Fun superhero action adventure goes out with a bang

Rating: 9/10 (6 May 2016)

It's that time of the year again when the theaters flood with the mega-budget summer blockbusters that scale the mountain at the box office, and Marvel superhero flicks are no strangers to this. After the successful but disappointment of DC's 'Batman Vs Superman' early this spring, many fans were hoping to see a comeback in the superhero genre, this third installment of the highly successful Captain America franchise pays off not only defying expectations but even improving upon its predecessor. With Joe and Anthony Russo turning to the directors' chairs, this superhero action flick sees Chris Evans reprising the role of the titular character along with Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow, Anthony Mackie as Falcon, Don Cheadle as War Machine, Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye, Elizabeth Olson as Scarlet Witch, and Paul Bettany as Vision. Taking the place after the events of 'The Avengers: Age of Ultron', the team has fallen under massive political scrutiny by the government for all the damage resulted in their battles against the threats. In response, the government passes a bill that puts limits on the superheroes actions requiring them to work under government surveillance. Tony Stark (Iron Man) and the team agree with bill and sign it, Steve Rogers (Captain America) in the other hand disapproves of it and chooses to go outside the law. When Steve Rogers refuses to turn in Bucky Barnes (played by Sebastian Stan) who is wanted by the government, this leads an all-out conflict between the team. Newcomers joining the cast include Tom Holland as Spider-Man, Paul Rudd as Ant-Man, and Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther.
The film bears strong similarities to Batman Vs Superman in terms of plot as deals with the tension between two heroes, only Civil War manages to execute the plot more effectively and cohesive. As the plot sets in, the heroes come face-to-face with government officials who give an disheartening inside look of all the damage caused by their actions and the lives lost in result of the battles. In many superhero flicks, mass destruction of a city has become a gimmick in the genre. But the first time in the genre, this gimmick is actually acknowledged by our heroes who grow genuine sympathy for the damage that costs. From there on, the story dives deep into the politics of managing the team and the debate that ensues when Captain America develops a cold shoulder against the government's decisions and the team's agreement. In the end, whether you agree with the government's plan to impose the limit on the superheros' action or Captain America's disapproval for the plan becomes the question. Thanks to our brilliant writers, the story does a great job at balancing the dispute between the heroes and the inference of the political actions to the point where many will find it easy to see both sides of the argument. Furthermore, the film strives some incredible, prolonged action sequences while leaving enough room to flesh out most of the characters. The humanity in the characters is put on the spot, and made to be believable. Yes, this film is a bit crowded in its roster of characters but with it's smart screenplay it manages to work.
When comes a superhero actioner comes some of exciting, pulse-pounding action sequences sparkled with not only tense special effects and CGI but powerfully choreographed stunt work. As viewers come expectations, the action scenes are fun to play watch, and serve as the biggest eye-catchers. And no one should the forget the incredible special effects or even the outstanding fight choreography featured in a scene with Black Widow in one scene at the beginning. No one can argue the stunt doubles' amazing talent in some of the fight scenes. Arguably the best scene in the film takes place at an airport where all our heroes engage in an all-out battle filled outstanding FX and some hilarious dialogue thrown out by the characters, particularly Spider-Man who is given much more comedic portrayal than in the previous Spiderman entries. The actors are quite clever in their roles as ever, and do almost nothing to disappoint. Tom Holland is surprisingly good as Spider-Man considering the roles in his last filmography. Whether his portrayal is better than Andrew Garfield's or Tobey Maguire's is debatable. Nonetheless, he nails it.
Captain America: Civil War is a fun and outstanding start to this summer of big-budget blockbusters, and another astounding achievement in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This film is destined to reach massive numbers at the box office, even by those who may not be grown fans of the Marvel superheroes.