A case can be made that – even more than Avengers: Age of Ultron – Captain America Civil War was the most highly anticipated Marvel movie yet. From us dying to find out what was shown at a special Disney Press Event last year to us desperately trying to avoid Spoilers on Social Media, this movie has played a tug of war with our hearts. But now it’s out everywhere – so does it live up to all the hype? Is it the best Marvel movie yet? Does Captain America: Civil War surpass Batman V Superman as we – and everyone else – predicted?

The short answer is ‘YES’! The medium answer is ‘HELL YES!’ The full Spoiler Free answer is the subject of this article. So sit back, relax and see what you can expect from this film – without any of it being spoiled.

Whose Movie Is It? – Captain America 3, Ironman 4 or Avengers 2.5:

As you would imagine, this film is the ideological successor to Winter Solder – and it’s not just because of the Russo Brothers being at the helm. Though despite not being the best Captain America film; it is the best Marvel movie! And that’s only because this film is not fully a Captain America movie.

Civil War perfectly balances the ideological stances of Captain America and Ironman. At no time can you definitively say who’s right. Both sides have valid arguments and to merely see one as the ‘protagonist’ and the other as the ‘antagonist’ is far too limited for this film. Similarly, each team member has their own incredibly poignant motivations for being on the side they choose. To truly appreciate this film, you have to live in every moment and see each hero as the “Star”. The film does a wonderful job of showing these motivations – and I’ll spell them all out in a future article. If the Avengers films are meant to tie together an entire Phase, think of Civil War as Avengers 2.5, the film that not only directly ties together the Avengers films but also everything that has occurred since the Marvel Cinematic Universe was first started in 2008 with Ironman.

Let Them Fight – Motivations, Pacing & Story Depth:

Captain America: Civil War might not be the first hero vs hero film this year, but it is the one that gets it right. I’ve already explained that the motivations are perfectly explored throughout the film and at no point do either hero think ‘let’s kill them’. There are plenty of points where characters struggle to fight with the other. We feel their turmoil of spirit and that makes the fights that much more powerful. This is the catharsis of 8 years worth of struggles and issues – both within the team and characters dealing with their own demons. Marvel knocks it out of the park here and makes sure that there is more to this brawl than ‘fear’ and ‘hatred’. Similarly, the resolution is just as powerful – and has nothing to do with the name Martha. lol

Is There A Post Credits? – DUH!

After 8 years of films, do I really need to answer this? Yes, there’s both a Mid Credits and a Post Credits; and both of course set up future films. Again, I’ll go into more depth in my Analysis article.

Overall, Captain America does more than prove – again – that the Russo Brothers have their A Game when it comes to emotional, fantastical and yet real-world hero films (paralleling real life problems). What Civil War does more than anything else is show us how The Avengers films can function from here on out. This film had the biggest roster of heroes yet and each got their individual time to shine. Not once did it seem crowded; and with the upcoming Infinity War set to star even more heroes and villains, the Russo Brothers have shown that they know how to balance all these complex ideas and scenes while keeping the film grounded and perfectly paced. Civil War will not only leave you completely satisfied; but will also make you fall in love with the Marvel Universe again. The MCU has changed a lot over the years, and not since the first ‘Avengers Assemble’ moment in 2012 have I been so giddy to see what Marvel will do next.

So go enjoy Captain America: Civil War and check back here for the Top 5 Funniest Moments as well as my full Declassified Analysis of the film, Easter Eggs and what it set up.