“Avengers: Endgame”

***

(PG-13, 3:01)

“Endgame” not only answers the cliffhanger of its predecessor, “Infinity War,” but ties together the entire 22-film arc of the Marvel “cinematic universe.” Generous in humor, spirit and sentimentality, it’s a full feast of blockbuster-making that looks back nostalgically at Marvel’s decade of world domination.

Providing even the most basic of plot points in “Endgame” is a fool’s errand, but it’s fair to say that it takes place some time after the rapture caused by the megalomaniac Thanos (Josh Brolin). Having obtained all six of the “infinity stones,” he has wiped away 50 percent of Earth’s creatures (and superheroes).

Rather than bask in the extra parking spaces, the survivors are now in a prolonged state of mourning. The remaining superheroes are reeling, ashamed of their defeat. One has turned angry and vengeful; another has grown a beer belly.

Yet the movie, while certainly not lacking in ominous solemnity, is frequently funny, with the heroes frequently arranged in fresh pairings and unlikely contexts. They’re all back – Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, Chris Evans’ Captain America, Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow, Don Cheadle’s War Machine, Bradley Cooper’s Rocket. The late Stan Lee here makes his final cameo, and it’s a good one, and Brie Larson’s recently launched Captain Marvel plays a small but pivotal role. The film’s three-hour running time balances the characters and story lines swiftly and seamlessly.

“Endgame” will likely be most remembered for its teary goodbyes. The send-offs, tender and sincere, capture something about the “Avengers” films. At their root, they are about family.