reasons, but the number one was probably Robert Downey Jr. as the lead—I actually believed he was Iron Man. As the subsequent films came along, I was drawn deeper and deeper into the cinematic universe and had to see every film as they were released in theaters and on home video.
 
What astounds me most about the entire process is how the writers at Marvell were able to tie all of these characters together and keep a compelling story moving from the very beginning. Steven Covey says to “begin with the end in mind,” which seems to be exactly what happened here.
 
Endgame is three hours long but doesn’t feel like it—which is probably the highest compliment you can give the movie. The first hour is dealing with the aftereffects of the “snap” and how each of our surviving heroes deals with the loss of friends and family. The story then jumps to five years in the future and one of the Avengers sparks an idea to recapture the infinity stones and set the universe right. The last two hours fly by as things come to a head.
 
I enjoyed the film in theaters but loved viewing it a second time. There’s so much going on that one time isn’t enough to completely digest the story. Anthony and Joe Russo do a phenomenal job with giving each character enough screen time to make them part of the story but not too much to drag the pacing down. While not the “best” film in the franchise, it’s certainly in the Top 5 for me.
 
With such a long movie housed on one UHD disc, I wasn’t sure what to expect from the video quality. The film was finished in 2K, which isn’t surprising given all of the special effects and there’s a slight uptick in resolution versus the Blu-ray, even though it’s an upconversion. Colors are a bit more vibrant and the shadows are a tad bit more revealing.
 
The Dolby Atmos track is a vast improvement over some of Disney’s other UHD releases. Dynamics are very good and the LFE isn’t crippled—which is always a blessing! As one would expect, the soundstage is very active, especially during the third act, and fortunately, dialog is always intelligible.
 
Video 9/10 
 
Audio 9/10 (Dolby Atmos)
 
Special Features:
 

• Intro by Directors Anthony and Joe Russo
• Audio Commentary
• Remembering Stan Lee
• Setting the Tone: Casting Robert Downey Jr.
• A Man Out of Time: Creating Captain America
• Black Widow: Whatever it Takes
• The Russo Brothers: Journey to Endgame
• The Women of the MCU
• Bro Thor
• Deleted Scenes
• Gag Reel
• Blu-ray+ Digital Copy

 

 
 
Conclusion

I don’t know if we’ll ever see such an interconnected story like this ever again. Marvel set out with a plan, stuck to the plan, and then ultimately, stuck the landing. While Endgame isn’t the final film of The Infinity Saga—Spiderman, Far From Home is—I’ll still miss the characters who have had to say goodbye (no spoilers). They’ve become part of the family. Regardless, this is a must own if you are a fan of the franchise. Highly recommended. 

[AVSCraig]

Thanks - your review just made me want the 4K Blu-ray even more ! Hopefully it's available at Amazon soon. 

[TRainH2O]

I have been waiting for this one. Hopefully, I can grab it soon as Amazon is my usual go-to for Blu-ray.

Thanks, David.

[AVSCraig]

I have been waiting for this one. Hopefully, I can grab it soon as Amazon is my usual go-to for Blu-ray.

Thanks, David.

Tomorrow is the official release day !

[AVSCraig]

Endgame is out today. But since they still want $ 29.99, I think I'll wait a week or two for the price to drop. I still have a small pile of movies I haven't watched yet. 

[bmoney]

Loved it!  ANd Disney didnt botch the release!

3 hours flew by

[AVSCraig]

Just ordered it for $24.49 on Amazon ! Woo hoo ! 

[Barry]

I reviewed it for us at : https://discuss.avscience.com/index.php?topic=2059.0

[claw]

Just ordered it for $24.49 on Amazon ! Woo hoo !

I am also waiting for that price drop on the three Iron Man and two Thor UHD discs.    And waiting for Dave's review of the discs as well.

[David Vaughn]

I am also waiting for that price drop on the three Iron Man and two Thor UHD discs.    And waiting for Dave's review of the discs as well.

Sadly, Disney doesn't send out the catalog titles on UHD for review (trust me, I've begged . I did receive the 4 Avengers movies in a UHD Box Set as a gift from Marvel for reviewing all of the movies on Blu-ray and then UHD when they were day-and-date releases. I'll try review Avengers & Age of Ultron over the coming weeks, but I'm not sure I'll have a chance to.