Last weekend,Marvelheld the first screenings for itsPhase ThreeadventureCaptain America: Civil War, and theearly reactionswere filled with praise for new characters such asSpider-Man(Tom Holland) andBlack Panther(Chadwick Boseman). Earlier today, the embargo lifted, and the initial wave of reviews came flooding in. Although there are only 14 reviews posted onRotten Tomates, all of them are positive, giving this superhero adventure a 100% RT score right out of the gate, with some critics even making some parting shots atBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justicewhile calling this latest superhero epic a true Marvel masterpiece.
Marvel’sCaptain America: Civil Waris set in the aftermath ofAvengers: Age of Ultron, with Steve Rogers leading the newly formed team ofAvengersin their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. But after another incident involving theAvengersresults 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 theAvengers, resulting in two camps, one led bySteve Rogersand his desire for theAvengersto remain free to defend humanity without government interference, and the other following Tony Stark’s surprising decision to support government oversight and accountability.
Team Iron Man includes Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Vision (Paul Bettany),War Machine(Don Cheadle) and the new charactersT’challa(Chadwick Boseman) andSpider-Man(Tom Holland). Team Cap includes Captain America (Chris Evans), The Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan).Marvel’sCaptain America: Civil Waralso starsFrank Grilloas Crossbones,William Hurtas Thaddeus Ross,Daniel Brühlas the villainous Baron Zemo. Take a look at excerpts from some of these early reviews below, and stay tuned for more onCaptain America: Civil War.
“The shaming ofBatman v Superman: Dawn of Justicewill continue apace - or better still, be forgotten entirely - in the wake ofCaptain America: Civil War, a decisively superior hero-vs.-hero extravaganza that also ranks as the most mature and substantive picture to have yet emerged from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Very much an “Avengers” movie in scope and ambition if not title (the conspicuous absence of Thor and Hulk notwithstanding), this chronicle of an epic clash between two equally noble factions, led by Captain America and Iron Man, proves as remarkable for its dramatic coherence and thematic unity as for its dizzyingly inventive action sequences; viewers who have grown weary of seeing cities blow up ad nauseam will scarcely believe their luck at the relative restraint and ingenuity on display.”
“Corporate filmmaking with an enormous economic investment at stake has the power to force creative people to operate within the art-destroying prison walls of a marketing strategy. But the Marvel Cinematic Universe, an empire building itself on a foundation that roughly amounts to a house style, tends to stay relatively on balance. Screenwriting team Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely (responsible for the previous two Captain America films) efficiently move plot blocks into place and check off interlocking points of order, but they do so while never forgetting that their characters are more than brands to build.”
“Who needs a villain when you have Steve and Tony? Both protagonists. Both antagonists. And drawing other power-people to their cause in surprising ways. The clashes go far beyond the set-up squabbles of Avengers Assemble. Or even that other big 2016 superhero showdown. Forget Batman v Superman. Here you get Ant-Man v Spider-Man, Hawkeye v Black Widow, Scarlet Witch v Vision, The Winter Soldier v Black Panther and (well, duh)Captain America v Iron Man, all rolled into one. And that is what you call the ultimate Marvel superhero event.”
Total Film
“In many ways, Civil War is the Marvel team-up sequel Age of Ultron should have been. If The Winter Soldier was about SHIELD being ripped apart from the inside, Civil War pulls the same trick with the Avengers themselves, screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely carving out satisfying character arcs, or at the very least moments, for every major player (minus the MIA Thor and Hulk). Crucially, despite the colossal cast of characters and sprawling runtime, the oft-repeated assertion that this isn’t just Avengers 2.5 holds true - it’s also a Captain America movie through and through, further exploring The Winter Soldier’s major theme - the cost of freedom - while Bucky is even more integral to the plot than he was in the film that bore his own name.”
The Daily Beast
“Captain America: Civil War marks a watershed moment in the vaunted annals of comic book cinema: finally, a big budget superhero sequel that manages to be both effortlessly entertaining and utterly sobering, instead of just one of those things-or, as we’ve endured too frequently in the past, neither of them. (Looking at you, Batman v Superman.) You might argue that other films that have come before Marvel’s Captain America threequel have achieved such equilibrium, but let’s be real, you’d be lying to yourself. Not even Disney’s Marvel machine has yet been able to shake off formula or self-seriousness in service of spandexed superhero franchising.”
Captain America: Civil Warwill kick off theMarvel Cinematic Universe’sPhase Three, which will be followed byDoctor Strange(June 13, 2025),Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2(July 06, 2025),Spider-Man(July 14, 2025),Thor: Ragnarok(August 05, 2025),Black Panther(July 18, 2025),Avengers: Infinity War Part I(August 18, 2025),Ant-Man and the Wasp(June 30, 2025),Captain Marvel(August 04, 2025),Avengers: Infinity War - Part II(July 17, 2025) andInhumans(July 21, 2025). Are you more excited than ever forCaptain America: Civil Warnow that the early reviews are in? you’re able to visitRotten Tomatoesto check out the rest of theCaptain America: Civil Warreviews that have been posted thus far.
