I Have Full Faith in the Russo's Infinity War

Rating: 8/10 (29 April 2016)

Civil War is the culmination of the last eight years of movies. It is a direct successor to both Winter Soldier and Age of Ultron, and references almost everything else. After the catastrophic losses of life in New York, Washington, and Sokovia, the UN calls for the Avengers to be put under political scrutiny. When the Wakandan King is killed by what appears to be the Winter Soldier, lines are drawn on both sides, with Iron Man supporting the need for supervision, while Captain America fears it'll just prevent them from doing what needs to be done.
As far as stories go, Civil War is a lot more complex than simply pitting one hero against another. Everyone has their own loyalties, their own ideals, and their own perspective, and managing to not only resolve the Winter Soldier plot, but also make it an integral part of what could otherwise have been a much shallower movie deserves all the praise it can get. There's a lot going on, and yet no strand is left behind or underdeveloped, nor does the movie feel like a mess. Every sub- plot and character cameo makes sense and plays a part in the grander story.
The current Avengers team isn't particularly large, especially when you factor in the absence of both Thor and Hulk, so both sides needed a little fleshing out. Black Panther gets his big debut here, but I'll resist calling it a cameo as, much like the Winter Soldier, he's an integral character with a sizeable role. He's not just there for the big clash, he's a major player from beginning to end. Black Widow, Falcon, Iron Man, Vision, and Scarlet Witch all make appearances as well, but all of them are fairly integral. At times (unsurprisingly) Civil War feels less like a Captain America movie, and more like another Avengers film. It reaches fever pitch when we get the hero-vs-hero clash at the airport, and each side gets some extra hands and surprises, including Ant-Man, Hawkeye, War Machine, and Spiderman himself. And yet, no character feels like dead weight. I now have full faith in the Russo brothers and their vision of Infinity War with sixty-something characters.
What Civil War manages to do really well is make it all personal. The collateral damage the Avengers inflict actually means something to each of them. In that regard, it's a fairly emotionally-driven movie. Scarlet Witch feels guilty for her abilities, Captain America feels responsible for Winter Soldier, Iron Man feels supervision is exactly what they need. The bonus of this is that neither side comes out as the villain. There's no right or wrong, just opposing opinions.
This becomes especially apparent with the main villain Colonel Zemo. Marvel have always struggled with villains, hitting gold only once with Loki (we honestly haven't seen enough of Thanos yet to judge). Crossbones makes a very minor villainous appearance, which I was a little disappointed in, but while Zemo isn't a revolutionary Marvel villain, he shows more depth and motivation than any Marvel antagonist before him. He's just a guy who lost his family and blames the Avengers, and yet the treatment of him here makes him an almost sympathetic character.
As far as action goes, there's a lot of punch-ups. A lot of them. The vast majority of action is hand-to-hand combat, with superheroics thrown in every now and then. This is one of the many elements that made The Winter Soldier so enjoyable: It wasn't overly flamboyant. The Russo's have tapped into that again, but with more of them this time around, it can get a little tiresome. The exception being the airport clash, which is another punch-up, but with a bit more snazz to it. It's also pretty funny as well, especially thanks to the inclusions of the newbs Ant-Man and Spiderman. A lot of thought was put into that long sequence to make sure everyone got their moment, and it pays off big time.
Civil War is definitely a worthy addition to the Marvel franchise, letting them show off everything they have, including some hints at what's yet to come. While it does embody some of the elements that made Winter Soldier so great, it unfortunately pales in comparison in my opinion, but not by much. There's a twist here as well, and even though it packs a punch, it doesn't pack quite as big a punch as Winter Soldier did. I'm still in disbelief that they managed to intertwine so many different plots and angles and make it all feel coherent and necessary though. I give Civil War a must-see 8/10, edging close to a 9. It was at least a better Avengers movie than Age of Ultron.