REVIEW “Captain America Civil War”

I am not going to tell you what happens in the movie.  I’m not going to tell you who dies, who lives, or who changes sides.  I *WILL* tell you how satisfying and damn good Captain America: Civil War is, though.  It’s worth the wait.

The Russo Brothers return for their second Marvel-ous film in the Avengers  franchise, the pair previously directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier to great success and acclaim.  They systematically changed what the public can expect from a Marvel/Disney superhero film, skirting that fine line between classic espionage spy film and hard hitting comic book adaptation.  They did NOT disappoint with this, I can’t say that enough.  My anticipation for their 2 part Infinity War films grows exponentially.

Guardians of the Galaxy brought an entirely different flavor to the MCU, once again proving strong casting choices and a good director can entice audiences who may not completely  identify as ‘comic book fans’ to see it multiple times.  My hopes for the future of the Avengers films were dashed by Avengers: Ultron though, the utter lack of excitement and cohesive storytelling made apparent by the end of the first hour.  I gave it my lowest review score this side of Iron Man 3, and that’s saying something.  Did Joss Whedon lose his touch? Was the Marvel ship finally starting to leak?  Did this let down signal further failings?  Thankfully, Ant-Man was anything but boring, and my faith was momentarily restored.

It’s a wonderful time to be a comic book fan, no matter what your flavor of publisher.  Some die hard fans have waited DECADES to have a story like Civil War brought to the big screen, and boy howdy did it deliver.  I would put this entry solidly in my top 3 Marvel films, it has the right mix of drama, humor, action, and complete and utter fanservice.

If one of your complaints (like mine) with Ultron was the complete misuse of the ladies of the team, DON’T WORRY, they REALLY come into their own this time, with some of the best choreographed battles since…..probably ever, in a superhero film.  Widow uses her widow-bites (PRAISE), Wanda kicks serious butt, and Agent 13 gets some good hits in too.  But who really steals the show?

Black Panther and Spider-Man.  If you’ve seen the trailers, you know these two characters appear in the film, and OH MAN are they fabulous.  Chadwick Boseman is COMMANDING as T’Challa, and his addition is both invigorating and righteous.  It’s about damn time Panther joins the team, and within five seconds of him being in the suit, you KNOW he’s someone to contend with.  And as far as the Webhead goes,  I’m still a big fan of the Raimi Spider-Man first two films, and Max Holland has so much of what made Tobey Maguire the perfect choice for the time.  He may be the best we’ve had on film yet, but only time will tell.  His delivery is believable, and I can say after seeing him in this, I’m actually excited to see how he does in his very own film,  Spider-Man: Homecoming.  (A phrase that’ll set off alarm bells AFTER you see this movie)

This will be something you’ll want to see multiple times; partially because the audience reactions drown out some of the dialog in scenes, partially because it’s AWESOME.  I feel confident in saying this chapter in the Avengers story reinvigorates each character AND the fans, bringing back the ZING.  I would say skip the extra $$$ for 3D , so much of the action is dependant on the hits being crisp, and the effect is lost in the extra rendering.

SCORE:  9.8 OUT OF 10, Will totally see again with friends.

Captain America: Civil War opens worldwide on May 6th, 2016.

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