Captain America: Civil War [M]

After a mission blows up resulting in the death of many civilians, the Avengers come under governmental scrutiny. A large number of countries sign a declaration that would put the heroes under the control of the Government so as to avoid further loss of lives through their reckless and unchecked methods. The heroes now face a tough choice, to comply or resign. For Tony Stark the choice is logical and rational, but for Steve Rogers compliance is unthinkable and soon a schism begins to form between those that agree with the declaration and those that don’t. 

It may have the Captain America title, but this is an Avengers movie without a doubt, one that proves that that old Lincoln adage, “a house divided” does not get old. 

The common view that is currently in circulation is that this movie does what Batman vs. Superman tried and failed to do, and yeah it really is. The elaborate heroes as pawns plot, ultimately destroying themselves, just works a hell of a lot better here where it can be seen without us having to be told. 

Show-don’t-tell is a big part of cinema and yes it’s hard to get that balance right, but directors Anthony and Joe Russo along with writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFreely manage to achieve that balance perfectly, pumping it full of fantastic action sequences, dramatic battles, and humour that just make it a captivating and brilliant movie from go to whoa. 

What elevates Civil War into the lofty realms that it’s currently inhabiting is the various levels of intrigue that make up the movie. 

It begins with the build-up of a memorable action sequence, shot brilliantly in jagged frames with only the sounds of impact to work as an accompanying score. From there it just escalates, or degenerates if you prefer to look at it that way, into a frenzy of misdirections, red herrings, pent up frustration, and crumbling friendships. 

But even though the film deals with the idea of a core of strength eroding from the inside out, it still manages to maintain some of the banter and humour of the Avengers movies. 

‘New’ characters are brought into the fold in possibly one of the best battles ever, with Ant-Man transitioning from his own movie and Black Panther and the new Spiderman making an appearance, piquing excitement for their own upcoming films. 

At the end of the day, this movie delivers as a Marvel movie and the humour that is brought back into the piece is a nice relief from the brooding and dramatic path that the Captain America movies looked to be taking from WinterSoldier. 

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, Daniel Bruhl, and Tom Holland, Captain America: Civil War is exciting, dramatic, emotional, and absolute Marvel fun. Filled with action, astounding battle sequences, drama, romance, and wonderfully balanced bouts of comedy, it’s the best Captain America movie to date, beyond a doubt.