Review #27 | "Captain America: Civil War" (2016)

Captain America: Civil War has everything for every age. Wit, humour, romance, danger, cunning, suspense, thrill - the list goes on and on. So, what makes this film different than the other Captain America or Marvel movies? Well, the stakes are a lot higher. A few critics have condemned the film because of the infighting between the Avengers, but anyone who has done their research knows that the premise of the film is in that very conflict. Marvel has been setting it up for the past few films and a few rewatch sessions of these previous installments will enlighten any viewer to these circumstances.

A lot happened in this film. Seriously, a lot. Not only did most of the Avengers show up, but a few new installments including Ant Man (Paul Rudd) made their appearances. Perhaps the most entertaining of these new additions is Spider-Man, played by 19-year-old Tom Holland. Hollywood has finally given us an entertaining Spider-Man who is brilliant to watch on-screen, and opposite Robert Downey Jr. He also got some of the best one-liners in the entire film. The other addition to the team is the mysterious (and, honestly, exceptionally sexy) Black Panther, played by Chadwick Boseman. Audiences will be treated to more of this elusive Avenger when the his origin film is released in 2018. However, with all of these exciting additions, one loss hit seasoned audiences hard (SPOILER):

The death of Peggy Carter.

The beloved founder of SHIELD and forever love interest of Steve Rogers will be forever missed, but not all is lost. Let's just say that Cap is "keeping it in the family."

This film takes the stakes to a whole new level. There is something very heavy lingering over the narrative from the very beginning and it never really goes away. It doesn't suffocate the audience, but screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely certainly didn't hesitate to bring action into the narrative from the get-go. This leads to a chain of events which drive the plot, leaving regret, despair, and uncertainty in it's wake.

As always, Marvel gives audiences a lot to ogle about. Visuals are spectacular. Effects are breathless. References are smart and witty. Editing is on point. Captain America: Civil War brings hails in everything bigger and better in Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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Rated PG-13. Runs 147 minutes.

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. Screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely. Starring Chris Evans, Rober Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Tom Holland, and Daniel Bruhl.