Captain America: Civil War is chock-full of grief, sadness, revenge, anger, and guilt and it is executed very well.
My initial thoughts walking into this film were positive but I wondered "Can the Russo's go two for two?". Well this fan is proud to say that the Russo's did a damn fine job. Not only did they top 2014's The Winter Soldier but they made one of the best Marvel films so far and kicked off Phase 3 with a bang.
Without giving too much away, Civil War is a Captain America centric film that the rest of the Avengers are a part of. In a way it does feels like Avengers 2.5 but that's not a bad thing at all as it makes for an interesting dynamic in the film. Both Cap and Tony are being pulled in different directions throughout the film and it's quite interesting to see them bicker over who is wrong and who is right. All the other team members struggle with picking sides and deciding who is right and who is wrong. At times I found myself even trying to decide who was right and who was wrong.
The biggest highlights of the film are Spider-Man (played awesomely by Tom Holland), Black Panther (played by the very talented Chadwick Boseman), and finally Ant-Man (played by funny man Paul Rudd)
I'll take a moment to talk about the new additions to the MCU.
SPIDER-MAN:
Spider-Man's introduction into the MCU couldn't have been more perfect. I had my doubts when they cast Tom Holland as Spidey but those doubts have been thrown out the window. When we meet Peter he's a little nervous and of course geeky/awkward but you can also tell his home life is a bit of a struggle, like how it is in the comics and as it was touched on in the Raimi films.
It's when he dons the Spidey duds that he really shines. His part in the movie was nailed pefectly. He banters with a few characters (with humorous results), talks a bit too much which is great, was very funny, and is a force to be reckoned with. With Marvel in creative control of Spider-Man over at Sony it is definitely safe to say that the Ol' Web-Head is in good hands. His part in the airport fight was amazing and entertaining as all hell. They did such a good job that you'll want to forget Tobey and Andrews portrayals of Spider-Man.
BLACK PANTHER:
Panther was a very enjoyable character to watch on screen. Not only did Chadwick put up an excellent performance but watching him fight is quite a sight to behold. His agility is cat like which looked great during the action sequences. He comes off as very honorable much like Cap and is also like he was ripped straight from the comics. In his debut role he joins Iron Man's side, for personal reasons of course, and you can really feel for why he does. If any of you are wondering, Boseman does use an accent in the film and it's done so well it's like you'd imagine from the comics.
TEAM CAP
Each team member has their moments to shine in this film.
Scarlet Witch shows off more of her powers and what she can do with them in the film and has entertaining action sequences. At the same time though she is still understanding her powers while struggling with guilt.
Sharon Carter aids Cap in ways and you also see her and Cap's relationship grow a bit. Like Widow, she can throw down when it comes to a fight.
Hawkeye was about as entertaining as he was in Age of Ultron although his part in this film was brief but fun. Especially with his interactions with Ant-Man.
Ant-Man was as great as he was in his debut film last year. His fight at the airport was very well done and I could honestly watch that entire sequence over and over again. His interaction with team Cap was both funny and fighting alongside them was thrilling.
Falcon was much better this time around as he had some great moments, whether it was action or just dialogue. If you thought his fight with Ant-Man was good, you'll like him more in Civil War. Also the addition of Redwing (His portable Drone) he now has a bit more firepower and tactical advantages on his side.
Bucky (Winter Soldier) was as great as he was in Winter Soldier if not better. He was given a lot to do in Civil War and made for some touching moments and brutal fight sequences.
TEAM IRON MAN
Vision was more interesting than he was in Age of Ultron due to him being in that film quite close to the end. This time we get a more developed version and you see a more "human" side of him and watch him learn and discover things about himself. However his action scene moments were much better than they were presented in Age of Ultron.
Black Widow was well... Black Widow. Her role in the film didn't offer too much excpet for being on Iron Man's side but still struggling with it due to her realtionship with Cap. Though her fight scenes are always fun to watch.
War Machine shows off entertaining fighting skills and contributes to some great moments. His reasons are pretty obvious why he sides with Tony.
ZEMO
The only flaw with the film was Zemo (played by Daniel Bruhl). His character in the film pretty much works behind the scenes but doens't offer too much. He does however play a part in the films final fight sequence which was as brutal as it was entertaining. Like other articles have stated you won't be getting the same Zemo from the comics unfortunately. In all honesty this film could have worked without him but I guess they needed to throw an actual villain into the mix.
As for an after credits sequence well... I'm not posting a spoiler of course but since this was an advanced screening we only got a mid-credits sequence and it was pretty darn cool and it sets up a future film. Unfortunately there was no post credits scene shown. But they could be saving that for the actual premiere of the movie on May 6.
MY FINAL THOUGHTS
Captain Amercia: Civil War does not disappoint. If you thought the Russo Bros. couldn't top Winter Soldier then you are wrong. The Russo's delivered yet again in a big way. I'm now more convinced that they can handle Avengers: Infinity War Part I & II. After seeing the way they handled the Avengers in this film it should wash away any doubts you may have. Marvel was very smart to hire them for future installments in the MCU.
I am now more looking forward to Black Panther and seeing Wakanda more than ever. Panther was just so very cool and made me more hyped to see his solo movie after seeing him in action.
Spider-Man should be very interesting in his first MCU solo film, Spider-Man: Homecoming. After seeing how he was handled here, I have a feeling that it will make fans extremely happy that Marvel and Sony decided to work together.
Even though this was a free advanced ticket I will gladly pay to see this film when it officially premiers.
MY SCORE:
I give Captain America Civil War 4.5/5