Since the Marvel Cinematic Universe started expanding, the only movies that topped the first two Captain America films for me were the Avengers films, where all the heroes grouped up and we get to see them interacting with each other in interesting ways. Chris Evan's Cap was always my favorite part of this, his straight-faced Boy Scout routine mixed in with some snark made his interactions with unorthodox heroes, like Iron Man and the Hulk, interesting. In Civil War, we see another side of this: what happens when these heroes collide. This movie shows us just how heartbreaking the antagonism between heroes can actually be.
In Captain America: Civil War, we return to the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) with Steve Rogers heading a team of Avengers in the capture of a dangerous international villain. When some part of the mission goes wrong, one of the Avengers ends up being partially responsible for many innocent civilians being blown up. In the aftermath of this, the United Nations pulls to have the Avengers be a government controlled organization, in the aftermath of many large scale superhuman disasters linked to the group. This spawns a debate in the team, whether to go along with the sanctions and be regulated or fight towards being a private organization who, has no world boundaries and isn't barred from helping people they see in need because of government guidelines. On one side of this debate is Tony Stark, propelled by his constant guilt over his past failures, who wants to have the regulations. On the other side is Steve, who believes that these rules would jeopardize the Avengers being able to help everyone and force the group to just be government pawns. These feelings are brought even further when these talks are then bombed by a man believed to be the Winter Soldier and Cap's oldest friend, Bucky Barnes. Bucky, brainwashed but recovering from the experiments that were done to him by Hydra, is on the run and finding him and bringing him home safe is Steve's main objective. When Steve's mission to bring Bucky home safe conflicts with the United Nations' orders, the tension explodes between all the heroes.
The way that the film portrayed relationships was what really sold me. This was a film that while there was a villain, it wasn't an apparent one that the heroes were using brute force to fight. This issue was mainly an internal struggle, hence the name Civil War. With this war came strong emotions that were understandable from each side. Tony Stark has always been haunted by his mistakes, especially from his negligence being what killed people. To Tony, the Avengers is his way of atonement and being held accountable for his actions. Cap is always pushed by his indomitable will to help people, no matter their race or creed, and the Avengers means that to him. For the first time, these two ideals conflict, and the relationship between Tony and Steve cracks under pressure with it. Another relationship to look at is Steve and Bucky's. Bucky is actually similar to Tony, as his guilt of his actions as the Winter Soldier under Hydra brainwashing leaves him with what could be interpreted as a form of PTSD. Steve is trying to help Bucky, who seems to be running away and trying to figure himself out. Both of these friendships are focal points of the film, but Steve's own creed and believes still seem the most important aspect of him throughout the movie. His character is not relied on other characters, yet the relationships are complex and interesting enough to pack multiple facets in a single film.
Another piece of the film that I thought was done well was the introduction of new heroes. Spiderman, Black Panther, and Antman all have their first appearance in a team-up movie here, with Spiderman and Black Panther being new to the universe altogether. And while I was nervous for the third Peter Parker in the past decade, I can safely say that Tom Holland knocked it out of the park. The humor of Spidey and the awkwardness of Peter combined spectacularly to form the perfect casting and direction. Spidey's quips in battle were amazingly witty and made of my favorite parts of the film. On Black Panther's side, while he didn't have the popularity of Spiderman, his introduction gave him a mysterious and powerful feeling, a quiet strength that had his own character development through the film that was done smoothly. In a way, Panther covered the flip aspect of heroism that Spiderman didn't. While one was colorful and loud, the other showed a subtle and dark side of the heroics. Both of these were fleshed out and made me excited for their upcoming solo movies.
If I had to have any negative comments about this film, I'd have to say that the ending felt sudden. While it by no means was a bad ending, the way that it just stopped gave a lurching feeling to what was otherwise a fast-paced and exciting ride. Possibly that was what the director was going for, but it didn't feel like the film was done when it was. It has me excited for the next film, but seeing the film on its own would not be recommended, as there are many parts of this story that require knowledge from outside sources to understand completely. Overall, however, if you just wanted a film that you'd enjoy on its own without caring about the expanding universe, this film still does its job.
Overall I would say that this might be my favorite Marvel movie to date. Seeing a character driven story around my favorite Avenger that reflected their personalities well was exactly what I wanted. The one part of the film I was wary about, the characterization of new characters, was actually nearly perfect and turned into one of my favorite parts of the film. I give Captain America: Civil War 5 out of 5.
