I’m a movie buff, as are a number of my friends. We’ve formed a sort of informal Move Premiere Posse (MPP) that goes and sees movies, especially the purported blockbusters, at the earliest possible premiere show. For many of the blockbusters, previews start on Thursday, as with Infinity War, or sometimes Wednesdays, as was true of Ready Player One.

Yes, we all contributed to Infinity War’s monster 39 million dollar Thursday take.

The first thing you need to know about the movie is that it’s Part 1 of a two-parter, as exemplified by Marvel’s original advertising for the movie (see the above image). Since then, they’d gone silent on the idea of a two-parter, and announced that they’d decided not to tell anyone the name of the fourth Avengers film, saying that the title would be a spoiler.

Well, the movie borrows some major beats from the original comic book source material, and it does, indeed, end in a cliffhanger. Just accept that, and move on. Because what Marvel has delivered is a sprawling, fun, action-filled extravaganza powered by a villain that’s a true and worthy opponent for the Avengers. All of them.

It’s not a perfect movie, but it mostly works just fine. There are some interesting sets of heroes working together, and that mostly works, too. All of the characters get a few good lines, even if some obviously get more screen time than others. The science is wonky, but then, it was in the original comic books, as well. It’s all fast-paced enough and fun enough that it’s a smooth ride the whole way.

If you like superheroes, go see it. If you like Marvel, go see it. It’s well worth your time.