I liked CIVIL WAR a little more a second time, enough for it to top THE WINTER SOLDIER as my favorite Marvel film.

I can't believe that I'm now so excited for the Spider-Man movie after this. I was so worried but now I know it's in the right hands. I just can't get over how perfect he was. I am still sad we will never see him and Deadpool share a screen but having him next to all these cats is enough.

I need to think on this a bit more, but my first reaction is that it wasn't as good as TWS, but will probably still end up in my top 3 or 4 favorite MCU films. The action sequences here are very well done with the exception of the annoying shaky cam at the beginning. Loved every scene BP was in and can't wait for his solo movie. Tom Holland as PP/Spidey was fantastic too and him and ANT-MAN completely stole the show in that Airport battle. Seeing Marisa Tomei as Aunt May was weird at first, but that scene between her, Stark and Peter was gold. However, as much hype as that Airport scene got honestly I found the final three-way fight way more impressive and involving. It was brutal as fuck and very ROTJ in terms of tone which actually made the stakes feel high. RDJ was killing it and I thought Sebastian Stan was so much better in this than in TWS. Chris Evans is still great as Cap and I found it interesting that while you sympathize and understand why he's protecting Bucky, you also get Stark's reasons and by the end I was definitely moving towards his side. Daniel Brühl as Zemo was a bit underwhelming, but I liked his performance and I am curious to see what they will do with him in future movies.

Don Cheadle was the one who was absolutely useless in this film. His sole purpose was to get injured.

Cheadle was alright, but he had no memorable moments at all. Everybody else, including Falcon had their AWESOME moment, although him and Spidey double teaming Giant-Man was kinda dope and then the double punch to the face was cool. Also, on some side notes. Fuck Sony/Marvel for revealing that RDJ was going to be in Spider-Man:Homecoming because just for a second I really thought Cap was going to smash his head in. That scene would have been way more effective if we didn't know who was going to survive. Anyways, I loved how personal/serious this movie was. They dialed back on the quips a whole lot and I really appreciated it. The humor felt so natural here, especially in that scene where Tony is trying to recruit Peter. That whole apartment/bedroom sequence was a brilliant intro for Peter Parker/Spider-Man.

Dude, there was 0% probability that Marvel would kill off any of their big heroes before Infinity War 1/2. Why does it matter that RDJ was announced for Spider-Man if he has been announced for Infinity War for years now?

I think the RDJ announcement was made after I saw Civil War because during the final fight I thought Tony might die too.

marvel couldn't actually kill off bucky barnes. why would they kill off their GOLDEN GOOSE?!

I'm all over the place right now. I liked it, it's entertaining, and the new Spidey's intro is fantastic (Marisa!!!), but I think it's ultimately weightless. It probably didn't help that I had to leave the theater for a second during the film's only emotional scene (I think if I pieced everything together, Bucky killed the Starks and Bruhl held that knowledge to get them to fight...and unleash the other winter soldier's but that goes nowhere...I think that's what I missed?).

It's taken me however many films to recognize this, but I'm not sure how much I care about Rogers, Stark, etc.

And the fight at the airport, it's entertaining as hell, but with all the jokes going around, of course no one is going to get seriously hurt. So what's the point? They disagree loudly?

The Airport fight is A LOT of fun, but I also feel it was over hyped. There are literally no stakes in that scene at all and everyone seemed to take it too lightly IMO. I guess it makes sense that they wanted a lighthearted/fun set piece before that brutal climatic fight, but at the same time this movie didn't really live up to the Civil War aspect of the title.

I love this movie. Captain America only makes great films. He's 3 for 3 so far.

Gotta see it in IMAX next.

Another competent, but rather dull entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. There is not much more to say. It is overcrowded and numbing at two-and-a-half hours. There are a few exciting action sequences along the way, and I still enjoy a couple of the characters given their modest quota of screen time, particularly Paul Rudd's mischievous Scott Lang/Ant-Man. I am not interested enough in this world and its jargon, however, to invest in the po-faced hand-wringing over justice, oversight, and vigilantism, which never goes anywhere provocative anyway, resulting in feuds and misunderstandings already being smoothed over and reset by the time the end credits roll. Ultimately, the film is a type of Rube Goldberg contraption, a by-committee assortment of moving pieces and demographic-satisfying tones which itches a certain lizard-brain scratch without moving the emotional or creative needles in any discernible direction. And the band plays on.

C+

Pretty much on par with The Winter Soldier for me. This movie has some pacing issues and a villain who ends up being so inconsequential that they might as well have not included him at all, but the big collision between Captain America and Tony Stark is approximately 100 million times better than the ridiculous Batman v Superman drama we just suffered through a month ago. It's an impressive entry into the universe, for sure. B+

He never planned to unleash the winter soliders, he just killed them. He wanted Cap, Bucky and Tony to think that this was his plan to get the three of them together and isolated to that place.

just as shallow as everything else in this universe. ant-man and spider-man co-MVPs.

Spidey and Black Panther both are because they are so different in the approach.

I also echo publicenemy#1's surprise. Had no idea Boseman was almost 40. Sure as hell looks younger.

what was the point of the 1st end credits scene? only to show Bucky getting frozen? or is there some other marvel reference im not aware of.

Tom Holland seems a spirited Spider-Man, but his inclusion here feels odd to me. Just the whole scene of Tony flying to Queens to enlist a child for an incredibly dangerous battle (and then just leaving him in Germany), with his only motivation being, "Hey, I maybe need one more pair of fists." It also seems out of sync with Tony's political stance of more oversight, more regulation, more toeing of the line, etc. Spider-Man's inclusion is at once charming and wildly inessential. A movie is in a problematic place when so many characters could be lifted from it in their entirety without greatly impacting the tone or storytelling.

This reminds me of the press conference in London that I went to, when one of the journalists asked Kevin Feige what he thinks of Tony essentially recruiting a child solider.

A child soldier who is literally stronger than every other hero in the movie (except for vision). He's not a child soldier. He's a fucking superhero.

Hence the problem with Marvel movies: they want to have gravity and poignancy at times (they want us to feel an oomph when, say, Tony learns the Winter Soldier murdered his parents), but they also invite this sense of, "Don't question anything. There are no stakes. This is playtime."

Why should we invest in the debate re: the Accords when, as comic fan service, Tony can invite a 15-year-old to fight his war with him?

I agree with David. Spider Mans inclusion is cool and I know he's just a teenager but having him be Tony's secret weapon and the fact that he has no idea what he's doing there is silly.

It was also weird when Cap threw that building or trailer thing on top of Spidey, what if he killed him... and then the lighthearted Queens/Brooklyn exchange happens.

The Spider-Man intro did feel a bit forced at first, but I was sold after that apartment scene. Him and Tony had seem really good back and forth and I liked the different approach to the whole with great power comes great responsibility. It was obvious in that Airport battle that he was the strongest next to Vision/Wanda and could have held his own against Cap if he was more experienced in fighting. Ross wanted them captured, so without killing anybody why not get the strongest hero possible even if he is just a teenager. Also, I thought the Brooklyn/Queens moment between him and Cap was perfect.

Is it, though? This movie sure has its dull stretches. Oh, the Accords! The Accords! Bucky! Bucky! Alfre Woodward's dead son! Self-doubt! Division! But without the stakes and any sense of genuine gravity, it registers as faux-brooding tedium rather than compelling drama.

The jokey quality undercuts the drama and vice versa.