After the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron and the early events of Captain America: Civil War, Secretary of State Thaddeus ‘Thunderbolt’ Ross (William Hurt) enacts the Sokovia Accords, a document that requires all super-related individuals to register with the United Nations. This is meant to help avoid any future catastrophic events and keep track of the numerous super individuals that now walk the earth. When Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) disagree on whether or not they should be forced to sign the Accords, the Avengers break into two teams, crumbling the brotherhood that once existed and spiraling the world of superheroes out of control.
Anthony Russo and Joe Russo, directors of Captain America: Civil War, throw a wrench in what had been building in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) for years and tear the superhero team, the Avengers, apart at the seams. What’s so wonderful about this film is that everything that viewers had come to love within the MCU is turned upside down and truly questioned more than ever before. In a fashion similar to the well-regarded Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (which interestingly gets a shoutout in this film) Captain America: Civil War sees its protagonists met with incomparable force and struggling from beginning to end. Seeing the series of protagonists face such hardship and understanding that, in the most serious of fashions to date, these heroes are in genuine trouble takes this film to a new level of entertainment and intrigues its viewers from beginning to end.
There are films throughout the MCU that feel leaps and bounds ahead of what its predecessors were, and they feel like the next step toward perfection. Captain America: Civil War is this step for phase three of the MCU. Viewers have seen incredible team-ups in The Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Guardians of the Galaxy, etc., but Captain America: Civil War feels different; it feels bigger and better than ever before. The action is bigger and lengthier, the team is larger, and the emotion that fills each and every scene is more engrossing.
Everyone expects the action to be well choreographed, well acted, and engaging, and Captain America: Civil War delivers on the MCU’s promise to up the ante and make the action sequences better than ever. I could talk forever about how well-developed and executed these scenes are, but there are aspects of the film that are far more important to the integrity of what the Russo brothers have to offer the world with Captain America: Civil War.
As the team(s) grows larger, viewers see a number of different personalities, many that conflict with one another. Characters as sarcastic as Scott Lang (Paul Rudd), as young and fragile as Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) and Peter Parker (Tom Holland), and as dull and robotic as Vision (Paul Bettany) don’t necessarily mesh with one another, and the combination of personalities mirror the real world in so many ways. While many of these characters have already been beautifully developed, Anthony and Joe Russo, with the help of writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, put those characters in precarious and unusual situations that bring out the best, and worst, in them. The realities that these characters represent means so much to the viewers and allows them to connect with nearly everything that takes place throughout Captain America: Civil War. This resonance bleeds into the scenarios present in the film and viewers begin to understand not just the importance of what occurs during the film but the real world as well. There is so much heart present throughout this film that, regardless of your station in life, there is something to resonate with you and allow you to understand that, while life is difficult, there’s a place for everyone.
So much of Captain America: Civil War feels nearly perfect, but the aspect of the film that appears to have accomplished that feat of perfection is the acting. In addition to the plethora of actors already mentioned Jeremy Renner (Clint Barton/Hawkeye), Chadwick Boseman (T’Challa/Black Panther), Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson/Falcon), Don Cheadle (Lieutenant James Rhodes/War Machine), and others fill out this ensemble cast and fill the screen with so much talent that it seems almost impossible for everyone to shine. Yet, this group of actors are so self-aware that they fully understand how to get the best out of each and every one of their lines and provide value to Captain America: Civil War in the process. Every moment finds these actors beautifully delivering their lines, building on the emotion, and allowing the film to flourish.
At times Iron Man, Captain America, and other popular heroes appear menacing, changing the nature of everything viewers have come to know about the characters. Similar to this, Captain America: Civil War constantly switches things up and explores avenues that the MCU hadn’t in the past. This film is an emotional journey from beginning to end, and there’s no way to escape the humor and heartbreak present throughout. At the time of Captain America: Civil War’s release in 2016 it was the best film in the MCU, and while more recent films have surpassed it, it still remains one of the best superhero films to date. The visuals are enticing, the story engrossing, and the emotion present throughout is so beautiful that viewers can’t help but to love Captain America: Civil War.
Directed by Anthony Russo & Joe Russo.
Written by Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Joe Simon, Jack Kirby, Mark Miller, & Steven McNiven.
Starring Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Tom Holland, Daniel Brühl, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, Martin Freeman, Marisa Tomei, John Kani, John Slattery, Hope Davis, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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