Jam-packed full of spectacular superheroes, Captain America: Civil War has been heralded as the best Marvel movie ever. It certainly has an excellent cast and main plot. Due to the huge amount of collateral damage the Avengers leave in their wake, the government seeks to put them under the control of a UN panel, to be used when the government sees fit. Whilst some Avengers, such as Tony Stark and Natasha Romanoff, agree to this policy, Steve Rogers and those close to him take a stand against it. He becomes set on this course of action when the government issues the order to have Bucky Barnes (AKA the Winter Soldier) killed.
The screenplay for the film is excellent, and the tension between the divided avengers is palpable. This is especially true between Steve and Tony. Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. are at their best and, aided by the script, the dialogue absolutely sizzles. Whilst the main plot seems mostly focused on the avengers fighting each other, there is a secondary storyline that focuses on the antagonist, Colonel Zemo, seeking revenge for the loss of his family. Like most clichéd revenge plotlines, it is weak and almost inconsequential. The character of Zemo is under-developed and relegated to the sidelines to make way for the conflict between Steve and Tony. Civil War is full of fantastic characters, including some new faces amongst the returning avengers. It is good to see characters introduced in Age of Ultron, namely Wanda Maximoff and Vision, being properly developed and exploring their roles as part of the avengers team. Despite the (almost ridiculously) large cast it feels as though most of the main characters do receive enough screen time and Elizabeth Olsen, who plays Maximoff, is a stand-out amongst the returning cast members. However sometimes the more minor characters are overshadowed by the bigger personalities. Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye suffers slightly from this.
Civil War may be one of Marvel's best. It's definitely action-packed and stuffed with colourful characters. The unfortunate downside is the lengthy run-time. At just under two and a half hours long, it sometimes feels as though it's dragging slightly. This is mostly during the first half, where the pacing is sometimes a little slow. But once the film takes off, it's fantastic. However, when compared to previous Marvel films, it isn't quite as enjoyable as The Winter Soldier, which had me on the edge of my seat almost the entire time.
Excellent cast performances and brilliant action sequences. Civil War is a great Marvel movie. The run-time might be long, but Spider-Man makes it worthwhile . But is it the best Marvel film of all time? At the very least it's in the running.
