Review: CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR Is My Favorite Superhero Film Ever
I promise I will not spoil anything about Captain America: Civil War in this review.
I know you’re all excited to see Captain America: Civil War, and you know what? You should be! Nothing can prepare you for what you are going to witness in this movie. You’ve seen lots of incredibly awesome footage from the trailers, TV spots, and featurettes, but those don’t even give you any of the best parts of this movie. All of the footage that has been shared so far is just a big tease of the complete badassery that awaits you.
As you’ve already gathered from what you’ve seen, the basic plot centers around a new law being implemented that keeps the Avengers regulated and in check. Captain America isn’t too keen on the idea, and it’s the first major hiccup in the Avengers’ relationship. This is what initially splits the team, but what really drives them to battle each other is The Winter Soldier. For reasons I will not reveal here Tony Stark and Black Panther want to take him down, and Captain America will stop at nothing to protect him.
Over the years, Marvel has been fine-tuning their skills in storytelling and filmmaking, and I can honestly tell you that this is the best film they have made so far. It’s excitingly epic, and it's going to completely blow your mind! Joe and Anthony Russo really turned up the heat on this film. Have you seen the movie Spinal Tap? It’s like when Nigel is talking about the volume on the amps going up to eleven, which is one louder than ten. Imagine this quote in movie terms, “Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?” Eleven! It’s one louder, and like Nigel believes, it makes all the difference in the world. You see, most Marvel and other superhero films go up to ten, but Captain America: Civil War takes it to eleven, which is a completely new level.
The story for the film was executed perfectly. Going into the movie, as excited as I was, I was a little worried about all the characters that Marvel was packing into this film. We got Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Ant-Man, Spider-Man, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Winter Soldier, Black Panther, War Machine, Sharon Carter, Crossbones, and Baron Zemo. I thought maybe it would be too much and overload the story, but that wasn’t the case at all. Each one of these characters were treated with care and all of them got just the right amount of screen time that will make fans happy. On top of that, each one of them played an important role in moving the story forward. They weren't just thrown in for the hell of it.
We’re already familiar with many of these characters, but there are aspects of some of them that I want to talk about. We see a side of Tony Stark that we’ve never seen before. He gets dark in this film, and Robert Downey Jr.’s performance is one of the best we’ve seen in these Marvel films. Chadwick Boseman’s introduction as Black Panther is one of the coolest things ever. Just wait until you see him in action! The guy has got some kickass fight moves. Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man offered some wonderful comic relief, and it was incredibly fun watching him fight alongside Captain America. Then there’s Tom Holland as Spider-Man. He’s easily the best feature film version of Spider-Man that has been envisioned. It’s the Spider-Man you’ve always wanted to see, he was perfectly introduced into the Marvel Cinematic Universe and it’s an absolute thrill watching him fight alongside Team Iron Man against Team Cap. There’s so much that I want to say about Spider-Man’s hilarious interaction with these characters, but I’ll restrain myself.
One of the most impressive aspects of the film was the action. The fight sequences are jaw-droppingly incredible! Captain America: Civil War contains the best fight scenes yet from any Marvel movie or even any action film in general. There’s a lot of unique creativity that went into the choreography of these battles and chase sequences. I was just in awe as I watched these scenes play out, and I couldn’t help but clap and cheer during them. The main battle between the two teams is completely insane, and I mean that in the best possible way. You’re just going to have to see it to believe it, and when you do see it, you won’t want it to end. You know that big airport scene teased in the trailer with the Avengers charging into battle with each other? That's just almost 1% of what that scene entails.
It’s not just about the fighting and action, though. It’s about these characters. I really care about these characters, and I was emotionally invested in them and what each was going through in this story. This is an emotionally dark Marvel film, the stakes have been raised, and you just hope that everyone is going to turn out ok in the end.
Captain America: Civil War is by far the best superhero film I've seen so far. Fans are going to be so damn happy with it that you'll be whistling 'Zip-A-Dee Doo-Dah' out of your assholes!