Time Travel Time: I saw Infinity War (Part 2)...

I thought the world of "Infinity War" (still do) and couldn't wait for its sequel, "Endgame": directed by the former's creators, directors Anthony and Joe Russo and screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.  I, like most fans, wished to see matters mended after Thanos' dictatorial, Avengers-erased wake.  I had no idea how that mending might play, which was part of the anticipatory fun. Little did I realize how weepy, confounding and ponderous it would be. 

I thought our superheroic survivors would be hellbent on gaining vengeance upon their foe, plunging into a war to end all fictional wars. Didn't Doctor Strange imply an optimistic (if not cryptic) allusion to such at "Infinity War'"s end? Weren't we teased by prospects that Captain Marvel and Ant-Man would contribute big-time to an Avengers victory and across-the-board resurrection?  Indeed, fragments of those aspirations do reach fruition, but alas, they're hindered by their enveloping dullness.  

Still, even with that dullness prevailing, there are times when one can't help but be rocked by the film's sporadic and noisy CGI. However, these snazzy sidetracks (along with their obligatory, ooh-and-aah cameos) never last long enough--never add the necessary passion--to snuff the tedium. What hits big only hits at the climax: an explosive period for sure, but far too little, far too late. 

There are other times when, if only due to the story's time-travel motif, "Endgame" rides the inspiring crest of "Back to the Future", "Star Trek" and "Twilight Zone", but the warmth, depth and humor of those indulgences never conclude. At best, they only tease. 

To add to the agitation, as the movie progressed, I found myself caring less about who or what might save the day. 

For example, Ms. Marvel mirrors her solo outing with a prolonged lack of conviction. (Come now, is feminism that fleeting, stilted and drab?)  Though the time-heisting Ant-Man maintains his identifiable, everyman ways, his moments of glory are cut far too short. As for the virile, nowhere-around Doctor Strange--please! What good is sorcery if its main man isn't present to cast it? (My apologies to the Ancient One.) At least Hawkeye keeps his edge (even if it grazes madness), but his determination and resulting redemption get shortchanged in the shuffle of clashing subplots. 

I wanted hard-hitting, Avengers processions for this fling: gnashing teeth, fury and flame, not hints of what could (and should) have been.  From an early point, I actually caught myself rooting for the Infinity Stone-stealin' bad guy! Oh, the shame, but hey, I ain't to blame. The content is skewed that way.

Now that the big, ballyhooed matter is settled, I yearn for simpler times, when Captain America pounded Hydra clowns into the ground, when a bulging Hulk fought a chiseled Thor, when Black Panther hungered to avenge his father's death, when Tony Stark womanized till the cows came home, when Spidey shed his schoolboy ways to web a gallant cause, when Black Widow looked...well, sexy as hell and all for the eternal, snug-fitting sake of it. 

Ah, but what are the odds that those Marvel-ous days will return, now that "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" are (SPOILER) re-assembled, give or take a sacrificial push or pull?

Perhaps I'll seek something more basic to get my Marvel mettle back on track. Say, maybe "Logan" will do the trick. There's a superhero flick where the selfless guts pile high and if there's any cause for tears, they come in a roar, not a snifflin' sneeze.