Movie Review | Captain America: Civil War

Captain America's a lot of things, but he's never been

the coolest superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

He's quite literally a relic to a different,

more innocent era, and as such, he is a little corny.

But increasingly, the movies centering on him

have evolved to be the most interesting ones in the MCU.

And that trend continues in Captain America: Civil War,

which opens this weekend.

After a botched rescue mission, The Avengers are asked

to operate under the oversight of the United Nations.

That sits well with about half The Avengers,

but not the other half, creating a rift that pits

hero against hero, and, in Cap's case,

his desire to do good at all times

translates into operating outside the law.

If we sign this, we surrender our right to choose.

What if this panel sends us

somewhere we don't think we should go?

What if there's somewhere we need to go,

and they don't let us?

Directors The Russo Brothers brought Cap

into uncertain moral ground in 2014's The Winter Soldier,

and they do a nice job continuing that work here,

albeit on a much bigger scale.

Look, Civil War is huge.

It's not only the longest Marvel movie to date,

but it brings together Cap-specific characters like

The Winter Soldier with the rest of The Avengers.

And for comic relief, even Ant-Man.

Look, I wanna say, I know you know a lotta super people,

so, thanks for thinking of me.

Most importantly, though, the movie helps Marvel pivot

into its so-called phase three, which will finally tie up

that whole Infinity Stone thing.

And to that end, Civil War brings in

a couple of new fan-favorite characters:

Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa/The Black Panther,

and Tom Holland as Spider-Man.

While the movie has

maybe one more climax than it actually needs,

it's on the whole a really tight, fun epic

that propels the Marvel Cinematic Universe forward

while being enjoyable in its own right.

So if this is what a rebuilding year looks like for them,

things could be much, much worse.