Captain America: Civil War Movie Review

Article by Gabe Zia

Lazy Film Critic Movie Reviews

Captain America: Civil War (Spoiler-Free Review)

So, after two superhero movies so-far in 2016, one being amazing (Deadpool) and the other being... Whatever the hell Batman v Superman was supposed to be, we finally got Captain America 3, or Captain America: Civil War. Not to be confused with The Avengers: Civil War, because that's not actually what this is at all. Much like Cap 2, this is directed by the Russo brothers. This film follows Cap as he's trying to protect his friend Bucky from the government, which now includes the Avengers thanks to the Sokovia Accord (not to be confused with the Superhuman registration act because... this is not that).

First and foremost, this is an action movie, and in terms of being an action movie, it absolutely succeeds. Much like the last Captain America film, Civil War delivers stunning action sequences, which range from visually impressive and creative set-pieces that rely on CGI, to some of the best fight sequences since The Raid. What Winter Soldier did that set its action apart from the first Captain America, in my opinion anyway, was it's heavy lean towards martial arts based action, it was mostly hand to hand combat. And there is one action sequence, I won't spoil the details (although you probably know what I'm talking about), that feels like it goes on for 20 minutes, and it's some of the most fun I've had watching a movie since Fury Road.

However, despite what Zack Snyder will tell you, this is not just a fun action movie for kids. While Civil War doesn't have the immense and surprisingly relevant political undertones Winter Soldier had, it still explores some pretty mature themes such as how much power a government should have, and it also explores some themes of morality (the details are kind of spoiler territory, you're gonna have to just trust me on that one). I don't think this movie will generate as many conversations relevant to the real world as Winter Soldier did (especially with Winter Soldier having the advantage of coming out shortly after the Snowden crisis), but it will still get people talking.

Let's talk about some of the characters in this movie. I know, every critic in the world is talking about Spider-Man, and fair enough, he's one of the best parts of this movie. Tom Holland is probably the best live action Peter Parker so-far, but he's not the one I want to talk about, nor the one who stole the movie. No, that title goes to Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther. This guy absolutely owns this role, every scene with T'Challa was fantastic, he's an amazing and really compelling character, who can do intense moments astonishingly well. And he looks outstanding in the suit, it's one of Marvels best looking superhero suits so-far.

Final Rating
Is Civil War a perfect movie? No, but it's problems are far too few and meaningless to actually bring up as legittimate issues with the film. Is it the best Marvel movie so-far? In my opinion, that's still Winter Soldier, but this comes close. Also, keep in mind this is only my first viewing, and I've heard it's even better the second time through. This is a fantastic movie, that manages to perfectly balance an emotionally driven drama with a political basis and a fun superhero action movie. Captain America: Civil War is a must-see.