Can't they all just hug it out?...

Rating: 8/10 (27 April 2016)

Unlike most people, the first Captain America, along with Thor, movie is one of my favourites (the sequels to both, less so), the Iron Man films my least favourite, and The Avengers films rank somewhere in between. While maybe not a popular opinion, I know what I like...and it *isn't* Tony Stark. So it's disappointing that he overtakes this third Cap movie quite a bit (as is news of him continuing doing so in subsequent films). Contrary to belief, not EVERYTHING has to be about Tony freaking Stark. RDJ may be perfectly cast, but I can't enjoy someone playing such a smug, egotistical, infantile jerk on screen, which is why Chris Evans' Steve/Cap was such a breath of fresh air in The First Avenger. Not only did that movie give us a different setting/feel, it also gave us a likable hero. This is why I'm firmly on Team Cap in this movie.
In the pros column: Steve remains likable, despite the film's attempt to paint him in a less than positive light at times. I completely understand his position in not wanting to A) allow his friend, Bucky, to be killed over actions he had no control over, and B) Not wanting to allow his friends to be controlled by the government/have their rights taken away. The film begins with Steve, Sam, Wanda and Natasha as a team and THAT'S the film I would've really enjoyed. They work well together, and I especially liked Cap's dynamic with Wanda. He obviously understands her/what she's been through. Elizabeth Olsen isn't given nearly enough screen time, but does exceptionally with what she has, clearly showing Wanda's guilt over things in Age of Ultron and at the start of this film. Steve's loyalty to his friend, Bucky, is also admirable. Even when others join Cap's side later on, *they're* the ones I would've preferred to have seen the film centered around. Instead, it's divided up between them and Team Jerk. The only one on his side I care about is Natasha and, thankfully, she eventually sees things Steve's way. Theirs is another of the better/worthwhile relationships in the movie.
Speaking of relationships, the so-called 'friendship' between Cap and the not-exactly-blameless Tony that the latter tries to guilt the former with towards the end is a total 'WTF?' moment. After two Avengers movies, I never saw anything between them other than begrudging tolerance of each other at best, but we're supposed to believe there's some great betrayal? Maybe there should've been signs of friendship between them before attempting a rift, as the only true friendships on display here are those between Steve/Bucky, Steve/Wanda and Steve/Sam/Natasha. Trouble stems from Tony's camp not listening to Cap's reasons for defending his friends and their rights.
Characters debuting in this film are Black Panther and Tom Holland's new iteration of Spider-Man. I've seen elsewhere that these two have been described as the 'stand-outs' of the film, and while both have their moments, I'd hardly deem them the 'best' parts. Black Panther spends the majority of his time opposing Team Cap, which doesn't exactly make the best first impression, but eventually he comes around and admits he was wrong, which shows class. Holland's web-slinger is far more juvenile than we've seen before, and I'm not overly familiar with the comics version, so perhaps this interpretation is more in keeping with how he's supposed to be? All I know is I preferred Andrew Garfield's version. This one may be 'fun' for a while, but gets tiresome quite quickly. The jury's still out on him overall until his solo film (which Tony will also be annoyingly inserting his way into).
Providing some of the film's humour is Paul Rudd's Scott/Ant-Man (whose 'fanboying' over Cap is more tolerable than Spider-Man's hero worship of Tony) and Paul Bettany's Vision going about normal things looking the way he does (his scenes/relationship with Wanda is also appreciated). While no one could hold a candle to Hayley Atwell's Peggy Carter, Emily VanCamp does well with what she's given as Sharon Carter, whose relationship with Steve is somewhat short-changed and is therefore rather unfair to criticize here. Peggy was the love of Steve's life, but she moved on, so shouldn't he? One of the funniest moments in the film is Bucky and Sam's reaction to Steve and Sharon sharing an intimate moment. She's definitely a Carter, though, given how kick-arse she is in the film. And it's so nice to see female characters like her, Wanda and Natasha kicking arse and taking names without it being labelled as part of some 'feminist agenda' or other such nonsense. They're every bit as powerful as the male heroes (in some cases, moreso), which is only fair.
After the action of the film's opening, things feel a bit slow at times as it progresses, with a couple of sporadic action scenes injected to keep events lively. While some of the quieter character moments are appreciated, things do come to a somewhat screeching halt when Tony pays a visit to Peter Parker and his "unusually attractive aunt" (Tony's words...although, given it's Marisa Tomei playing the role, one can let it slide). Giving credit where it's due, the film does an admirable job of juggling such a large cast of characters, and the fight between both sides towards the end is one of the movie's best scenes. What the film's climax comes down to, though, is Cap/Bucky vs. Iron Man, and their tag-team kicking of his shiny metal arse is a thing of beauty. Not everything is resolved nice and neatly. Depending on which side of things you fall, coupled with who your favourites are and whether they get what you'd deem as 'enough' screen time in your eyes, will most likely determine your enjoyment of this film/influence your decision in how much of a success Civil War is. For me, the good and bad aspects were about even, though I'm sure many will disagree.