The trailer for Avengers: Infinity War left me counting the days until the spring blockbuster came out. But the trailer also made me feel unsure as to how the writers would be able to tell the story of virtually every hero introduced in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) in one film. I knew that Balancing the stories of The Avengers, Spiderman, the Guardians of the Galaxy, and many others would be difficult.

I was also initially skeptical of the movie’s 149 minute run time. I feel that most MCU movies often have too much build up, which always seems to make the final payoff a little disappointing. While watching, this film did seem to stretch a little long for my liking, as the many characters and storylines required the extra time. The good news is, although a bit long, it didn’t fail to entertain me at all.

The setting for this particular storyline finds our favorite characters in multiple places, including New York, the fictional Wakanda, and the far reaches of outer space. The switching between locations could have been a disaster, but it was surprisingly easy to follow and lent itself nicely to the overall tale. I was worried that the producer’s scattered universe would equate to cinematic ADHD. However, the scene changes were not only necessary to the telling of the stories but managed to help to move the film along nicely.

The story finds our growing team of Avengers facing the probability that the evil Thanos–a god-in-training–is scheming to collect elements that will make him the strongest being in the Universe. Voiced by Josh Brolin, Thanos is a complex character with a past that, in some moments, even made me feel bad for the villain. He’s probably my new favorite Marvel villain because his character poses a real challenge to the Marvel superheroes, as he begins to build himself into a menacing force.

Since the most recent Marvel movie, Black Panther, the Marvel team has done a very good job in improving the story-telling through unique film technique, special effects, editorial and top notch performances from an acting ensemble for the ages. For instance, the shaky, blurring camera movements that were used a lot in Black Panther action scenes were completely eliminated in Infinity War. This missing editorial technique actually made it easier for me to tell exactly what was happening during the battle scenes.

Regarding the topic of action, this movie is packed to the gills with it. To some, all the combat could seem overwhelming. To me, though, it fit the theme of an “Infinity War.”

The acting, apart from a couple characters, was solid. Although Mark Ruffalo, the actor who plays Bruce Banner/The Hulk seemed as if he hadn’t practiced his lines, Tom Holland, who plays Spiderman/Peter Parker provided a few exceptional moments; some hilarious and some emotional.

The majority of the special effects were pretty good too. The film required tons of CGI and I did find that the CGI in one particular scene looked extremely cheesy, as I could tell the actors were working in front of a green screen.  

The plot of Infinity War seemed a bit formulaic at first, but in the end it was surprisingly less predictable. I usually go into Marvel movies and can anticipate what will happen next. This one, however, left me a little astounded and surprised at the end.

On that topic, the ending also left a lot of questions to be answered in Avengers four (no actual title yet). It didn’t hold back any punches, and built up quite the right amount of hype for the next installment.