“There was an idea, Stark knows this, called the Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of remarkable people, see if they could become something more. See if they could work together when we needed them to fight the battles we never could.”

Since the opening frame of Iron Man, the MCU has been building to this film. With all of the build-up and characters from multiple franchises coming together one, might be worried about this movie not living up to the expectation, possibly falling apart because of the major scale. I am happy to say this movie fulfills its promise and delivers a truly incredible experience that must be seen in theaters, hopefully knowing as little information as possible beforehand.

In all honesty, this is the hardest review I have ever had to write simply because there is so much going on and I truly want each and every one of you to experience this in theaters with the bare minimum, or even zero things spoiled.

Infinity War left me breathless and lost for thoughts. It just has that much going on. I left the theater and wanted to immediately rewatch it over and over again just to absorb it all. As soon as the movie starts, it doesn’t stop. It doesn’t slow down until the credits roll and even then some. This film is truly is a jaw-dropping thrill ride 10 years in the making.

Thanos, a name we have heard for years in the MCU, finally shows us what he can do, and why he is the Mad Titan. I know a lot of folks, including myself, were afraid after all this build up Thanos would fall flat and there was no way he could live up to all of this hype, just like many Phase 1 and 2 Villains, but boy were we wrong. He EXCEEDS the expectations. Infinity War IS Thanos’ movie, no questions asked. Josh Brolin gives us a tremendous performance and with the incredible visuals accompanying him. It gets to the point where you do not see Brolin anymore, just Thanos. He truly is an unstoppable being, but one that isn’t without depth. The Russo Brothers add complexity and heart to his character which elevates him higher than what he has ever been in the comics. That really shines in the emotional scenes between him and Gamora. No disrespect to Darth Vader, Ledger’s Joker or even the recent incredible performance by Michael B. Jordan’s Killmonger, Thanos might be the greatest villain in cinematic history.

I do not envy The Russo Brothers incredible task of balancing all of these characters, but boy did they do it, allowing all the characters to get their moments to shine, even such minor new characters like the Black Order. A trade-off of having so many characters is that not everyone is going to get a ton of screen time, though that might be disappointing when it comes to your specific favorite character when they are on the screen they are arguably at their best. Everyone gives a top-notch performance and you can really see the heart that went into this film. Even though every character has a moment where your inner nerd wants to jump up and down screaming, I’d say after my first viewing, Thanos, Thor, Iron Man, Starlord, Gamora and Dr. Strange’s performances were my personal favorites. But who knows maybe upon multiple viewings I might pick up on another favorite. With so much going on it was very easy to lose focus on one character because you were so focused on just the scope of it all.

The action is beautifully choreographed, intense and brutal but still manages to find that fun, comic book element that will have you on the edge of your seat but still laughing hysterically. Infinity War is one of the funnier MCU movies, and while I love the fun laughter, I would’ve personally liked if a handful of the moments took themselves more seriously. By no means am I saying this movie is without intense serious drama because there is some that will rip your heart out and have you actually screaming out loud “NO NO NO” (true story).

Besides the few poorly timed jokes, the only other minor problem I have with the movie is that it does suffer from being a “Part 1” Movie. Somethings are not fully explored and the ending just leaves you craving more, which could be considered a good or bad thing. This problem can be easily fixed next year when we have ourselves a nice 5-hour epic story to watch because let’s face it, it is nearly impossible to tell this story completely in one movie.

With the incredible characters, chemistry, stunning action, brutal intensity, hilarity, huge scope, and risk, I genuinely do not see how anyone could leave this theater unsatisfied. I feel like most will immediately want to turn around to watch it again or be clamoring for the continuation in Avengers 4. I cannot stress this enough, with the utter magic of this movie, do not let this be spoiled for you, it is the BEST experience I’ve had in a theater, and with all the twist, turns and MAJOR surprises you will soon see why…

I cannot stress enough how many more things I’d love to address, but I have to be as vague as possible to give everyone the best possible experience when seeing this masterpiece for the first time. You have seen maybe 10% of the movie from all of the promotional material, including some whole scenes you have not even seen a frame of and so many stunning character moments that will make anyone’s inner fanboy squeal.

With how hyped I was when left the theater, I cannot help but give Avengers: Infinity War the incredible rating it deserves, 9.9/10. It is truly a once in a lifetime experience and can confidently say a lot of you will leave the theater saying this is your new favorite movie.

Now… bring on Avengers 4. –Parker Batkins

Avengers: Infinity War is in theaters Friday!

An unprecedented cinematic journey ten years in the making and spanning the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War brings to the screen the ultimate, deadliest showdown of all time. The Avengers and their Super Hero allies must be willing to sacrifice all in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.