The Marvel Cinematic Universe will no doubt go down as a triumph is cinematic storytelling. Yet, it wasn't until 2014, six years after the franchise was originally launched, that Marvel found a way to make the character of Captain America interesting, with The Russo's initial effort "The Winter Soldier". Winter Soldier was less a super-hero movie and more of a spy thriller, with greater similarities to a the Bourne franchise than 2012's "Avenger's Assemble". This pair of siblings from Ohio had breathed life into Marvel's most stale character, so it is understandable that when it was announced that they would be taking on the infamous "Civil War" story-arc for the star-spangles superhero's third big screen outing, fans lost their minds.
These fans will not leave the cinema disappointed.
Civil War is a political thriller featuring superheroes. I'm going to say this right off the bat: it's up there with the greatest the genre has ever seen because of the heart it has at the core of its story. Captain America: Civil War is a very human story, one which makes these character's relatable in a way past instalments haven't really been able to do. The relationships between these characters have been so clearly defined in the past films up until this point that when you finally see them tumbling down, it really does pack an emotional punch. The film's marketing has heavily focused on making the audience choose a side before entering the theatres (#TeamCap #TeamIronMan et al) yet when you finally see the film, all preconceived notions over which character is right will suddenly become less black and white. The Russo's have crafted a film that presents both side's views as equally valid, so much so that I left the cinema with a different perspective on the action than my friends did. It is a cinematic achievement in the sense that no movie in the superhero genre has packed this much emotional punch or gave each of its character's (except one or two who we'll get to later) this much depth. From a storytelling perspective, this film is near flawless.
The action sequences are also fantastic. Following on from their previous efforts more grounded and violent chronography, Civil War offers the viewer a vast selection of marvellous set pieces that are well worth the price of admission alone. Without going in to too much detail (this is a movie I don't want to spoil at all) the film has two main fight scenes that will go down as the film's most iconic moments. First up, the moment that both sides clash at the airport in the film's second act. Talk about great direction. Despite having a dozen character's to keep up with, this fight scene showcases each and every character's abilities. Tinged with the right amounts of humour to balance the emotional gravitas behind it, this is a sequence that will go down as one of the greatest superhero brawls of all time. Hands down. Yet, the film's best fight scene does not feature more than three characters: Tony Stark, Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes. I'm using their real names as that is how personal this fight is. There is one word to describe it: brutal. To say anymore would ruin the story, but let me just say that (and this will become evident as soon as you enter the theatre) that a happy ending is not possible for any of the characters involved.
Yet, no review of Civil War would be complete without talking about the film's mark-out moments. The introduction of Black Panther was amazing. Chadwick Boseman's fiery performance as the righteous superhero actually made me excited for a movie I was previously impassive about, and I can't wait until 2018 to see him get the spotlight on his own. Tom Holland's Spider-Man is a revelation. Much like Ben Affleck in Batman v Superman, Holland has already staked his claim as possibly the best on screen web-slinger yet in relatively little screen-time. More than being an excellent standalone, Civil War has made me anticipate their future projects more, and it deserved plaudits for that.
Being perfectly honest, to say the movie has flaws would be nitpicking. The high stakes could have led to a bit more of a payoff and some characters involvement does feel unnecessary and forced (Ant-Man and Hawkeyes in particular) but these are minor problems that do not effect the overall quality of the product as a whole. Civil War is a movie with great emotional gravitas, something all too often missing from superhero films. The action is great and the acting, especially from the previously mentioned Tom Holland and Marvel's biggest commodity Robert Downie Jnr, is stellar. The Russo Brother's have shown they are not a Marvel one-hit wonder, but the new torch-bearers of this juggernaut of a franchise, taking the mantle from the very talented Jon Favreu and Joss Weadon.
Civil War is the summer blockbuster we deserve and, while it does still have Marvel's patented brand of humour, it sets up Phase Three as a significantly darker period in the studio's history. All things considered, it could be a very welcome change.
Score: 9.1/10
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