I was 12-years-old when the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) started. I vividly remember seeing it in the theaters with my dad. I even bought the video game for my PSP, an invention ahead of its time. Fast-Forward to today, and here I am going to an early screening of Avengers: Infinity War. I went to both of the press screenings they had – which were on the same day by the way. I was emotionally drained by the end of the night. It’s going to be hard to talk about the movie without talking spoilers, but I’ve got you, don’t worry.

Avengers: Infinity War is the 19th movie in the MCU, but to me, it’s the first movie in the franchise to really have true ramifications for the heroes’ actions. Prior to seeing this movie, I had very high expectations for this film, especially with it being the movie to follow up the iconic and legendary Black Panther. I can confidently say it did live up to the hype and more!

A while back, the Russo Brothers said that Thanos will prove why he’s the baddest villain in the MCU within the first five minutes and ‘BOIIIII’ they were not lying. After my first viewing of Infinity War, I was speechless. While the credits were rolling, I was literally just sitting there trying to process what I had just watched. It was the first time I left an MCU movie not knowing what would happen next. Josh Brolin’s portrayal of Thanos was outstanding. After seeing it twice in one day, I’m still thinking about how menacing his character was. We’re in a time where technology is becoming more advanced and motion capture acting is becoming more and more prominent. I was thoroughly impressed with how real Thanos looked.

The reason why I was excited for the Russo Bros. to helm the project was because of how well they were able to juggle multiple characters in Civil War, which I unofficially dubbed as Avengers 2.5. Since Civil War was Captain America’s story, he was the primary focus. However, with Infinity War, it’s about the ensemble – so the Russo’s didn’t have to focus exclusively on one character’s story arc. They did such a great job of balancing all the characters’ screen time and allowing each person to get their moment. Yes, some characters got more love than others, but the Russo brothers have already stated that characters who played a smaller role in Infinity War will have a larger role in Avengers 4.

Infinity War truly felt like a perfect culmination of the whole MCU. Sometimes with superhero movies, the acting takes a backseat to the story and the action but Infinity War reminded me how many amazing actors the MCU has accumulated over the years. I’ve got to say Chris Hemsworth has grown into such a phenomenal actor and his growth as a character in the MCU has taken a complete 180. Taika Waititi completely revitalized Thor’s character and the Thor franchise as a whole. Before Thor: Ragnarok, Thor was easily my least favorite Avenger, mainly based on his solo movies. After seeing Infinity War, Thor is now my favorite Avenger.

The action sequences in this movie are some of the best choreographed scenes I’ve seen in any comic book movie. It felt like the Russo bros. grabbed panels from the comics and told the FX team to replicate them. A recurring thing in the MCU that some people have a problem with is how they handle comedy. I personally love the tone most of the movies take, but I do agree that sometimes it can be pulled back a bit. With this film, I would say they found a near-perfect balance of the different tones from all the movies. Although the Russos directed this project, they made sure to consult the directors from the previous films to make sure their characters stayed consistent. Having directors like Jon Favreau, James Gunn and Ryan Coogler on set to help out basically guaranteed that this movie would be a perfect blend of what they built.

The best thing about Infinity war – and I think everyone will agree – is finally seeing these characters interact and meet. It was a movie experience I will never forget. In both screenings I went to the crowd would cheer every time one of the heroes popped up. The crowds went nuts when T’Challa and Okoye popped up on the screen. Wakanda Forever!

Overall, if I had to give the movie a score, I’d say its 9.5 out of 10. I loved everything about the movie and wish I could talk more about it, but it’s nearly impossible to go into details about the movie without spoiling anything. So, I will hold off until my spoiler review. Just know: you guys are going to love the movie!