Review of Captain America: Civil War (2016) by Kevin P — 04 Jul 2017

At one point during this movie, I heard a kid in the theater tell his dad, "This movie is amazing". I couldn't agree more. This very timely film pits fan favorites Captain America and Iron Man against each other in an ethically ambiguous quandary: should people with extraordinary abilities be controlled? This isn't the first film to ask that question (Watchmen, Batman v Superman, and most of the X-Mens have all explored this subject, just to name a few) but it's the first I've seen that illustrates both sides of the argument so well, as well as why each character takes the stance they do.

.. and take it as far as they do. After watching the film, it's tough to side with only one of them (despite the constant urging of Twitter to declare your allegiance...?#?teamswitzerland??). This is an impeccably written and expertly paced film, especially for an action flick.

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo deftly juggle the storylines of a veritable cornucopia of superheroes, allowing each to shine in his or her own moment, and even squeezing in some solid character development.

The film does a fantastic job of fleshing out characters we already know and also of introducing new characters, giving them just enough screen time to leave us wanting more. I mean, I don't want to get ahead of myself, but for the first time I am thinking that this time around, the Spider-Man reboot might actually be good! There is a crazy amount of stuff covered in this film - yet even at 2 1/2 hours, it always flows and never feels crammed.

It balances the bombastic action sequences with enough quiet character-driven moments to keep the viewer from going into overdrive, and adds enough humor to counteract a plot that could easily go too dark and heavy.

This ain't no lover's quarrel... though everyone is initially reluctant to engage, this Civil War ends up being a bitter fight with some shocking consequences. It hurt my heart a little to see Cap and Tony come to blows, but the film treats the issue somberly and with the respect both characters deserve.

Though the title is a bit of a misnomer (it should be called "Avengers: Civil War"), this is easily the best of the Cap movies, and even rivals the first Avengers movie (which I heralded as the perfect superhero film).

And the MCU juggernaut rolls on...