Wonderful Escapist Fare and a GREAT Film

Rating: Null/10 (20 May 2016)

Way back when I first heard that Captain America was being brought to the screen I kind of cringed. How could they translate the complexity of character and his true coolness but stay away from any cheese? Dress a guy in the flag and remain true to the seriousness of the Depression and World War Two era? Well, they managed to pull it off quite well in the first film. The director knew that you had to establish and truly care about the character. Making it a period piece really helps give it a flavor unlike any other comic adaptation. The Raiders of the Lost Ark flavor was there. In the second film, they met the new challenge of depicting Cap in the modern era. Now, everything established in both Captain America films and both Avengers pays BIG dividends in this Civil War movie. The universe has been established wonderfully and this film does the best job to date playing in that universe. Everything and every scene packs some sort of punch and resonates with true style and heart. They really let the action flow but also allow for key development of the overall story and over concept. This also allows them to probe deeper into the character's personalities. And I'm talking ALL the characters even the ones with smaller roles. This heightens the tension, so often missing from lesser comic-book movies, and adds real weight to the action sequences which are thrilling and often mesmerizing. Add more than a dash of thriller aspects and a few new characters that steal every scene that they appear in.
I honestly can't think of one way to improve this film. The result is a sequel that's just flat out exceptional and a trilogy that's the best any genre has ever seen.