Captain America: Civil War review: The superhero clash we deserve

At this point, is it possible for a Marvel movie to disappoint us? A Marvel movie is “bound to be good.” A Marvel movie is “a sight to behold.” With so many blockbusters day in and day out, when can we expect Marvel Studio’s quality to plateau? Not today.

Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War sets the MCU’s bar higher than it’s ever been. Civil War launches the Universe’s Phase Three with a bang. With quite a lineup left before things go head to head in Avengers: Infinity War, Civil War will satiate the audience’s hunger for a standalone Marvel story while simultaneously leaving them wanting for more.

Civil War progresses the story that Age of Ultron and Winter Soldier left the Universe in. After the chaos left behind in Ultron’s last stand in Sokovia, the Avengers are once again drawn into a maelstrom of political forces which leaves the earlier hunting for the latter. The world’s leaders want to impose stricter sanctions and controls over the Avengers through what they’re calling The Sokovia Accords. Perceiving it as a loss of freedom, Cap is against the new directive. Meanwhile, Tony Stark wants to sign the agreement to make up for the civilian loss from all their battles.

However, when the Winter Soldier finds himself in the middle of a political controversy, Cap jumps to defend his friend against the government-controlled Avengers. He works together with Falcon, Scarlet Witch, Ant-Man, and the returning Hawkeye. Meanwhile, Tony Stark, War Machine, Black Widow, and the new Spider-Man make up Team Iron-Man. The two teams go head to head while other political forces lurk in the periphery. The Black Panther and Helmut Zemo make their film debuts.

Excepting Thor and Bruce Banner, Civil War features all our favorite superheroes on one side and the other. Despite the cavalcade of A-list heroes, Civil War manages to switch the spotlight between each character flawlessly. What results is a stage where every hero has his or her moments, even those brought in only for the epic confrontation.

The Universe’s current roster bedazzles with new motivations and beliefs that weren’t present in past films. New dynamics will develop and old ones come back to life. Civil War feels like a totally new story that still manages to retain the old Marvel magic. Meanwhile, the film’s new heroes—Black Panther and the new Spider-Man—fleshed out their story in the little time they spent in the spotlight.

Speaking of moments, the film’s eponymous confrontation is the best fight scene Marvel has ever orchestrated. Each hero brings his or her character to the fore. What we have is not just a brawl fest of epic proportions. We’re treated to a fight imbued with wit, action, intellect, and most importantly, emotion. I have never been more emotionally invested in a fight scene. If you were left wanting after Batman v Superman’s lackluster confrontation scene, Civil War will single-handedly fulfill that deep hunger for superhero-on-superhero mayhem.

The film alternates gracefully between plot buildup and intense action shots. Despite clocking in more minutes than any other Marvel film to date, Civil War isn’t dragging. The film brings the audience for a ride that won’t let go until each heart string has been pulled.

For all the glamour in its fight scenes, Civil War’s overarching story follows the style celebrated by its predecessors: controversies mired in politics. Civil War is a superhero movie that keeps its feet on the ground. Rather than a display of supernatural frenzy, the film pits belief against belief. Owing to its multitude of chess pieces and plotlines, Civil War’s story isn’t as hard-hitting as The Winter Soldier’s masterpiece. Its ending will leave the audience with some questions lingering, but at least the film followed the plotline consistently and thoroughly. While some questions remain, Civil War delivers on its promise of an impactful ending.

Civil War will leave no stone unturned but some doors wide open. The film might conclude on the last frame, but its ramifications will shake the Marvel Cinematic Universe at least until the first Infinity War rolls out.

Will there be an after credits? Usually, it’s customary for theatergoers to trudge through the credits just to catch a glimpse of their trademark post-credits scene. With Marvel films, it’s usually a done deal. Unfortunately, this review will not help you. The press screening that the reviewer attended featured a mid-credits scene, but was cut before the existence of a post-credits scene was confirmed.

According to previous sources, the Russo brothers confirmed the existence of up to three scenes after the film, yet press screenings across the globe reports only one but with a possibility of more when the theatrical release is played in cinemas.

Basically, we can confirm that there is at least one scene during the credits, but we’ll all have to wait if there really is more than one.

Update: American cinemas have confirmed that there are two post-credits scene. One that we’ve watched already and a second one that the theatrical release should carry.