When I signed up to write a review for “Avengers: Endgame,” I could not have anticipated how hard it would be. Finding the words to describe the heartbreak and joy and grief and satisfaction that “Endgame” made me feel is basically impossible. But, I will still try to do my best.

First things first, this is the end of an era. Now, I know that was the whole advertising campaign, but I really mean it. This was the grand finale to end all grand finales. It was exactly as epic and enormous as it should have been, with the final battle’s scale rivaling that of the Battle of Pelennor Fields in “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King.” It was epic and entirely the way it was always meant to end the 22-movie-long Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The final battle was absolutely jaw-dropping. Words cannot describe how absolutely massive this fight was. There was everyone that mattered, and even some that did not. Captain Marvel, while she was not the star of the movie, had a part to play in the quick A-Force moment in the final battle. For those unaware, the A-Force was an all-woman superhero team in the comics, and now we had a taste of it in “Endgame.”

Next thing to tackle is the actual heartbreak of the movie. I promise there will be no spoilers here, but if you want to go into the movie totally in the dark, I suggest skipping this part. There’s plenty of sorrowful moments in the movie, as it should be for a movie of this magnitude. But each of these moments has its own significance in the overall arc of the movie. The worst part about the deaths in the movie is that most people knew they were coming. There are these characters who had just been around for too long and needed their stories to end. And they did in the most spectacular and magnificent fashion that proves that this was the end of something great.

But, like a phoenix, the end gives way to a new beginning. Where one story ended, one superhero lost, another two flames appeared, stronger and with their own tales to tell. The end of the movie, while grief-stricken, was something that promised more to come. The end of the MCU is not here, just the end of the phases that mark generation one of the MCU. 

The MCU has spanned over eleven years, 22 movies, and billions of dollars. An industry this massive and influential had better get a send off to honor the Avenger’s legacy, and I would not hesitate to say that “Endgame” did the trick. Out of all 22 movies, “Endgame” has got to be the best. Everything that the producers and directors needed to do for the movie, they did it, and ten times better. It was breathtaking and heartbreaking, and easily three hours well spent.