‘Captain America: Civil War’ Review Round Up

Captain America: Civil War, the latest installment in the wildly successful Marvel superhero franchise is already performing well into the 8/10 range on most online review sites. Though everyone and their dog is familiar with the whole range of Marvel films by now, Civil War is also part of a smaller sub franchise: the Captain America films.

These films generally focus on the Captain (played by muscle-bound heartthrob Chris Evans) himself, and have been critically acclaimed for their deep storytelling and serious tone. The Civil War film will be the third entry into the Captain America series, which intersects with the rest of the Marvel films. USA Today reports that like Civil War’s predecessor, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, which played out more like an international spy movie than a superhero popcorn flick, Civil War has already been amazing critics and audiences with its serious, self-respecting take on the Marvel Universe.

“It’s almost easier to say what isn’t in Captain America: Civil War, since the latest Marvel movie features deaths, bad feelings all around, alliances formed and broken, two guys with bug names, a kiss and the best superhero battle put to film yet.”

The film is also exciting for fans because it features Hollywood’s latest take on the ever popular and much loved Spider-Man character. It was only in the last few years that Sony Entertainment’s latest attempt at a Spider-Man franchise, 2012’s The Amazing Spider-Man, hit theaters. The film was successful enough to warrant a sequel, but the franchise (starring Andrew Garfield) quickly died out. Following the unexpected failure of their second attempt at a Spider-Man live action franchise, Sony hacked out an all but unprecedented deal with Disney and Marvel to share the character. Now, for the first time in Disney’s expansive MCU (a fan nickname for the Marvel Cinematic Universe), fans are getting treated to a brand new take on Spider-Man himself.

Fans of Peter Parker went mad with excitement when the web-slinger was announced as a character in Civil War, and now they can finally sit down and see it for themselves. This take on Spider-Man has been almost universally praised by critics and fans alike, and it looks like Sony and Disney have managed to create something amazing: a shared character and universe across studios.

E! Online reports that Civil War was directed by the now famous Russo brothers, Anthony and Joe. The sibling pair had previously worked on Marvel’s previous Captain America film, The Winter Soldier, which was wildly successful both financially and critically. It was a welcome announcement for fans when the Russo’s were put on the project, based on their previous work with Marvel, and that excitement seems to have paid off. Not only is Civil War being praised for its direction and feel, but the movie’s deep and compelling story has been lauded as well. Written by none other than Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (already well known and respected in the genre), the story is an emotional rollercoaster for fans, with a big pay off.

The Russo brothers have brought a massive ensemble cast to the film, including such characters as Ant-Man, Black Panther, Scarlet Witch, Vision and many, many more. These characters may not have had the most screentime, but Marvel’s love of its own properties is shining through in every movie, and fans have already fallen in love with this dysfunctional super family. Fans will be treated to an ever-escalating series of deep and complex emotional scenes, incredibly self-aware explorations of the genre, and mind-melting action sequences that astonish even the most jaded movie-goers.

Captain America is getting praise from all corners, as well. Justin Chang, from Variety, writes that Captain America: Civil War “proves as remarkable for its dramatic coherence and thematic unity as for its dizzyingly inventive action sequences.”

“Captain America: Civil War is the most mature and substantive picture to have yet emerged from the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”

MCU fan or not, Civil War is shaping up to be the premier blockbuster of the summer. Even if you don’t like the characters or universe, it’s looking like the latest Captain America film is going to be a crowd pleaser on every level.

[Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Disney]