Avengers: Infinity War

I have unabashedly been calling "Avengers: Infinity War" in the weeks following the first trailer drop "The Big One" or alternatively, "Marvel's Big One" because A) easier to sound less like a nerd to your parents, and B) what else do you call the sequel to 10 years of loosely connected movies?
From "Iron Man" in 2008 to "Black Panther" in 2018, this was truly the reward for anyone who's been paying attention to the inescapable media juggernaut that was the joint venture between a comics company and the Mouse. And what IS that reward for watching interesting characters crack jokes, conquer their own foibles, and defeat evil after evil for 10 years?
A roller coaster of emotions culminating in the biggest gut punch ever.
The big purple dude at the end of the first Avengers movie finally makes his move and he starts acquiring the MacGuffins of various other movies to enact his genocidal plan to make the universe a "better" place. Along with his quirky miniboss squad, Thanos, played masterfully by Josh Brolin, confronts hero after hero, sometimes groups of heroes even, in an effort to get all six doodads that will give him PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWER.

MASSIVE SPOILERS AHEAD BECAUSE THERE'S NOTHING ELSE TO DO BUT SPOIL THIS BIG KAHUNA MOVIE!

For a creative overview from a fellow movie-reviewing friend that lists three pros and three cons, please go here.
For a review (SPOILER-FILLED) with a multitude of goofy voices, go here.
For a SPOILER-FILLED rundown of the movie's events told in a way similar to how how Michael Peña told stories in "Ant-Man," go here.

You'll get it after you watch it

Righto, I called this a roller coaster of emotion because it has has a tendency to render you with mood whiplash, giving you highs and lows in spades. NO MATTER WHAT, you will not be prepared emotionally. Sure you could've watched the required films, but that only makes you get attached to certain characters that don't make it through the film.
The team-ups of heroes were very well thought out:
Team Sherlock, with Iron Man (with fancy Gundam wings and Blue Beetle-esque weapons sprouting), Doctor Strange, and Spider-Man, eventually meet up with half the Guardians of the Galaxy, and their interactions are all golden. Ego the planet may have died, but ego the main problem is this group's constant threat.
Team New Hammer, with Thor, Rocket Raccoon, and Teen Groot, are great too; not just for their quest of a Thanos-killing weapon to replace Mjolnir, but the heartfelt moments with their actual character developments shows how far they've come in their own movies. Plus they run into a short dude suddenly very huge to help them create this new trump card.
Team Fugitives and Wakanda are tasked with keeping the final Infinity Stone, stuck in Vision's forehead, safe. Their efforts lead to a great climactic battle against Thanos's posse and their mindless alien hordes. While some critics might decry this as pointless action and confusing CGI monstrosities being mashed together like a little boy with his action figures, IT'S EVERYTHING YOU EVER WANT! Your favorite heroes getting the spotlights to showcase why they're called Earth's Mightiest Heroes.

All three groups are the hindrances on the path to the real protagonist of the story, Thanos! The directors themselves said that it was important that the audience finally starts to understand this madman, that he sees himself as the hero of his own story, with no delusions that what he does is not horrific and brutal, but what is necessary to keep the universe in balance. So unlike many Marvel movie villains, he's not doing dastardly deeds because of money, jealousy, ambition, dark destiny, or the ever-popular NO REASON AT ALL; he knows that with great power comes great responsibility. Far be it for me to say he is as relatable or his viewpoint as valid as Killmonger or Vulture though; he's still a bad dude...but he's not a bad dude you can utterly despise.

And of course, what you've no doubt seen in memes and utter failures to keep the silence, the deaths. Nobody is safe. After three (or five depending on level of attachment) deaths, Thanos does the impossible and kills half the cast off. The movie ends with the survivors shell-shocked and stunned at this unfortunate turn of events. And for the theater I was in, most everyone sat in the dark waiting for the credits to roll by, grasping at the hope that the final end-credits scene has something more to offer closure. And it does, making Captain Marvel, the artist formerly known as Ms. Marvel, the possible savior of the universe.

Overall, a grand time at the theater and I cannot wait to find out what the real Part 2 has to offer. Most likely they're going to bring back all the ones lost because everybody knows the REAL greatest power in the universe is Status Quo.