On May 6, 2016, the third installment of the Captain America Franchise, Captain America: Civil War, was released into theatres nationwide. One of the most anticipated movies of the spring, Civil War has not only lived up to the hype it has received, but has opened up a completely new style of superhero movie that could dominate the industry in the future. With this being said, the inclusion of many unimportant characters for the sole purpose of appealing to the audience has led to a wieldy cluttered and chaotic plotline that leaves people scratching their heads in confusion.  

The premise of the movie revolves around a global change in how the Avengers are viewed. After an operation in Lagos, Nigeria goes amiss leaving several civilians dead, the UN almost unanimously places sanctions on the powers of the Avengers, leading to a great divide amongst the team on whether to follow these restrictions or to stay true to their goal of truly protecting the world. With the help of a few new faces, the Avengers must fight their newest super villain before their discontent with each other destroys the group from the inside.

One of the main changes that this Captain America movie had compared to previous movies was its more realistic approach to the global perception of superheroes. The movie industry has gradually added a new element of realism in superhero movies, and the UN sanction that catalyzes the divide in the Avengers, the Sokovia Sanctions, truly brings about this new added realistic feel to the movie. Another subject that has been highlighted in this movie was the idea that not all superheroes are as omnipotent as shown in previous films.

The clashing between the Avengers, especially Captain America with Iron Man, has shown their human side and their weaknesses, which was portrayed beautifully by the Russo brothers in the ending sequence of the movie. The confrontation between Captain America and Iron Man after their clash, and their acknowledgement of the neverending struggle between them, was beautifully scripted and insightful in its realism and relatability.

Another part of the film that was produced with precise detail was the action scenes. The action-packed movie featured many unbelievable and death-defying action sequences, most notably the chase scene leading to the discovery of the identity of the Black Panther. Many of these action scenes had to be produced through inventive filming techniques, and the time and effort put into this aspect of the film was greatly noticed and enhanced the viewing experience for the audience.

One of the main faults of the movie was its choice in adding many new Avenger characters to the plotline, and doing this just for the sake of marketing. With the amount of success that previous Avenger movies have had, a new formula for creating successful superhero movies has arisen with the introduction of new superheroes drawing in more and more people to the theatres each year. This new trend has lead to meaningless characters being shoved into an already clustered cast just for some extra cash. This trend has only been highlighted through this movie and shows the greedy side of the movie industry.

With the likes of Spiderman and the Black Panther making appearances in the film, along with the return of the Winter Soldier, this film packed way too many unimportant characters into a complex plot, leaving many viewers confused on the purpose of many of the supporting cast. The crowded and over complicated plot also led to the long run time of a little under two and a half hours, much greater than what was necessary.

Although the plot was far too complex compared to what it could have been, much of the content and subplots branching off of the main conflict truly made the film larger than life. The Winter Soldier’s change towards the good side highlighted the intricate subplots, and the film truly acknowledged the wishes of many fans of the previous Captain America movie, Winter Soldier.

With all of the hype that was built up around the release of the third Captain America film, the content and plot of the movie was pivotal to its success.Through the star-studded cast in  actors, Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., and Scarlett Johansson, and others, the movie truly did live up to its expectations. And although there is room for further improvement especially through simplifying plot development and character development, this movie is definitely one that all comic book and superhero fans should see.

Captain America: Civil War has been out in theatres since Friday, May 6, 2016, and will continue to run in theatres for at least a couple of weeks, so make sure to go and watch the movie.