Avengers: Endgame has been one of the most anticipated films of all time.

After I first watched the original Avengers 6 years ago, it sucked me into the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), which includes the Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor trilogies, the Guardians of the Galaxy films, and others, like Black Panther, Ant-Man, Spiderman: Homecoming, and Captain Marvel.

Since 2008, with the release of Iron Man, Marvel Studios has released 22 intertwined films. These films can stand alone, but they all combine to tell one epic story. A series of this magnitude and popularity has never been done before in cinematic history, and Avengers: Endgame lives up to the challenge: It provides a satisfying end to more than 10 years of storytelling.

The movie has left box office predictions in the dust, making $1.2B in the first weekend, with an incredible $350M domestic debut. This is the largest opening of any film, and the previous record holder for both of these titles was the last Russo Brothers project: Avengers: Infinity War (2018).

This review will be spoiler-free, in accordance with what Marvel Studios has posted all over Twitter and Instagram: #DontSpoilTheEndgame.

The story was layered yet engaging, much like Infinity War, and it kept me on my toes. Because of this, the three-hour runtime didn’t feel excessively long at all. In fact, I think it was necessary in order to end the various storylines appropriately.

As a general rule, the bigger of a fan you are of Marvel movies, the more you will be satisfied with the film. There are plenty of callbacks to the previous 21 movies, making it feel like a celebration. The movie relies heavily on the audience’s attachment to the characters, and just like in Infinity War, it doesn’t waste time introducing anyone and jumps right into the story.

This movie is deeply emotional, but also lighthearted at times. The Russo Brothers have mastered the art of a serious movie peppered with comedic banter without making the laughs seem out of place. They did this with the past 3 MCU movies they have directed (Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Captain America: Civil War (2016), Avengers: Infinity War (2018)), and they continue to do so with Endgame.

They explore the effects of the past on the characters but do not disappoint during the final showdown. The visuals on the massive battle are incredible, and it is undoubtedly one of the greatest comic book scenes of all time. The magnitude of it is incredible and awe-inspiring.

Overall, the Russo Brothers lived up to the hype: they delivered an incredible and satisfying conclusion to the 11 year, 22 movie Saga that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This is the ending of this extraordinary story, and it couldn’t have been done in a better way. If you haven’t already done so, go see Avengers: Endgame in theaters, you won’t regret it.