"Captain America: Civil War"- A wildly thrilling and often complex action adventure extravaganza! One of Marvel's best!

Rating: 10/10 (23 November 2016)

One of the most shocking things about Marvel's widely beloved smash- hit Cinematic Universe is its seeming ability to deliver constant and consistent high-quality films with only the most minimal of missteps taken and sore thumbs stuck out. With well over a dozen widely- released films on top of shorts, television franchises and streaming series, the Marvel universe is very much an unstoppable behemoth. One of the greatest franchises to ever grace the silver screen. And "Captain America: Civil War" not only continues this trend of quality films made by a quality studio- it excels as one of the best of the best. It's a consistently thrilling action extravaganza filled to burst with complex characterizations, carefully laid plotting and non- stop fun.
After a disastrous mission, the Avengers find themselves at the center of controversy, with several world governments demanding they be put in check and only allowed to operate with committee approval under the newly drafted "Sokovia Accords." However, the team is morally split, with Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) unable to trust the accords while Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) wants to embrace them out an ever increasing sense of guilt for his previous actions. At the same time, James Barnes (Sebastian Stan) is blamed for a terrorist bombing that kills the King of the peaceful nation Wakanda, causing his son T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) to don the guise of the "Black Panther" to seek retribution, forcing Captain America to try and protect his former best friend against orders. However, it will soon become apparent that a devious figure known as Zemo (Daniel Brühl) is secretly masterminding the unfolding series of events, keen to gain control of Winter Soldier and to tear apart the Avengers for his own devious reasons...
Directed by brotherly duo Joe and Anthony Russo from a script by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, the film is very much a revelation, and feels like the culmination of everything that has come before it. Markus and McFeely's script is wonderfully paced and skillfully juggles the various characters with a strong sense of deliberation, giving everyone involved their moments to shine and most major players a good sense of development. An admirable achievement given the sheer volume of plays and plot lines at hand. They also really pile on the moral ambiguity of the film's central conflict in such a way to keep the audiences guessing and changing sides in a matter that is decidedly not at all black-and-white. Finally, they introduce new characters to the ever-growing mythos with great organic ease, particularly excelling with the newly introduced Black Panther and the absolutely phenomenal new Spider-Man (Tom Holland), who steals the show in his small but highly memorable scenes.
The Russo Brothers, best known in the past for their work in wonderfully subversive comedy classics like "Community" and "Arrested Development" continue to excel at their craft, with an expert sense of visual storytelling and tone that lends itself perfectly to the material. They are able to balance out the conflicting tones of the characters present in a very grounded way, allowing for entertaining and well-conceived interactions with everyone from Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) to the Vision (Paul Bettany). In addition, they are just one heck of a good team when it comes to action, delivering some of the craziest and most thrilling sequences of the year. The long-fabled airport battle sequence might just go down as perhaps the greatest full-on superhero brawl of all time. Yes, it's that good.
The cast is just flawless. Really nothing more can be said. From the incredible work of Evans and Downey in our central roles, to the supporting roles played by the likes of Rudd and Elizabeth Olsen, to the new additions like Holland and Boseman, everyone is completely on-point. Each and every character is wonderfully written and fantastically performed. Add to that the gorgeous and deliciously stark cinematography of Trent Opaloch, the fabulous and haunting score of Henry Jackman and the mind-blowing visual effects and you just have yourself the perfect storm of awesome. Everything works in conjunction to build up this tale to the point it is no longer just another movie in the series. This is an event in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. A clash that will have lasting impact on future films and will go down as a turning point in the series.
"Captain America: Civil War" is the best kick-off to Marvel's third phase as is possible. Its keen use of previously established characters now being pushed to the brink while new characters are introduced to build the mythology is amazing to behold. Its action awe-inspiring, leaving you breathless at the end of each scene. And perhaps most important- its emotional core and moral questioning is complex and will leave each and every viewer asking themselves what they would have done in this situation. If a movie about superheroes fighting each other will still leave questioning the implications of the choices made and their possible impact weeks or even months after release, you know it's done a good job.
There's no way around it, "Captain America: Civil War" is one of Marvel's best and it easily earns a perfect 10 out of 10 from me for sheer entertainment value and for its surprisingly deep and complex themes.