As I left the theater after the press screening of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, I was immediately struck with how hard it was going to be to write a review for this film, especially one that didn’t risk giving away any major spoilers. This is such a ‘big’ movie, not just in budget or star power, but in scope and legacy. Ten years ago, Marvel revamped how their movies would be made releasing the first IRON MAN in theaters, and taking serious control of the creative process by establishing their Marvel Studios production company. This was no longer Marvel handing out characters to the highest bidding studio, they had a say in how all of it would be handled, and the end results have proven this to be a very smart move. In the years that followed, we’ve seen some rather brilliant cinematic world-building, and two already impressive AVENGERS movies, which effectively brought together the silver screen superheroes for some big time team efforts. This weekend see the biggest production yet, bringing together all the AVENGERS, some of the Marvel heroes that aren’t on that team, and even including the Guardians of the Galaxy in the mix… almost every Marvel cinematic superhero is here, even Spider-Man, on loan for the second time in a partnership with Sony Pictures. The end result is rather incredible, and represents a decade of work leading up to this moment. But with so much at stake, and so many moving parts, is the end result worth the wait?

Before I get into it, let me just say this for folks concerned about spoilers. What I describe below in terms of plot is first and foremost kept somewhat vague… I’m leaving out a LOT, and everything I describe plot-wise happens in the first third of the film. Trust me, I’m skipping over a whole bunch of details I could be revealing, but it’s impossible to talk about the movie without giving at least a basic plot outline.

Initially introduced on screen in the first GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY movie, Thanos (Josh Brolin) is a villainous force to be reckoned with – a hulking purple-skinned cosmic king, hellbent on destruction and control. He seeks the Infinity Stones for his left hand gauntlet, as each stone represents an element of ultimate control… time, space, soul, power, mind and reality. If he gains control of all six, he will be unstoppable to anything in his way. Picking up where THOR: RAGNAROK left off (particularly the post credit sequence of that film), Thanos and his minions have captured the ship containing the remains of Thor’s home world, Asgard, which is now destroyed. With the power stone already in his possession, Thanos wipes out the entire crew, save for Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston), as he seeks the space stone, which Loki has hidden. This is the beginning of the Mad Titan’s murderous siege, which ultimately leaves Thor hurtling through space, and Hulk sent back to Earth.

In New York City, Doctor Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his sorcerer buddy Wong (Benedict Wong) are surprised when a de-hulking Banner comes crashing into their New York sanctum, warning them of Thanos. They find Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) nearby, who is promising his lover Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) that he’s left the superhero life behind for good, and might even be interested in kids. But when the soldiers of Thanos come looking for Strange’s Eye of Agamotto necklace (which holds the time stone), Tony is forced to fight once again as Iron Man. And since all of this is happening in New York, Peter Parker (Tom Holland) sees the commotion, and jumps into the action as Spider-Man. We also begin to see that the soldiers of Thanos are pretty formidable in a fight.

Hiding in Europe, Vision (Paul Bettany) and Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) are trying to cultivate their budding romance in private, when they too are attacked by Thanos’ goons, since Vision’s head holds the mind stone, and also gives him life. As the duo do their best to fight off their attackers, they’re assisted by the ‘fresh out of hiding’ Captain America (Chris Evans), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Falcon (Anthony Mackie), who now must take their friends back to Avengers headquarters, where Cap still hasn’t been cleared to return since the events of CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR… and speaking of that movie, there they’re greeted by James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), who is recovering from his Civil War injuries.

Back out in space, the good ol’ Guardians of the Galaxy find Thor floating around unconscious, and resuscitate him on board their ship. He warns them of Thanos’ plans, and enlists their help to get himself a new hammer (he lost Mjolnir in RAGNAROK), which leads to them splitting up. Thor, Rocket Raccoon (Bradley Cooper) and Groot (Vin Diesel) leave to pursue a new hammer, while Star Lord (Chris Pratt), Gamora (Zoe Saldana), Drax (Dave Bautista) and Mantis (Pom Klementieff) head back to find The Collector at Knowhere, the last known location of reality stone. All of these events will eventually bring these folks together to fight their common enemy, who grows more and more powerful the harder they fight.

Again, everything I just described is happening in the first third of the film, and I’m being as vague as possible, so don’t worry, I’m honestly not spoiling anything major here. The biggest spoilers happen in the last act of the film, which I’m not even going to touch on. I didn’t even talk about Wakanda and Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), which is in all of the trailers, so trust me when I say I’m just giving you the basics. But again, this speaks to just how much of a tremendous undertaking this film must have been. I don’t envy directors Joe and Anthony Russo or screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely for having to manage all of these characters, find a logical way to bring them together, and make sure they’re all given their respective glory moments. And for the most part, they did it all very well. Some might feel the film is bloated, especially considering the two hour and 29-minute running time, but every second of that is filled with something entertaining and memorable. Visually and cinematically, this is easily the most impressive Marvel production to date (which is to be expected, especially with a rumored budget of $350 million), so you’re definitely getting your money’s worth.

What’s perhaps most surprising about AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR is how humorous it is, especially considering how heavy some of the material ends up being. The concept behind Thanos is not one that lends itself to laughter, this is a power hungry madman who wants to wipe out half of humanity, and may just have the power to do it… so it’s a little odd how many jokes are peppered in with that kind of narrative. But thankfully it doesn’t diminish the villain in the process, delivering (finally) one of the best and most impressive bad guys we’ve seen in any of the Marvel films. You may not agree with his motives, but in a weird way you kind of get why he’s doing what he’s doing. And all these heroes are just getting in his way, so he has no problem swatting them away like flies. The story also does a great job following up on some story elements that were established in other Marvel films, like Gamora and Nebula (Karen Gillan) being Thanos’ competitive daughters, neither of which ever seemed to love him the way he loved them in his own weird way. There’s connective tissue with other Marvel productions too, such as BLACK PANTHER and even some of the earlier solo movies. It’s the cinematic equivalent of how it felt reading a Marvel comic and seeing an editor’s note telling you to reference a decade-old book that somehow still tied in with the current story. This is a movie for hardcore fans for sure, with little touches spread around to make you appreciate those previous outings that much more.

It does take a bit of adjustment seeing some of the bigger characters much more briefly than normal, especially when you’re used to seeing them dominate the screen more prominently when it’s their movie. A few times I found myself thinking “Aw man, I want to see more Doctor Strange”, and then remembering there were literally dozens of other characters that needed to be acknowledged or followed-up on. There’s also a few heroes that are noticeably absent this time around, and one major hero that doesn’t get the sort of action you’re used to due to psychological plot device. It’s almost dizzying trying to keep up with everyone, but somehow it works. This is also one of the more emotional stories Marvel has produced, though sadly there isn’t time to fully embrace those heavier moments as there’s too much story left to tell. The big question now is whether or not the events of this film will have significant lasting changes on the cinematic universe moving forward. The ending, which I’m not going to talk about, is so big and so monumental, one could assume there’s no possible way things will stay the way they are… and if you’ve read the comics this movie is influenced by, you probably know what to expect the future will hold. But it’s still likely to be devastating to some, even if they think they know what’s next.

In the end, AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR is the first half or a much bigger story, which will be continued and (we imagine) concluded next year. The original title was AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR Part I with the next one intended to be Part II. And honestly, I think that would have been a better way to title these films, as you could safely say this feels like a Part 1 more than a self-contained movie. That’s risky too, as movies like BACK TO THE FUTURE II did that, and (originally) it didn’t go over well. All that said, it’s nice to see Marvel Studios tell such a ballsy story, one that will have fans talking heavily until they can see what the next chapter holds. And as always, make sure you stay until the end of the credits, as there’s one post-credit stinger you won’t want to miss, even if the non-comic fans will have to look up an explanation for it later.

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