Wow.

So, I’m typing this barely an hour out of the theater, from the late-night (or early, depending on how you see it) showing, so I can get my thoughts down pretty early. Spoiler free, of course.

Ready? Here we go.

Wow. Just … wow.

Look, if you’ve seen a Marvel film, or have a faint idea of what’s going on with the Marvel films, then you know what this film is. It’s the culmination of ten years of build up, from movie to movie to movie. All of them have been slowly but surely making progress to this point, and now it’s here. The result?

Have you seen a Marvel movie? Like say, Thor: Ragnarok? You know how exhilarating the Hulk-Thor battle was in that film? Or that big, final battle on the bridge? That breathless momentum rushing forward, with pauses only here and there to pace the audience and give them time to breath?

Infinity War opens at that level … and it just keeps going. It doesn’t stop.

But that’s fair. After all, again, ten years of build up has led us to this movie. This film is, basically, the finale of a story ten years in the making, with all the energy and momentum you would expect from that. I kid you not, I found myself literally on the edge of my seat in a few places, sinking back after the scene was over and trying to process everything that had just happened.

Oh, and a lot happens. Trust me. It’s a packed movie even at its run-length.

Should you go see it then? Well … there’s a catch. Well, two catches, really.

The first is who this movie is for. If you’ve not seen all the other Marvel films—and I mean all of them, from the first Iron Man down to Ragnarok and Black Panther, all of them from start to finish … you might want to catch up first. This movie pulls from, well, everything that came before it. If you’re not caught up, get caught up ASAP, then go see it.

The second catch is also about who this is for. This film is for people invested in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I’ve seen almost every one of their films in the first few days—or at the very least before they left theaters. Every. One. I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. I’ve been keeping track of who is who, what is what, where the infinity stones are … etc etc.

If you’re that kind of viewer, see this movie ASAP. Go now! As soon as you can get a ticket!

But if you’re the viewer who leans over to the person next to you and goes “Who’s that?” when Loki shows up in Ragnarok, or just goes for the spectacle of it all … Well, still go. You will get spectacle. Will you ever get some pretty stuff to see (no spoilers though). Just … don’t go immediately. Go when it’s convenient for you, and have a good time.

Now, if you’re not in either of those camps (MCU fan or slightly amused by Marvel), why are you reading this post? Go wait for Colony or Shadow of an Empire to hit the box office or something.

But yeah, Infinity War was exactly what I’d hoped. I had a blast.