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Rating: 4.3/5
Review: "Captain America: Civil War movie review"

"A tensely solid entertainment, that is thoughtful with enough action, thrills and politics, is a mature entry in the Marvel franchise."

After the tense second outing of Captain America, I was excited when another sequel was announced. When the trailer was released, I could not help but felt disappointed. It looked like an Avengers film more than a solo film. As trailers were released with more news on superheroes joining the film, I was less excited. I mean, I could wait for Avengers 3. I felt much more could be developed with Captain America alone. So was I wrong? Is Captain America: Civil War like an Avenger film? Although the film focuses on Captain America's perspective, it ultimately still feels like long teaser to Avenger 3. It is still a solid entry to the already strong Marvel franchise, albeit the slightly disappointed focus.

The story: I think it is clear that the directors (the Russo brothers) like to start with a bang. It starts with an extended action scene that features the villain, Crossbones. After the first action scene, the action slows down but the rapid exchanges of politics and conscience are ramped up. I would say this is the most mature Marvel film. Choices have to be made and it is obvious that not everyone has the same idea. In the meantime, a human villain is introduced to help motivate the choices the heroes have made. The seemingly long runtime of 2 hours 27 minutes is not long at all as new characters like Black Panther and Spider-Man are introduced. They also have their own appropriate screentime. Action wise is entertaining. There are five action scenes including the opening scene. All are good in their own ways. The memorable three-way chase scene with Black Panther, the Winter Solider and Captain America is thrilling. The most hyped action scene is, of course, the battle between the two sides. Although it is entertaining, I am a little disappointed that it is more light-hearted than a serious battle with repercussion. I don't get a sense of suspense because they are fighting like as if a group of friends having a tiff. Thankfully, the climatic battle between Iron Man, the Winter Soldier and Captain America is more thrilling and has a emotional kick.

The music by Henry Jackman is decent enough. It is inevitable that Batman V Superman will be compared to this. I like both films for what they are. However in term of stronger motivation of fighting with each other, Civil War features more mature motivations.

Overall: Is it worth the hype? It is actually over-hyped but it is hard to be disappointed by the whole film. It has the heart, the action, the emotions and the thrills. It undeniably has some slight faults but as a whole film, it is a solid entertainment that is thoughtful. After walking out from the cinema, it is hard not to debate who is in the 'right' of 'wrong'. It will be interesting to see how the Russo brothers continue to deal with the emotions of the Avengers in future.

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