Captain America: Civil War

After an operation goes wrong and kills some civilians, there is increasing public and political pressure for a system of accountability for the actions of the Avengers. The team is split – Captain America (Chris Evans) believes that heroes should remain free to defend humanity and do what they think is right without the threat of government interference, but Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) sharply disagrees, supporting oversight. As the debate escalates into a battle, heroes are forced to pick a side and come to blows with each other. The Captain America films have always been Marvel’s strongest offerings – they mix the fun and action set-pieces with intelligence, producing films that are as substantive as they are enjoyable – and Civil War is perhaps their best film to date. The movie hits the ground running from its opening moments, and the pace doesn’t let up throughout. It balances the action with the emotional beats, and juggles a large cast with aplomb (both Evans and Downey Jr. steal the show, but we also have considerable time for new arrivals Tom Holland (Spiderman) and Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther), amongst others). Expectations were high for Civil War, but it went out its way to exceed them all – whether or not you are a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Civil War is blockbuster entertainment at its finest. It mixes an intelligent political thriller with a exhilarating superhero picture, and comes out with something really special.

Reece Goodall