Captain America: Civil War, released May 6, 2016, is the most recent installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and pits the Avengers against each other as the United Nations attempts to pass the Sokovia Accords, which would lead to the UN controlling all superhero movement, after the team accidentally causes devastating collateral damage during an attempt to stop a terrorist attack.

Captain America: Civil War succeeds on numerous levels. The down-to-earth plot regarding the consequences of the collateral damage that audiences have been cheering on for years is very effective in opening the audience’s eyes and bringing depth to the MCU that it has been lacking for a while. Both Captain America (Chris Evans) and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) are fleshed out and given legitimate reasons for their stances on the new laws, making their descent into violence all the more enthralling. The action sequences are phenomenal. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo know how to bring conflict to life and how to make the audience feel like they are in the midst of it. The airport battle that pits every hero against each other is amazingly done, blending the humor that the MCU is known for and the gritty action of the Russo brothers perfectly. Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Spider-Man’s (Tom Holland) introductions in this movie add new energy to the MCU. Tom Holland’s portrayal of Spider-Man is the best onscreen adaptation of the wall-crawler to date as Holland manages to pull off being both a capable but soft spoken nerd and a cocky superhero in such a way that Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield could not.

As gripping as the script is for Captain America: Civil War is, it is not without its faults. While the all out superhero brawl is quite a spectacle to behold, some of the heroes that participate are given little reason to be there. Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), and, sad to say, Spider-Man seem to be brought in just to fill up the spaces. The villain of the movie, Zemo (Daniel Brühl), is oddly paced in that his true motivations or intentions are never shown until the very end of the movie, which may leave some audience members confused throughout. The movie did explain the thought processes behind the differing sides, but towards the end, the movie makes it clear that one of the sides is wrong, which is a bit of a let down.

Captain America: Civil War is a well-crafted and slow burning movie, much like the Russo’s previous MCU installment Captain America: The Winter Soldier. While the movie may take its time to get where it is going, once it does, the audience will be on the edges of their seats. The script has some minor inconsistencies, and the villain may not be memorable, but the fantastic action sequences and surprising amount of depth provide a truly entertaining movie that succeeds everywhere Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice did not.  

VERDICT: 8.5/10