Captain America: Civil War (2016) Review

Captain America: Civil War is hands down one of the best movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe so far. It has an epic feel to it and perfectly combines humor, action and a great story. Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) are both flawlessly introduced, but Spider-Man steals the show. As a huge fan of the Tobey Maguire Spider-Man series (at least the first two), I really hated Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man but Tom Holland’s version of the web slinger is perfect. The banter between Spider-Man and the other characters, along with the stunts and web tricks and the awkwardness of Peter Parker were all just perfect. Spider-Man’s big fight scene also had Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), who too was absolutely hilarious. All of this, combined with the amazing fight choreography made the airport battle one of the best superhero fights I have ever seen on screen.

Civil War’s action scenes are fantastic. When the heroes fight, they aren’t just throwing punches; they are throwing supersonic punches that require anyone at the receiving end of them to fly through a wall or two. This makes the fighting much more intense and enjoyable. We get to see nearly everyone in action at one point in the film, including multiple action sequences with recent new comers Vision (Paul Bettany) and Scarlett Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). There are way too many fight scenes to count, but seeing Black Panther and Spider-Man in action was certainly a highlight. The final fight between Captain America (Chris Evans) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) is also a great one, and I was very pleased that there was a definitive winner.

Civil War’s story is also phenomenal. Although it is a little slow in the beginning, when it picks up you will not want the movie to end. Crossbones makes a good villain in the beginning, but Zemo turns out to be one of the best. Captain America and Iron Man both have great motivations and you can see why each one of them thinks they are right. There is also a twist just before the final fight of the movie that makes the story deeply emotional. The twist will come to no surprise to those who really paid attention in The Winter Soldier, but I, for one, did not see it coming. The movie ends with the sense that nothing will ever be the same between Iron Man and Captain America, and it is very somber, but once again it is easy to understand both sides. The story is complex, emotional, unpredictable and one of the best in any Marvel movie.

I can’t recommend Captain America Civil War enough. Not only does it introduce Black Panther and Spider-Man fantastically but it also focuses on it’s own story and doesn’t get distracted so much that it becomes an ad for Marvel movies to come. Its story is heartfelt and the motivations of Iron Man and Captain America are both totally believable. Civil War is the perfect way to start Phase 3 and to begin the summer movie season in 2016. A-

Directed by: Anthony Russo and Joe Russo

Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr. Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, and Tom Holland

Movies you’ll be excited for after Captain America Civil War:

Doctor Strange (October 26, 2016)

Spider-Man: Homecoming (July 6, 2017)

Black Panther (February 2018)