There was an idea… called the Avengers Initiative. The idea was to bring together a group of of remarkable people to see if they could become something more. To see if they could work together when we needed them to, to fight the battles that we never could.

In 2008, Iron Man arrived. A risky choice for hero. A risky choice for lead. A risky choice for director. And as the credits rolled, a surprise was in store for all. This was the beginning of something greater.

A decade later, that promise has been fulfilled on a scale heretofore unseen with the release of Avengers: Infinity War.

If you’re a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to date - let’s be honest, you don’t need to read this review. You’re going to see the movie. You probably already have. And if you have, you’re probably already planning to see it again.

But for those fence sitters, those opinion waiters, those unsure - with the odds stacked against it, with the difficulty level set to high, the Russo Brothers and Marvel Studios did it. Full stop. A complete success.

The culmination of the stories throughout the nineteen film saga, Infinity War finally brings uber-villian Thanos (Josh Brolin) to Earth, as he assembles the last of the infinity stones, the powerful macguffins controlling Space, Mind, Reality, Power, Time and Soul. But his villainy is perhaps altruistic? In a shift from the character’s comics focus - to impress the living embodiment of Death - Thanos feels the universe is overpopulated, and needs a cleansing. His goal? Wipe out half of existence within the universe, full stop.

It’s heady, heavy material for the normally jokey Marvel Universe - and while the quips are there (there is tremendous character interaction in this film, all the pairings you want to see, and some pairings you’ll be surprised work as well as they do) - the movie is, frankly, bleak at times. No punches are pulled - this is a gutsy, ballsy choice from the normally risk-adverse MCU. Avengers: Infinity War isn’t necessarily a movie for the whole family - I can see kids getting absolutely warped by some of this (in a Bambi’s Mom sort of way).

But the important part is this - the landing is stuck. The action is epic, the scope is incredible. Some way, some how, the movie is balanced, extending the stories of (almost all) of your favorite heroes. And in the end, when the smoke clears, you will be drained and absolutely blown away.

All eyes will then move to May 2019. An almost insane year long wait for the next chapter - you will be chomping at the bit to know what happens next.

What will the future hold for the Avengers? I’m not sure - but in this present day, their greatest adventure is on the silver screen, and I cannot wait to see it again and again.

Avengers: Infinity War is in theaters now (grab tickets via Fandango!), and yes, is already available for pre-order on iTunes.