Last Friday night, my boys and I decided it was time to hit the movies again. This time, we ventured out to the theatre to see the newest Disney Marvel release, “Captain America: Civil War”. Once again, we all really enjoyed the same film which doesn’t happen often for us…three resounding thumbs up! Read on for all of the details and don’t worry, there are no spoilers in this review.

The Story

Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War” finds Steve Rogers leading the newly formed team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. But after another incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability, headed by a governing body to oversee and direct the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers, resulting in two camps—one led by Steve Rogers and his desire  for the Avengers to remain free to defend humanity without government interference, and the other following Tony Stark’s surprising decision to support government oversight and accountability.

Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War” stars Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Frank Grillo and Martin Freeman, with William Hurt and Daniel Brühl. Anthony & Joe Russo are directing with Kevin Feige producing. Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Patricia Whitcher, Nate Moore and Stan Lee are the executive producers. The screenplay is by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely. Get ready to pick a side and join the nonstop action playing out on two fronts.

Our Review

Overall my boys and I truly enjoyed this film. I give it a B, my teenager gives it a B+, and my youngest son gives it an A-.

For my boys (ages 13 and 10), it was all about story and action. They both agreed the plot was interesting and that the fight scenes delivered without being overly violent; just your standard comic book fighting. In fact, some parts were filmed in a way that made it appear choppy giving it even more of a comic book feel. My teenager liked that the story was different and that some of the twists were completely unexpected. My youngest was also impressed with the new superheroes that joined the cast, in particular the Black Panther whose performance was remarkable.

If you’ve been following my blog or have heard me on Behind The Magic, you know by now that I’m a complete superhero rookie. To date, I’ve only seen five superhero movies in my life: Avengers, Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant Man, Deadpool and now Captain America: Civil War. In hindsight, I probably should have watched Captain America: The Winter Soldier prior to seeing this film. I was familiar with most of the characters having seen the Avengers’ movies, plus my Big Bang Theory addiction certainly helped. I even recognized Stan Lee when he made his signature cameo this time, and not just because the entire audience cheered. What I was not familiar with was most of the backstories which made parts of the film a little difficult, but not impossible for me to follow. What I loved about Captain America: Civil War was the depth of characters, the heartfelt emotion, and the complexity of the storyline. There were certainly moments that borderline on the ridiculous which I imagine most superhero films have, but I was able to suspend my disbelief and thoroughly enjoy the movie despite my low expectations.

I would recommend this film for children at least 10 years old based on my experience with my boys, however you may find that the comic book violence could make it difficult for sensitive children of all ages to watch. I’ve included the trailer below and for more details, reviews, ratings and for help determining if it might be right for your family, please check out this link or feel free to ask me a question in the comments section.

Sneak Peek

Have you seen “Captain America: Civil War”?
Did you enjoy it? Please leave a comment; we would love to hear from you!