A Grand Slam

Rating: 10/10 (5 May 2016)

Captain America:Civil War was everything BvS wanted to be but Warner Brothers didn't have the patience to let it become.
It's tight with a coherent narrative, serious themes and real stakes. It's not concerned with world building because the world has already been built. When heroes come into conflict, we understand the ideological and sometimes personal reasons. Nothing is easily or even completely resolved. More importantly, though, is the fact that we've been with these characters for 13 films now, mostly with the same actors. This heightens the emotional investment. Watching these guys come to blows actually matters because of their long relationship with each other and with us.
As far as the core conflict, one of the flaws in the original comics was that there was really only one side you could be on because too many crossover comics had Stark crossing the moral event horizon and basically becoming a villain. In this, you can at least see reason in both arguments, neither side is a bad guy. While Zemo is the ultimate villain of the film, he's really just the catalyst that forces the issues that have been brewing to the surface. This makes the fights that much more poignant. That said, I personally remain firmly Team Cap.
For those who have read the original comics version, they've fixed the other problems that plagued it and included some awesome homage moments.
Now for some of the fun stuff. Black Panther was excellent, the fights were epic, Spider-man was just right and showed he belonged on the same stage with the rest of these guys. I'm stoked for both their upcoming solo films, and damn Ant-Man is seriously cool in this movie.
The Russo brothers have shown that they can handle a large ensemble cast of unique characters with a sprawling story and tell it in a serious tone with just the right amount of comic relief. They have my full confidence for Infinity Wars.