A movie ten years in the making, Avengers: Infinity War had both comic book fanatics and average moviegoers anxiously counting down the days until its release. This movie is the culmination of almost 20 other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a decade of anticipation. With the amount of hype surrounding the film it is nearly impossible to keep our expectations reasonable. I had personally struggled to keep my own expectations in check out of fear of leaving the theater feeling empty and disappointed.

I am so relieved to write that Avengers: Infinity War is far from a disappointment.

Infinity War follows characters from all over the Marvel Cinematic Universe that must come together to try and stop Thanos, played by Josh Brolin, from obtaining all six infinity stones and wiping out half of the universe. At first glance it may seem like Directors Joe and Anthony Russo have taken on too much by attempting to fit all these larger than life characters into one movie.

However, they pull off an amazing movie that is both cohesive and entertaining. They are able to perfectly balance all of these different characters without making the movie fell overcrowded or all over the place. The movie takes on several intertwining storylines that allow each of these characters to have their own spotlight. It was interesting to see characters from different movies interact with each and explore new relationships.

A great story needs a great villain and Thanos defiantly delivered. He was not just this mindless monster that wanted to destroy everything, he had some genuine motives. What makes Thanos such a compelling villain is that fact that he doesn’t see himself as an evil bad guy. He thoroughly believes that what he’s doing is right and his intentions are not to simply cause others harm.

One of the biggest criticism that Marvel has gotten over the years is that there are no real stakes. In most other Marvel movies the only characters to die are minor ones and if a major character does die they usually end up coming back to life. Infinity War breaks this mold. There was this constant overhanging feeling of dread throughout the movie and I felt myself genuinely fearing for these characters lives.

While there are darker moments this movie still feels like the lighthearted Marvel movies that we are used to. There still is that trademark Marvel humor interjected throughout the movie. However, while there is humor it doesn’t take over the movie. In the places where there is a joke it doesn’t disrupt the tone or feel out of place.

Another accomplishment of this movie is its special effects. The scenes taking place on other planets are absolutely stunning and the ones on earth look very realistic. This movie also had a lot of well done action. There are several actions sequences that are beautifully done and looking visually amazing on the big screen.

Infinity war is full of surprises and unexpected moments. There were times when I heard myself actually gasp out loud at what was unfolding in front of me. This movie was an emotional rollercoaster that kept me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end, and even after the credits.

If there is one criticism that I have it is that if you’re not up to date with Marvel movies you might be a little confused. A lot of what happens in this movie is contingent on several of Marvel’s previous movies. If you go into this movie without much context you can still have an enjoyable time, but it will be hard for you to fully understand everything that is going down. If you haven’t been keeping up with this movies I would highly recommend binge watching some of the most recent Marvel movies to get some context on what’s happening.

Overall Avengers: Infinity War is absolutely amazing. It definitely lives up to all of the hype and expectations that have been plaguing us for years. From the expertly timed humor, to the amazing action, to the moments that made me contemplate everything I thought I knew about a Marvel movie, Infinity War was a truly mind-blowing experience.

Final Grade: A