Avengers: Endgame (2019)

181 minutes, and a big chunk of the middle is basically a clip show where the Avengers wander back through their own older movies. That’s the plan. That’s the whole heist. Robert Downey Jr. carries the emotional weight like he’s been saving it up since the first Iron Man, Chris Evans finally gets to loosen up, and Paul Rudd keeps asking the exact questions the audience is yelling at the screen. Thor’s grief gets played for laughs way past the point where it’s funny, and the time travel rules make sense for exactly as long as Bruce Banner is explaining them. It pulled in $2.94 billion worldwide, which is a lot of people agreeing to hold it for three hours. A 7.8 because the payoff is massive and honestly earned, but the first half wanders around like a reunion where nobody wants to be the first to leave. $57 says you describe the runtime to someone like it’s a war story you survived.

What works: Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans land the arcs they spent years building, and the final battle pays off a mountain of setups in one go.

What doesn’t: The first half drifts, the time travel rules fall apart the second you think about them, and Thor’s grief becomes a running gag that wears out fast.

Who it’s for: People who watched every Marvel movie in order and want the bill to finally come due.