In 2008 my cousin John took me to see Iron Man in theaters. For a whole week John could not stop talking about how good it was. Despite my skepticism, I reluctantly agreed to go see it while it was still in theaters and thus a new obsession began.

In 2012 I watched “The Avengers” and my ideas of how the movie world operated changed forever. In 2014 my best friend and I went to see “Captain America: Winter Soldier,” which forever changed my perception of superhero movies and in 2016 I saw “Captain America: Civil War” and it felt like my family had been torn apart.

I tell you this because the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a part of pop culture that has been inextricably interwoven into not only in my life, but the lives of others. Never before has a franchise been so large and ubiquitous that a large number of people can say it’s a noteworthy piece of their lives.

“Avengers: Infinity War” is now showing at The Lyric.  

After 10 years of continuous releases, the MCU’s relevance to the world has transcended its impact on the film industry to become an important part of people’s individual histories.

After 19 movies I should not have to explain why Marvel movies are good. Endearing and iconic characters, competent directing and editing, tight and efficient plot, straightforward story with an emphasis on character etc. etc. 

It wasn’t just a movie it was an event.”

The main difference here is it takes all the usual aspects of a Marvel movie you’ve come to expect and turns it up to 11. The movie honestly does feel like the word “War” part in the title.

From the first minute of the film, you understand how much of an overwhelming force Thanos and his disciples really are. They’re brutal, cold, calculated and they showcase it every moment they are on screen. It gives a sense of real danger this time, forcing every character to scramble and prepare themselves for the ensuing onslaught.

Watching the characters scramble through the various sub-plots, as said sub-plots weave in and out of each other, instills an overall sense of anxiety that elevates the villains from plot obstacles to realistic threats.

All this tension makes two-and-a-half hours fly by without a second thought. I honestly forgot to take notes because I was so enthralled by what I was seeing. Juggling so many characters around never allows the movie to grow stale for even a second. “Infinity War” has so much ground to cover, lingering on one plot for too long would be an active detriment to the overall movie. Luckily the filmmakers knew how to balance their time well.

This time the movie’s focus is extremely dedicated to characters and their interactions, and with such a huge cast of varying personalities, how could it not. Luckily all of the on-screen chemistry works in spectacular fashion. Each character feels true to their personality and each pairing seems to play out more or less how those interactions would go. Special mention needs to be made to the back and forth between Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Doctor Strange, who steal the show in what is probably the most dynamic and entertaining pairing in the whole movie.

Watching the characters scramble through the various sub-plots, as said sub-plots weave in and out of each other, instills an overall sense of anxiety that elevates the villains from plot obstacles to realistic threats.”

Yes, “Infinity War” will pull at your heartstrings. By the end of the movie, I didn’t do anything but stare blankly at the screen.This is a critical moment in the MCU and even the characters know it. The actors really put everything they could into giving some of the most emotional and impassioned performances seen throughout the MCU.

For as much as I will laud this movie for months, or even years to come, it is not without flaw. With such a huge cast there were always going to be some characters that fell by the wayside.  We haven’t seen Captain America and the crew for almost two years now, but the movie treats them as though they just stepped out for a quick smoke.  Actually, there a lot of major characters who get less screen time than most, such as Black Panther, Cap, Bucky, Falcon, Black Widow, etc. 

I know Marvel sort of exemplifies the practice of combining serious action with jokes but I think they take it one step too far in some cases. Just because you shouldn’t take things too seriously, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take anything seriously.  

When I sat in that theater I knew it wasn’t going to be like all the other times. It felt like I was on a collective couch with a community of people. I’ve never heard so much clapping at so many different points in a single movie. It wasn’t just a movie: it was an event.

We were clapping, cheering, falling over with laughter; we were hollering at the screen and the amazing thing was no one seemed to mind because we all had that same unmistakable excitement and revelry for the culmination of a decade’s worth of attachment to these characters and their journey’s.

Collegian reporter Ty Davis can be reached at entertainment@collegian.com or on Twitter @tydavisACW.