Perfect movie to kick start Phase 3! This is it people!

Rating: 9/10 (8 May 2016)

When Marvel first announced they will be adapting Civil Wars for Cap 3, many fanboys out there like myself were completely blown away by the very idea of Captain and Iron Man fighting each other on the big screen! While I was very excited, I can't help feeling skeptical about it as many of us were worried that it might become an Avengers 2.5 rather than a Cap centered story. Marvel certainly didn't disappoint, in fact it is the perfect movie to kick start Phase 3!
Continuity is getting more and more important in the ever expanding MCU. Cap 3 serves as a direct sequel to both Winter Soldier & Age of Ultron. Unlike Age of Ultron which in a way ignore the events of Iron Man 3 & Thor 2, it builds on top of the events from all previous films. Many people complained that these movies are no longer just about the titular character instead it is now very common to have an ensemble cast. After all this is the idea of a shared universe right?
Spoilers ahead
The film started off in 1991 where the Winter Soldier was sent to intercept an automobile carrying a case of super soldier serum and assassinate its occupants. We all know that it is Howard Stark as it was pretty much hinted in Cap 2 when Zola said "when history did not cooperate, it was changed. Accidents happen." Of course this was shown during the climax of the film.
We then fast forwarded to modern day Lagos where the Avengers were on a mission to prevent Rumlow (Crossbones) from stealing the biological weapon which devastated a nearby building, killing a number of innocent people. I didn't like the treatment towards his character, felt like a waste really. Despite the dramatic entrance, he was only there for 5 minutes and only to be seemingly killed. Hopefully this won't be the last of him, he "temporary" killed Cap in the comics! Just want to add on here, if I am the editor of the film, I would actually start off the film with Rumlow which builds up intensity of what's coming later similar to how Cap 2 started with the rescue mission in the Lemurian Star.
Back in the Avenger's headquarters, US Secretary of State Thunder Ross informs the Avengers that the UN is preparing to pass the Sokovia Accords which will establish an international governing body to oversee the Avengers. Welcome back to Thunder Ross, we last heard from him in the Incredible Hulk which I am not sure if it is still considered canon. The team is of course divided where Tony Stark supports oversight because he feels responsible for creating Ultron and the destruction of Sokovia, while Rogers has more faith in his own judgment than the governments after what happened with SHIELD. This officially kicks start the ideological battle between Cap & Iron Man, similar to this year's Batman v Superman except this was carefully planned out since the first Avengers back in 2012. Black Panther and Spider-Man are the latest addition to the MCU, not only they were able to steal the spotlight from Cap, they are actually integral to the story (more for Black Panther). Together with Marvel, Sony is finally able to do Spider-Man justice by casting Tom Holland as the young Peter Parker. By now I am sure audience are getting tired of seeing all the origin stories so Cap 3 was the perfect way to set up these new characters.
The story of Captain America is one of honor, bravery and sacrifice. It started from how he became the world's first super soldier who fought in WW2 to a man out of time, struggled to be relevant again in the modern world after being frozen for 70 years and only to be betrayed by SHIELD, the only people he can relate to. The Russo brothers were able to redefine Cap's character and had us emotionally invested into these films. It is also the perfect way to close out the story arc for Cap and I am genuinely looking forward to what they have installed for us in the Infinity Wars.