SPOILER-FREE MOVIE REVIEW
Yeah baby, it's finally here. An entire week before its premiere in the US too (Lucky us).
Captain America: Civil War is the sequel to both 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier and 2015's Avengers: Age of Ultron.
This one focuses on the aftermath of the events of these two movies, with the government stepping in to question the Avengers after the destruction and loss of many innocent lives unintentionally caused by them.
With these new initiatives being enforced by the government as well as the United Nations, it's all up to where each Avenger stands in his/her own opinion - to follow the way of the law or to just retire.
From the get-go, the movie sets a dark and serious tone - something that would remain throughout the entire film (although the latter does waver a bit from time to time).
We're also treated to some absolutely spectacular action sequences both early on and throughout the movie, with significantly more stunt work and choreography being put into this one as compared to the previous two movies.
These scenes were also shot pretty well, with steady camera work most of the time despite the odd shaky cam bits here and there.
It was also nice to see Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) kick some proper ass again after her much quieter role in Age of Ultron due to the actress' pregnancy at the time of filming.
Like The Winter Soldier, Civil War uses a very appropriate and mature political undertone.
The former broke new ground for superhero movies as a genre as it proved that these movies could also feature character-driven, thick-with-plot, political-action drama - a feat that was never considered when talking about the category in the past.
Matching the film's tone perfectly was the excellent story - which had such a beautiful balance between drama, suspense, action and emotion while at the same time introduced new characters seamlessly and with such grace without forgetting about developing the other main characters.
Speaking of introducing new characters, bringing in the likes of Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland) was pure genius.
Black Panther's introduction was pretty sweet. I felt that they played on the fact that most of the world doesn't know much about the character prior to this film, hence introducing him in such a mysterious manner was perfect.
He also had plenty of screen time, which was a surprise to me as I thought he'd just be like Wonder Woman's brief appearance in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
As for Spider-Man... Damn son.
Tom Holland's portrayal of Spidey in Civil War was the best portrayal of the character brought to the big screen that I have ever seen, and he didn't even feature in it much!
That's right folks, forget about Andrew Garfield (he wasn't that good anyway) and well, move on from our childhood Spidey in Tobey Maguire. Holland is magnificent.
He's got everything spot on - from the quips he makes as he swings along to the cool-ass costume, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has done complete and utter justice to the beloved comic book character.
I cannot wait for his upcoming standalone film called Spider-Man: Homecoming, especially due to its cast with Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) and the gorgeous Marisa Tomei as Aunt May set to appear.
As for the rest of the cast, I have nothing but praise for how they handled them.
Robert Downey Jr shows so much enthusiasm in the role despite this already being his sixth appearance in eight years as Iron Man.
There were no hints of boredom with the part, unlike other examples like J Law as Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games movies - where by the third instalment, she just seemed wooden and just waiting for the series to end.
None of that with RDJ. He's terrific as usual.
Cap was great, Bucky/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) was great, practically everyone was awesome.
Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) too, who provided some excellent comic relief. Paul Rudd's just a natural when it comes to perfect comedic timing. He's so good at it.
There was however, one character whom I wished they had featured more of, and that's Sharon Carter/Agent 13 (Emily VanCamp).
Although effective and good in the scenes in which she appeared, I felt that the movie could have had more for her to do.
Both Sharon Carter and Black Widow do do something terrific in the movie though, and that's to portray women in the way they did.
They both were independent and could kick ass if they wanted to. Plus, it didn't feel forced in any way just for the sake of making the female character useful.
They could totally hold their own fight against the big guns without needing the help of a Prince Charming, so well done to Civil War for that.
As for the film's main antagonist (played by Daniel Brühl), I felt that his motivation was terrific, but the evil scheme and the manner in which he went about doing his business could have been better.
Either that or perhaps featuring more of his character would have improved the overall quality of the villain.
On to the story, and it's nothing short of fantastic.
I touched a bit on the story earlier, regarding the lovely balance it has.
The conflict on both Tony's and Cap's sides are portrayed and explored wonderfully - making supporters of either side understand the motivations behind their decisions.
There's also some fantastic twists and bits which just leave you in awe. I loved it.
It's gripping, intense, dramatic and downright awesome - all without forgetting about the MCU's signature comedic touch.
Story-wise, I think this is one of the best stories ever put into a Superhero film - right up there with The Winter Soldier and the original Iron Man film.
The film is also paced to perfection, with a lovely ratio of exposition to action. Never for a second was I bored.
I did have some issues with the transitions from scene to scene/location to location though.
I felt that there was simply too much travelling and globe-trotting in this movie.
It's like, "Did you really need to travel to a whole other country just for this one thing?"
It took me out of the film a bit because it did slightly affect the flow of the scenes. Perhaps if it was less globe-trotty, I would have enjoyed the movie better.
As for the technical aspects of the film, they were all great.
It's shot well, edited well and scored well by Henry Jackman. A technically efficient movie.
There was also a lovely mix of digital and practical effects - where there wasn't an over-reliance or use of CGI which usually ends up making a movie look really cheesy.
For the film's direction, Joe and Anthony Russo prove once again that they know how to flesh out character and plot so much in a movie like this.
Gone are the stereotypes that comic book movies are just popcorn-munching explosion fests.
They were the duo who directed the excellent Winter Soldier too, and I think they may have gone a step higher with this one. It's a really well-directed film.
All in all, Captain America: Civil War was a fantastic movie.
It had the depth of a quality political thriller as well as the standard mega action of every MCU movie.
It was enthralling, exciting, suspenseful and had a story which leaves you both shaken and stirred.
When shit goes down between the heroes, it really goes down. It isn't just a short little fight between giants, but a proper all-out battle fitting of a title such as "Civil War". There was no "Martha" to save anyone.
It's not just a must-watch, it's a must-appreciate because Superhero movies of this kind of solid depth are a rarity.
Hopefully, this movie changes things for good.
Putting this up against Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Civil War knocks the former out within mere seconds.
Marvel prove yet again that they truly are the rulers of the Superhero movie genre not just for the past eight years, but for many years to come.
DC, it's time to up your game.
9/10.
With these new initiatives being enforced by the government as well as the United Nations, it's all up to where each Avenger stands in his/her own opinion - to follow the way of the law or to just retire.
From the get-go, the movie sets a dark and serious tone - something that would remain throughout the entire film (although the latter does waver a bit from time to time).
We're also treated to some absolutely spectacular action sequences both early on and throughout the movie, with significantly more stunt work and choreography being put into this one as compared to the previous two movies.
These scenes were also shot pretty well, with steady camera work most of the time despite the odd shaky cam bits here and there.
It was also nice to see Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) kick some proper ass again after her much quieter role in Age of Ultron due to the actress' pregnancy at the time of filming.
Like The Winter Soldier, Civil War uses a very appropriate and mature political undertone.
The former broke new ground for superhero movies as a genre as it proved that these movies could also feature character-driven, thick-with-plot, political-action drama - a feat that was never considered when talking about the category in the past.
Matching the film's tone perfectly was the excellent story - which had such a beautiful balance between drama, suspense, action and emotion while at the same time introduced new characters seamlessly and with such grace without forgetting about developing the other main characters.
Speaking of introducing new characters, bringing in the likes of Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland) was pure genius.
Black Panther's introduction was pretty sweet. I felt that they played on the fact that most of the world doesn't know much about the character prior to this film, hence introducing him in such a mysterious manner was perfect.
He also had plenty of screen time, which was a surprise to me as I thought he'd just be like Wonder Woman's brief appearance in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
As for Spider-Man... Damn son.
Tom Holland's portrayal of Spidey in Civil War was the best portrayal of the character brought to the big screen that I have ever seen, and he didn't even feature in it much!
That's right folks, forget about Andrew Garfield (he wasn't that good anyway) and well, move on from our childhood Spidey in Tobey Maguire. Holland is magnificent.
He's got everything spot on - from the quips he makes as he swings along to the cool-ass costume, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has done complete and utter justice to the beloved comic book character.
I cannot wait for his upcoming standalone film called Spider-Man: Homecoming, especially due to its cast with Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr) and the gorgeous Marisa Tomei as Aunt May set to appear.
As for the rest of the cast, I have nothing but praise for how they handled them.
Robert Downey Jr shows so much enthusiasm in the role despite this already being his sixth appearance in eight years as Iron Man.
There were no hints of boredom with the part, unlike other examples like J Law as Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games movies - where by the third instalment, she just seemed wooden and just waiting for the series to end.
None of that with RDJ. He's terrific as usual.
Cap was great, Bucky/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) was great, practically everyone was awesome.
Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) too, who provided some excellent comic relief. Paul Rudd's just a natural when it comes to perfect comedic timing. He's so good at it.
There was however, one character whom I wished they had featured more of, and that's Sharon Carter/Agent 13 (Emily VanCamp).
Although effective and good in the scenes in which she appeared, I felt that the movie could have had more for her to do.
Both Sharon Carter and Black Widow do do something terrific in the movie though, and that's to portray women in the way they did.
They both were independent and could kick ass if they wanted to. Plus, it didn't feel forced in any way just for the sake of making the female character useful.
They could totally hold their own fight against the big guns without needing the help of a Prince Charming, so well done to Civil War for that.
As for the film's main antagonist (played by Daniel Brühl), I felt that his motivation was terrific, but the evil scheme and the manner in which he went about doing his business could have been better.
Either that or perhaps featuring more of his character would have improved the overall quality of the villain.
On to the story, and it's nothing short of fantastic.
I touched a bit on the story earlier, regarding the lovely balance it has.
The conflict on both Tony's and Cap's sides are portrayed and explored wonderfully - making supporters of either side understand the motivations behind their decisions.
There's also some fantastic twists and bits which just leave you in awe. I loved it.
It's gripping, intense, dramatic and downright awesome - all without forgetting about the MCU's signature comedic touch.
Story-wise, I think this is one of the best stories ever put into a Superhero film - right up there with The Winter Soldier and the original Iron Man film.
The film is also paced to perfection, with a lovely ratio of exposition to action. Never for a second was I bored.
I did have some issues with the transitions from scene to scene/location to location though.
I felt that there was simply too much travelling and globe-trotting in this movie.
It's like, "Did you really need to travel to a whole other country just for this one thing?"
It took me out of the film a bit because it did slightly affect the flow of the scenes. Perhaps if it was less globe-trotty, I would have enjoyed the movie better.
As for the technical aspects of the film, they were all great.
It's shot well, edited well and scored well by Henry Jackman. A technically efficient movie.
There was also a lovely mix of digital and practical effects - where there wasn't an over-reliance or use of CGI which usually ends up making a movie look really cheesy.
For the film's direction, Joe and Anthony Russo prove once again that they know how to flesh out character and plot so much in a movie like this.
Gone are the stereotypes that comic book movies are just popcorn-munching explosion fests.
They were the duo who directed the excellent Winter Soldier too, and I think they may have gone a step higher with this one. It's a really well-directed film.
All in all, Captain America: Civil War was a fantastic movie.
It had the depth of a quality political thriller as well as the standard mega action of every MCU movie.
It was enthralling, exciting, suspenseful and had a story which leaves you both shaken and stirred.
When shit goes down between the heroes, it really goes down. It isn't just a short little fight between giants, but a proper all-out battle fitting of a title such as "Civil War". There was no "Martha" to save anyone.
It's not just a must-watch, it's a must-appreciate because Superhero movies of this kind of solid depth are a rarity.
Hopefully, this movie changes things for good.
Putting this up against Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Civil War knocks the former out within mere seconds.
Marvel prove yet again that they truly are the rulers of the Superhero movie genre not just for the past eight years, but for many years to come.
DC, it's time to up your game.
9/10.
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