Since when does a superhero flick have a better third act than first? Since Civil War.

Rating: 10/10 (18 February 2020)

Part post-Watergate thriller, part post-Bourne globetrotting actioner. Slick dialogue, sick action, some smart retconning and remodelling and a smattering of excellent ideas. The concentrated, focused tone and influences and the cleverly designed superhero moments make for a memorable and nail-biting superflick.
Remember that first time you saw a Marvel movie and you loved it. That very special Marvel movie that you came out of the cinema thinking: "THAT'S what these connected, colourful, gripping, comic properties should be, full of in-jokes and great surprises and genuine humour."
Civil War wipes the floor with that.
Fully succeeds at making a Cap centric story that has some amazing character introductions, exchanges, and is focussed on paying off so many threads from previous Marvel films in a way Ultron wishes it could.
It appeases the adult in me by providing rich dialogue, completely balanced non-archetypal politics, and stunning modern action sequences, each one with three or four gags at least that makes smart individual use of the characters skills involved.
Cap's third instalment simultaneously managed to also appeal to the child in me by providing many, surprising, earned comic book moments full of wonder and integrated very organically and very differently to the crap that was Ultron.
I genuinely cheered, and exclaimed in wonder, or surprise or shock. And that's a testament to the skill, nerdy smarts and talents of the Russos and their team. Making Cap a sympathetic, emotional, very un-American hero.
Yes, you do have to have seen the other MCU properties to appreciate this movie. But even without all the comic bookiness, it succeeds as a taught 'family' thriller, brothers versus brothers. Genuine globetrotting (nice use of location cards) thrilling, clever, riveting, twisty movie that takes Winter Soldier, throws everything bad about it out, tosses in everything that made Iron Man great and closes off so many threads in a sensitive, spiralling, ingenious way that you can't help but go along for the ride and come out grinning.
I won't whisper in your ear about how great it is (the way you could palpably hear a ripple of boyfriends in the cinema explaining who this or that is in the MCU when they appeared!) But instead I will shout from the rooftops how great this movie is - because if the MCU is more like this, then it isn't a colossal, cheeky, cashgrab, it can sometimes meet the lofty heights of an affective, reflective, relevant piece of art.