The last time I saw a movie over three hours, I was 10 and my grandma convinced me to watch Gone with the Wind with her. Two hours in, I was counting the ceiling tiles out of boredom. So when I saw the length of the final Avengers movie, I braced myself as I walked into the theatre. And while the film is just over three hours long, it flies by quickly, with epic fight scenes, powerful emotional moments, and enough laugh out loud one-liners to balance out the lengthy run time.

Endgame begins five years after Thanos’ cruel snap in Infinity War, making half of the population disappear into dust. A few of the surviving Avengers are fixated on getting the other half of the earth’s population back, while others seek revenge on the earth’s criminals, hide out in a basement playing video games, or enjoy a calm family life. Soon after, an Avenger assumed to be dead reappears, striking a chord in the remaining Avengers. With the help of Captain Marvel, the Avengers set out to defeat Thanos one last time.

After two hours of mostly character building, with a quick fight scene thrown in for good measure, the audience is treated to a masterfully planned and executed battle scene. The final battle is what Marvel truly does best—choreographed fight scenes that dance with precision. However, that final battle scene doesn’t overshadow the powerful emotional moments in the film.

The true beauty of Avengers: Endgame is that the three hours fly by; wrapping up loose ends in the Marvel universe, incorporating callbacks from previous films, all with some witty quips mixed in—The Black Widow’s, “I get emails from a raccoon so nothing seems crazy anymore,” stands out.

The film’s final message is fitting for the series; that what matters most is family, whether that be family in the traditional sense or the one you choose for yourself.

Rating: PG-13
Opening Date: April 24