Captain America: Civil War

Checkmate, haters. And sorry, it's just not your year. I have seen this movie, but I won't mention a single spoiler here. (If you guys want proof, you can PM me and I'll tell you how the movie ends and the after credits). The reason I'm really writing this review is that I KNOW THERE WILL BE BIASED PEOPLE HERE WHO'LL WRITE THAT BVS IS BETTER and this is trash, etc, etc. Well, just see this movie and judge for yourself. Speaking briefly of the movie, it is an emotional roller coaster with an absolutely beautiful end. Spidey had a satisfying screen time. As for the acting, by the time the movie ended, I was a happy man. Russov's are handling Infinity War, and after watching this movie, how they did justice to characters, I'll not worry. A movie we wanted as well as deserve.

When an incident involving Wanda Maximoff causes a deadly explosion in Lagos, the UN want to regulate the use of the Avengers.

'Captain America Civil War' is an enjoyable but slightly overlong MCU movie that has some fantastic spectacle and strong character moments.

The plot has an excellent premise with a plausible world reaction to the exploits of a group of people with superpowers and a good villain. Where it slightly falters as a stand-alone movie is the introduction of several new characters that somewhat bogs down the proceedings, but for the wider franchise narrative (and expansion) it is necessary. Several characters have emotional arcs to go through in this story and there is only so much time to do it all.

All that being said it has some of the best moments of the franchise, particularly during the scenes of internal conflict amongst the central characters. Iron Man, Black Panther, Captain America and the Winter Soldier are involved in some very compelling scenes, as are Wanda and Vision.

Some of the visuals are incredibly well done. The early Lagos action scenes hit like a sledgehammer and you can almost feel the impact of what is being shown. The airport showdown is excessive but so much fun you can imagine the writers planning a fanboy's ultimate fantasy. The final confrontation is well made from a spectacle and character perspective.

The first time I saw it was my first sight of the digital effect that makes actors appear younger. This is a very impressive use of CGI that feels like real movie magic.

All performances are strong especially Robert Downey Jr and Daniel Bruhl.

It's a 7.5/10 for me but I round upwards.

What impresses me about this movie is how much good was done in a short amount of time for each character. There are really clever time-saving 'tricks' like Tony using the broom to bust open the hatch that caused the Spidey costume to come dangling down. That saved them minutes of precious dialogue; it just cut straight to the point. And during that whole scene in Peter's place, almost every line of dialogue counted toward something important, with just enough 'fluff' to make it sound like a real conversation instead of 'movie dialogue' (the funny asides like 'please move your leg' and 'your ridiculously hot aunt'), etc.

The same is true about the scene near the beginning with Tony's holographic 'flashback' . That scene served so many purposes at once - first, it got me caught up in the background story; then, it gave me an insight into Tony's attitudes and regrets concerning his parents; then, when it was shown that it was a therapy technique, it showed me that Tony still has unresolved emotional issues concerning his parents, which then set up the stage for a reveal that causes Tony's later actions.

These two previously mentioned scenes took about four or five minutes tops, and many other scenes in the film managed to squeeze in a half-hour's worth of material (per scene) into 5-minute snippets by accomplishing a lot of stuff simultaneously (story-building AND character-building AND plot development) , and making it feel natural and not rushed or forced.

This film serves as a great example for others to study when it comes to screenwriting effectiveness. Something really remarkable was done here. And it was very refreshing after seeing so many big-budget blockbusters with horrible screenwriting.

The Winter Soldier has competition for being the best Marvel movie. There's no other way to say it: Civil War is phenomenal. Marvel continues the trend of upping the stakes by pinning our favorite heroes against each other: Captain America and Iron Man. There are a lot of other characters, so much so that it feels more like an Avengers movie than a solo movie, but the story is told in such a way that the spotlight is always on Cap and Bucky.

Civil War is tonally different from Winter Soldier in that it's more bombastic in its storytelling. Again, there are a lot of Avengers in the movie (more than the freaking Avengers movie). While Winter Soldier was a relatively grounded, dark political thriller, Civil War is a louder, more colorful take on the political theme, and a much more personal one as well. This time it's a matter of morals and ethics, and it's amazing how the movie pulls off giving each side of the argument weight and credibility so you could argue about who's right and who's wrong all day.

Steve wants to protect his best friend Bucky who was brainwashed by Hydra and is now a fugitive from the law. He doesn't trust any form of government faction. He saw how far up corruption goes and he's not willing to lose jurisdiction of the Avengers to yet another corrupt governmental body. Tony wants everyone to sign an agreement for the UN so they won't be seen as a threat by the world governments due to their track record of leaving behind messes and casualties. It's a terrific plot, very thrilling and character driven. At its core it's a very personal story between Steve and Tony. The other characters are written as complimentary pieces to one puzzle. It's not gratuitous at all. You understand everyone's ideologies - why they disagree with each other, why they're on the sides that they're on, why they're fighting for what they're fighting for - and they're each given enough screen time for us to care. And the action scenes are TWS level. Nothing quite beats the first confrontation between CA and WS, but the end of the second act of this movie has an action sequence that is absolutely mesmerizing. It's the civil war. Seeing all of these superheros go against each other is exhilarating, and their interactions are hysterical, especially since a lot of them are meeting each other for the first time.

The new characters are excellent - Black Panther makes a hell of an impression as a sophisticated Wakandan diplomat, and Spider-Man is easily the best live action interpretation of the character; major props to Tom Holland for sounding exactly how you'd expect Spider-Man to sound like. It's an absolute joy to watch. One aspect of Civil War I find especially fascinating is the use of its villain, Zemo. You have no idea what he's plotting for a good chunk of the movie. He shows up intermittently as the first couple of acts are playing out doing cryptic stuff vaguely involving Hydra, and finally the third act converges on Zemo and why he's doing what he's doing, and it's about the simplest thing: vengeance. It's incredible to watch this ordinary man - no powers or abilities - just a smart, patient man, have a conceivable shot at destroying the Avengers. And the actor is excellent too. It's a nice change of pace from the invincible demigods and dull dark elves we've been getting in previous installments.

Civil War is an expertly made film all around. The acting is top notch as always, the directing and the writing are masterful, I can go on and on. It's a political, personal, and powerfully conveyed story with tons of popcorn blockbuster appeal, rivaled only by The Winter Soldier in the MCU. Highly recommended.

At the start, the film finds Captain America yet again adjusting to working under the increasingly morally ambiguous ways of the new Avengers structure. The set up is masterfully done. This is the fifth time we've seen the character and it's remarkable how complex and how much depth has been layered on to developing this icon. The Avengers film touched a bit with his feelings of what it was like to be in the modern era, and Winter Soldier drove the point home. Following that classic sequel, Civil War is a wonderful character study to go along with a purely thrilling plot. This was exactly the perfect vehicle to deliver a film to advance the character of Captain America but also give Tony Stark a perfect finishing arc and more development himself. What makes BOTH Steve and Tony interesting aren't their abilities or weapons but the men themselves. Steve's moral code and "man out of time" elements are tested in this film but not in a way anyone saw coming. The viewer that normally would trust that Cap is doing what's right can look at his actions in a different light. He is still coming to terms with a past that is long gone and he is still longing for a better more decent era. Putting Bucky back in the mix clouds his judgment. Dealing with the shades of grey of the modern era and being part of any controlling organization after the events of the Winter Soldier movie has changed him. It's exactly like all the epic events and decisions Tony Stark has made over five films has changed the character of Iron Man. The resulting conflict between the two is as epic as can be.

Like in Steve's last solo movie, his past comes back and explodes all throughout his new life. Tracking down his old pal Bucky, who was once an amoral assassin and a mind controlled Russian thug, proves to be a catalyst to everything that happens. Everything happens and unfolds in a believable and an intelligent manner. Every single ultimately cool character gets a chance to shine including Bucky but also incredible new characters like Black Panther and Spider-Man. Each one is fleshed out wonderfully for their supporting roles. Again, beyond cool.

I really enjoyed both previous Captain America films but this movie is as dark and exciting as Winter Solder but also adds a degree of depth. This movie has a whole new flavor and that's exactly what was needed and what Marvel does so well. The 1940's romance and even the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" tone fit the first film quite nicely. The conspiracy thriller vibe of the second film was refreshing and so well done. Here, just like the Cap character, adaptation is a key. What they deliver with this Civil War feels fresh and is certainly amazing. Steve is still a patriot but he's continuing to question authority. His old-fashioned values pay off in many cases but here, are they leading him astray? Questioning what is wrong and questioning what is morally cloudy is a test of true character. Yet, being old school stubborn can result in missing key points and can result in bad consequences. That is exactly why the character of Steve Rogers is so interesting. He's so much more than a super soldier boy scout. There's depth, angst and pathos and we all can relate to him. He is out-of-place and he is old-fashioned but proud of that in a way. In a movie like this, pride comes before the fall. Tony Stark is ahead of him on that curve. Tony knows the price of arrogance and even the price of acting unilaterally with the best of intentions. He knows the road to hell is paved with those best of intentions. When these two philosophies and life lessons collide, that's as cool as the superhero brawl that accompanies it.

The story itself is an amazing action thriller with a ton of intrigue and psychological issues. Honestly, I didn't expect it to be this clever and this deep. I did expect it to be exciting and it certainly delivers on that. Each new character and each hold over Avenger character works in to the story perfectly. Everything about this movie is a joy to watch. The cast is perfect and everyone is used exceptionally well. This IS the best sequel the genre has ever seen and I know tat's saying a lot. It could be Marvel's best effort ever.