Avengers: Endgame Review - 11 Ups & 4 Downs

4. The Emotional Gut Punch

While the satisfying element of the ending - and Tony Stark's arc in particular - have already warranted close inspection, it's important to address another part of the ending: the emotional toll it takes.

Sure, there's a slight whiff of Lord Of The Rings: Return Of The King's inability to deliver one concise full-stop but that the approach isn't necessarily a bad thing and it actually achieves something that few will have thought possible. It matches Infinity War's ending for emotional impact.

In actual fact, there's something to be said for the idea that Endgame's most provocatively tear-jerking moment is more authentic than Infinity War's. It certainly has more character depth behind it and the emotion you'll feel is a lot more complex than the drama the Russos manipulated into the Decimation and its aftermath.

If you don't cry at least once in this film, you've a heart of stone.