Review of Captain America: Civil War (2016) by Brandon S — 13 Apr 2018

First-rate comic book who's thought provoking story & breath-taking action make for not only the best of the "Captain America" series but one of the best comic book movies ever made. The cast is excellent as usual, with Chris Evans continuing to portray Steve Rogers as the heart & soul of the MCU, even when conflicted over what is the right thing to do.

Downey is equally excellent as Tony Stark giving his most nuanced performance of the character to date, playing him as someone equally conflicted with loyalty to his friends & doing what he believes is the right thing.

While the rest of the cast makes this seem like an "Avengers" film, the focus remains on Cap with the rest playing supporting roles. That's not to say they don't get their chance to shine, with each given moments to justify their place in the film, from Vison & Wanda's budding romance to Bucky & Falcons rivalry over who is Cap's best bud.

The additions of Chadwick Bosman & Tom Holland as Black Panther & Spider-Man make fantastic debuts, making great set-ups for their own films. Behind the camera, the Russo brothers manage to out do their brilliant work on "Winter Soldier", providing a thought provoking story in which the right side isn't so clear.

The Accords actually have a good reason behind them (nice to see an action movie address civilian casualties & collateral damage) and even Cap is shown to understand their need at one point. However, Iron Man & the government push them so heavy-handedly you understand why many are afraid of them.

This leads to an emotional third act in which you will be torn who to root for in the final battle. What's nice is that many of the motivations in this epic story are quite personal, from Cap's, whose just trying to protect his friend, to the eventual villain pulling the strings.

That's not to say there isn't plenty of fun & action, which this film has in spades, particularly the brilliant airport battle, probably the best superhero fight ever along with being one of the best action scenes in years (the trailers don't even scratch the surface of the awesomeness of this scene).

The one quibble is that the plot stringing this is together is a little thin, though the villain pulling the strings, Zemo (nicely played by Daniel Bruhl) does have a compelling & original reason behind it.

Overall, a thought provoking but action packed film that will have you divided on whose side you should be on.