Best of the Avengers Films

Rating: 10/10 (8 May 2016)

This is probably the best Avengers movie I've seen that's not called The Avengers. Honestly, despite the huge number of Avengers that show up in the film it really does focus more on Captain America and the lengths he's willing to go to in order to protect his friend Bucky, also known as the Winter Soldier. I had a feeling this movie was going to be awesome and it easily delivered in every way. There's plenty of action and laughs to be had but I also thought the story was a bit better this time around. There were definitely a few characters that felt like they were forced in a little bit but everyone is so likable that it's hard not to enjoy seeing them. The Russo Brothers are quickly becoming Marvel's secret weapon when it comes to making awesome films. Let's talk about the story.
The movie starts off with a bang as Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), otherwise known as Captain America, and his team of Avengers intercept a chemical weapon from a group of terrorists. Unfortunately, things go awry as the battle results in civilian casualties which forces the United Nations to take a more active role in the administration of the Avengers. This is supported by a large number of the team including Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) who is feeling guilty that his actions and weapons have inadvertently lead to the deaths of quite a few people. The team is split between the two but things really get personal when the Winter Soldier is seemingly involved in a terrorist attack on the UN. Now, Captain America has to protect his friend from Iron Man's group of Avengers by using his own group of Avengers. Chaos and cool action sequences commence.
Most of these characters are returning from previous films but needless to say they're still doing a great job with their performances. Chris Evans has always done a great job at the goody two shoes Captain America but I'm also happy to see that Robert Downey Jr. is on top of his game here. I was afraid that he might start phoning it in after so many movies of playing the same character but he continues to give a phenomenal performance. I also really enjoyed the new villain Zemo played by Daniel Bruhl. This guy is conniving and willing to go to any lengths to get what he wants but I ended up feeling sorry for the guy at the end of the film. I'll try to avoid too many spoilers though. Somehow we managed to get even more characters in this film than the previous Avengers movie but it felt like everything moved along perfectly for the most part.
Like I said, the film doesn't have too many hiccups but it does seem that Spider-Man was a last minute addition to the movie because it doesn't really feel like he belongs at all. Fortunately, the character, played by Tom Holland, is so likable that it's easily forgiven but the story does deviate for a little while in order to give us a quick rundown of our new Spider-Man. This is in contrast to the way Black Panther was introduced organically and added an important part to the plot. Just a little nitpick but I think Spider-Man easily added more than he took away from the film.
I always expect Marvel movies to give us plenty of laughs and decent action but this movie seemed to dial up the storytelling and the action quite a bit. It was incredibly fun to witness all the characters fighting one another in the airport scene but what really got me was the final confrontation of the film. If you've seen it then you know what I mean. This fight was more brutal and heartbreaking than anything else I've seen in a Marvel movie before. I thought it was incredibly well done. As far as the storytelling goes, I enjoyed how both Captain America and Iron Man have decent arguments to back up their positions and it feels like there are actual consequences to this story. I'm eager to see how they eventually kiss and make up.
I really enjoyed this new Captain America and I'm eager to see the Russo Brothers give us more craziness on the upcoming Avengers films. I could nitpick this film if I wanted to but it was so enjoyable that I'll just skip all that and give it my wholehearted recommendation. It's easily one of the best Marvel movies yet and it makes the wait for the next one that much more difficult. Next up, X-Men!