I have always loved Greek Mythology and Hercules was one of my favorite stories as a kid.  So to see him get the big screen Disney animated treatment was exciting for me.  This came out right near the end of the 1990s when Disney animation was having its renaissance after Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King so expectations were high.  Hercules meets those expectations…sort of.

The movie is good.  It has catchy music and great animation.  The heart of the film is a classic hero’s journey that everyone can get behind.

The problem is, in comparison to what else came out from Disney in the 90s, Hercules just does not quite measure up.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy this movie.  It is solid and it features one of the best villains in Disney’s pantheon of classic villains with Hades (James Woods) and an impressive voice cast that included Danny DeVito, Bobcat Goldthwait, Rip Torn and Tate Donovan (as Hercules).

Perhaps the pacing of the film is a bit off for me.  It really is fast paced, flying from one major moment in Hercules’ life to another with very little time for reflection.  The character of Meg does not do much for me either.  She is basically a damsel in distress that has a dark secret.  Nothing here that we haven’t seen before and every aspect of the character of Meg felt false.

Still, there are tons of pop culture references (Paul Shaffer as Hermes, the Messenger God is inspired) that are fun and creative.  Hercules’ friend/pet Pegasus is fantastic.  The Gods of Olympus, for the most part, have excellent character designs.

Of ocurse, Disney had to alter Hercules’s story so Zeus and Hera were his parents.  In the actual Greek myth, Hercules was born of an earth woman, one of Zeus’s affairs and Hera hated him. Hera was the character who sent the snakes to kill baby Hercules, not Hades.  I guess Disney did not want to show the negative family values that this myth inspires.

Overall, Disney’s Hercules is a good movie and certainly worth the watch.  It is short and flies by quickly.  It just does not have the same pizzazz as some of the other Disney animated films of the decade.

This was a film that wound up on my summer to watch list after John Rocha recommended it on a Top 10 Ben Kingsley movies episode of the classic Top 10 Show.  I had just recently seen Holmes & Watson, one of the worst movies of all-time, and this sounded like a much better comedy.  My time was not as open at that point, but I got around to that list tonight and I enjoyed the recommendation.

In Without a Clue, Dr. John Watson (Ben Kingsley) was the true driving force behind the cases of Sherlock Holmes, going as far as to hire an actor Reginald Kincaid (Michael Caine) to be the face of the role of Sherlock Holmes .

As it turned out, Reginald Kincaid/Sherlock Holmes was more of an idiot than anything else, requiring notes and lines for memorization by Dr. Watson, who would chronicle the events of their adventures for the papers.

However, a case that became an extremely dangerous one, featuring the arrival of arch nemesis Moriarty (Paul Freeman) led to some dramatic switching of roles once again.

Michael Caine and Ben Kingsley appear to be having a lot of fun with this comedy, filled with witty banter and slapstick humor.  Their performances are easily the best part of the movie, and bring in the audience to care for these people.  The role swap works exceedingly well.

The movie has a lot of fun with the Sherlock Holmes mythos and it feels like one of the feel good action/adventures from the 1980s.  The twist of Holmes being a fraud and a drunk that gets on Watson’s nerves is a bit that works well throughout the entire film.  Sure the third act works out pretty much the way you expect it would, but that should not take away from the strength of the pairing of Kingsley and Caine.

Jeffrey Jones, who made several films as the villain in the 1980s (including Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Howard the Duck, Amadeus, Beetlejuice) appears as Inspector Lestrade, Scotland Yard’s contribution to the Holmes stories.  Jones brought his typical put-upon role to this character.

Without A Clue was a fun time and I am glad to have had the chance to finally see it.  Thanks Outlaw!

I loved the Muppets and Jim Henson growing up, but I must say, that my memory of The Dark Crystal was that I was not a huge fan.  So I wanted to take another look at it, as it is a classic film from Henson and because of the announcement that there would be a Netflix series called The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance debuting this year.

After watching The Dark Crystal again, I feel much the same way.  I was not a fan of the movie.

Wow.  Is this thing dark.  I did not remember it being as dark and scary as it is.  I cannot imagine showing this movie to a little kid.  It is nothing like the Muppets.

That is not a big deal, but there is such a huge exposition dump right off the bat and then the characters take too long to connect to the audience.  There are too many characters that are more annoying than anything else (Fizzgig for example).

The visuals are stunning and make the film special.  The creatures are interesting and always have that flair from the Henson workshop.

I did like the villainous Chamberlain, exiled from the Skeksis after his attempt to grab the power of the throne after the last leader died.  Chamberlain was manipulative and a giant backstabber.  He had desire for power himself.  He reminds me a bit of the Transformers and Starscream.

The Dark Crystal was a mixed bag for me, because there were some lovely visuals and parts that were fine, but I had some major issues with characterization and narrative format.

Here is the second Shaft.  From the year 2000, Samuel L. Jackson takes his turn as “the black private dick who’s a sex machine with the chicks.”  Shut your Mutha @#$%^#$@ mouth.

Samuel L. Jackson’s John Shaft is a nephew to the Richard Roundtree John Shaft from the 1970s (as we see Richard Roundtree make some cameos in this movie).  He starts as a police officer until the system allows rich boy Christian Bale to get away with a murder and jump bail.

Samuel L. Jackson is great as Shaft (can you dig it?).  He embodies the feelings of the original with every F-bomb he drops.  The cast has some top flight actors here.  Not only do we have Sam Jackson and Christian Bale, but there is Toni Collette, Vanessa Williams, Jeffrey Wright, Busta Rhymes, Lynn Thigpen, and Dan Hedaya.  Now, the performances may not be the highlight from any of these stars’ career, but they clearly look to be having a blast with the film.

Samuel L. Jackson carries this movie with the force of his personality and the cut of his tongue.  He is the perfect person to have brought the return of Shaft to the big screen.

Of course, I have watched this Shaft (2000) along with the original blaxploitation Shaft (1971) because of the upcoming Shaft (2019) that will feature not only Richard Roundtree and Samuel L. Jackson, but Jesse T. Usher as John Shaft Jr.  The trailers look good for the newest Shaft and I am looking forward to seeing how the film changes tones once again.  The original Shaft was more serious (at least as serious as the blaxploitation genre could be) while Jackson’s Shaft was more of an action/adventure with the typical Samuel L. Jackson quips.  The new trailers make the next Shaft seem almost like a comedy, and I am excited to see what they do.

As for this Shaft, I liked the film.  It is not the greatest thing ever to see the big screen, but it made for a fun Saturday night.

Who’s the black private dick
That’s a sex machine to all the chicks?

Shaft.

In just over a week and a half, there will be a third Shaft movie, starring three generations of the bad mother…  Shut your mouth.

The trailers look interesting with appearances by Samuel L. Jackson and Richard Roundtree.  I knew of Shaft, part of the blaxploitation genre in the early 1970s but I had never seen the film.  Nor had I see the Samuel L Jackson version from the early 2000s.  So I figured the time was right for a Shaft watch.

Can you dig it?

Richard Roundtree was the first John Shaft and he was a private detective hired to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a black mob boss.

The Shaft comparison to James Bond is fairly accurate as he is a womanizer, yet very suave.  Shaft is a jerk to be fair, but he had a certain charm and he gave his word, and it meant something.  Plus, he can be shot point blank and survive without any trouble.

The racial tones were apparent from the 1970s but the white police officer was shown to be a good guy.  The villains from the mafia were underdeveloped for sure.  The other black men from the black mob were not well used either, except for Ben (Christopher St. John).

The film was okay.  The music was tremendous.  The Shaft theme, which I already referenced, is just perfect for the film and the character.

Next up will be Samuel L. Jackson’s Shaft (2000).

In discussion about the greatest baseball movie off all times, there are a handful of movies that would fall into consideration:  Bull Durham, Field of Dreams, A League of Their Own, The Natural, and The Sandlot to name a few.  One of the films that would need to be in the discussion for that slot is the 1989 classic Major League.

Major League is the story of the Cleveland Indians, whose owner wants to put together a team so bad that attendance drops to a point where she could move them to Miami.  So she signed a group of has-beens and never-weres to tank the season.

However, she did not expect the team to bond together and to become a competitive force.

The movie stars Tom Berenger as broken down catcher Jake Taylor, Corbin Bernsen as over-price veteran Roger Dorn, Wesley Snipes as speedster rookie Willie Mays Hayes, Charlie Sheen as jailbird bad boy “Wild Thing” Rick Vaughn, Dennis Haysbert as the voodoo-worshiping Pedro Cerrano, and James Gammon as manager Lou Brown.

The movie has some of the best baseball scenes in any film, including the 20-minute ending sequence in the third act where the Cleveland Indians take on the New York Yankees that never fails but to bring goosebumps to me.

There is plenty of humor in the movie too, led by current Milwaukee Brewer broadcaster and former major league baseball catcher Bob Uecker as Indians broadcaster Harry Doyle.  Uecker is witty and funny, doing amazing work as the play-by-play guy.  His calls in the final act do a great job of setting the tone for the “game.”

There is a love story in the film as well, between Tom Berenger’s Jake and his former flame Lynn Wells (Rene Russo).  It sounded as if Jake had treated Lynn terrible when the pair were originally together and Jake had to convince her that he was looking to make it up to her.  Honestly, my least favorite part of the movie was the love story between these two.

The charismatic characters and their interactions are what really fill up the screen.  The baseball highlights are well done, looking more realistic than a lot of other baseball movies.

The movie shows what is great about the game of baseball.  The fact is that you do not have to be the best in the world and you can still win.  The Cleveland Indians in this movie are put together with the expressed intent of losing, but despite that, the group comes together and are able to scrape their way through.  A top notch underdog story, Major League is funny, dramatic and filled with wild characters.

I had never seen Mulan.  When it was in theaters, I was not interested.  However, I know that there is a live action version coming from Disney soon, so I had put it on my list to see.

Plus, one of my favorite actresses, Ming-Na Wen, who I just love as Agent Melinda May on Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD, voiced Mulan in the animated version.  I did not originally know that.  Ming-Na Wen is being included in the 2019 Class of Disney Legends.  Congrats to Ming-Na Wen.

I found Mulan on Netflix today and I figured that I should watch it before Disney pulls the film from the streaming service to put on their own Disney Plus later this year.

Mulan is the story of a young girl who, in an attempt to save the life of her father, impersonates a man and trains as a Chinese warrior to help stop the marauding Huns.

We have seen this type of story before, but Mulan resonates today more than ever.  With the emergence of powerful female characters such as Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel, Mulan stands out as a leader of the female hero.

In fact, Mulan is the hero of this story from the beginning right through to the conclusion.  The third act really shows her ability to think her way through the problem and to put herself on the line for China.

There is a great voice cast to go along with Ming-Na Wen.  Eddie Murphy is Mushu, the talking dragon whose job was to be the guardian of Mulan and make sure that her family’s honor was not tarnished.  The late, great Miguel Ferrer played Shan-Yu, the villainous Hun looking to take over China, S.D. Wong voiced Shang, the newly appointed captain responsible for Mulan’s training. Harvey Feinstein is one of Mulan’s fellow soldiers named Yao (though this was a strange voice choice).  Pat Morita was the Chinese Emperor.  Donny Osmond and Lea Salonga were the singing voices for Mulan and Shang.

Of the songs, the only real memorable one to me was Donny Osmond’s I’ll Make a Man out of You, which takes place during the training montage.

The film goes very fast, and it does feel as if there is a scene or two that should have been included.  Perhaps another encounter with the Huns before the special snow fight.  Still, the flow of Mulan felt tight and maybe another scene would have messed with the timing.

It really was a great film with a great message.  It was long overdue to have seen the classic.

We are down to the final movie in the EYG MCU Rewatch, Ant man and the Wasp.  I am not including Captain Marvel as it is still in the theaters and it does not look like I will have the chance to get to it again before Thursday night and my viewing of Avengers: Endgame.  So this is the final rewatch.

Paul Rudd is excellent as Scott Lang, the somewhat bumbling hero who is under house arrest for his adventures during Civil War.  Evangeline Lilly is Hope Van Dyne, playing the Wasp.  Michael Douglas resumes his role as Hank Pym, Hope’s father and the original Ant Man.  These three actors really work brilliantly together and they are the biggest reason why this movie is as effective as it is.

The villain Ghost is one of the better villains around.  She is actually more than a villain as she is just trying to save herself from dying from her Quantum exposure.  Ghost may have a future in the MCU as a hero (Thunderbolts, anyone?)

This film was taking place prior to and during the events of Avengers: Infinity War.  Of course, there are some important things that happen here for Endgame, mostly in the post credit scenes.

The humor here works well and Paul Rudd never fails to deliver his lines in a funny way.  Paul Rudd’s imitation of Michelle Pfeiffer is a highlight of the film.   We also get more goodness with Michael Pena’s Luis and his way of telling the stories.

Pant Man and the Wasp was hurt by its placement in the year.  Marvel already had released Black Panther and Infinty War in 2018 and this film was smaller and more personal.  These characters are worth the time.

Here is the big one.

Avengers: Infinity War, what Marvel Studios has been building toward for 19 movies.  Everything led to this point and it surely did not disappoint.  It was my number one movie of last year.

I did not expect that the film would go where it went, leaving us all wondering what is going to happen when Avengers: Endgame premieres this week.  So many questions brought up by this movie and so much emotion.

I’ve heard people claim that you cannot watch Infinity War without seeing the previous movies in the franchise.  I am not sure I totally agree with that, but, if you have seen these other movies, your experiences is considerably deeper than it would be without.  That is 100% for sure.

Avengers: Infinity War expects you to know who most of these characters are and to know why they do things, because there are so many things that are happening, they do not have time to recap it all.  It feels very much like the old giant events that would happen in comics such as The Infinity Gauntlet or Secret Wars.  They are telling you a story with characters that you already care about.  Just because this is unprecedented in Hollywood does not mean it is a bad thing. I expect the same type of situation for Endgame.

I also get tired of the “no stakes” and “fake deaths” cries.  Characters come back from the dead all the time in comics.  That is part of the genre.  I hear one online personality in particular complain about Marvel always pulling the fake deaths and I get so tired of hearing him run his mouth.  Especially when he does not complain when the same thing happens in other comic book movies.  Coming back from the dead is a staple of the genre and will happen.  Having said that, who knows what Endgame is going to do with the dusted characters.

Infinity War is so great.  Every character has his/her moment.  I’ve seen people complain about a lack of Captain America and some of the other original Avengers, but it is clear that they are getting their due in Endgame.  Even still, we get some awesome moments from them.  Cap catching Thanos’s hand is just a boss move.

Thanos is unbelievable.  I literally did not think of him as a CGI character until late in the film.  The CGI on Thanos is so amazing that I am very insulted that Marvel Studios did not win an Oscar for it.  Josh Brolin brought that character to life and he is truly the main character of Infinity War.

The whole Hulk/Bruce Banner story arc is fascinating too.  I am anxious to see where this goes from here.

Avengers: Infinity War is epic.  It spans the universe and takes us on a trip that gives us remarkable emotional stakes and pays off 19 movies in 10 years with shocks and surprises.  Anyone who tells you they know how this is going to end is just lying or a d-bag.

This is my favorite Marvel Studios movie… for at least another three days .

Director Ryan Coogler’s three time Oscar winning film, Black Panther, the first Marvel Studio movie to be win an Academy Award, is the next movie in the EYG MCU Rewatch.  Black Panther was a culturally significant release that became more than just a movie for a group of people who had been underutilized in super hero films, finally providing representation for an entire race.

Black Panther made over 700 million dollars domestic at the box office, surpassing even the domestic haul of Avengers: Infinity War, and reaching 1.3 billion worldwide forever shattering the myth that a cast, mostly black, could not be a money making blockbuster.

Black Panther was not solely about the titular hero, played with a royal flair by Chadwick Boseman, but also about the land, history and culture of  Wakanda, fictional home of our hero.  The movie, as well, brought a serious feminine power to the screen as Black Panther introduced Shuri (Letitia Wright), T’Challa’s sister, the Dora Milaje, the female royal guard led by Okaye (Danai Gurira), a Wakandan spy Nakia (Lupita Nyong’o) and the Queen of Wakanda (Angela Bassett).

The film is one of exclusion, but it does not rest on that.  It is a film about lineage and what it means to be king, and the challenges that face such a position.  It questions even its innermost theme as it progresses.

One of the most significant ways Black Panther questions itself is through the plight of the film’s main villain, Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan).  Although his methods are clearly villainous, the audience can understand and relate with Killmonger.  There is a natural tragedy to the character that almost has you rooting for him.  Add to the story the amazing performance of Michael B. Jordan and you have one of the best villains in the MCU.

While the cinematography and the look of Wakanda is absolutely gorgeous, some of the action and fight CGI leaves something to be desired.  In particular, the third act fight between T’Challa and Killmonger was visually disappointing.

It was about the only flaw in an otherwise outstanding movie.  It sets up Wakanda as a location vital to the future of the MCU for years to come.

“Come from the land of the ice and snow, from the midnight sun where the hot springs flow.  Hammer of the Gods.”  – Led Zepplyn, “The Immigrant Song”

Ah aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah aah

The third Thor in his series is the next film in the EYG MCU Rewatch.  Thor: Ragnarok takes a distinctly different look at the characters in the Thor world.  This is mainly thanks to the direction of director Taika Waititi.  His blend of humor and cleverness fit perfectly with Thor.

Waititi brought Odin’s banished daughter Hela the Goddess of Death (Cate Blanchett) back to Asgard, and she went about killing everyone.  She is really built up by basically dispatching and murdering the Warrior a Three with almost no trouble.

Meanwhile, Thor and Loki wound up on the planet Sakaar.  Thor winds up the prisoner of the Grandmaster (Jeff Goldbloom) and ends in a coliseum as a gladiator facing the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) in the Contest of Champions.

The Thor-Hulk dynamic is one of the best parts of the movie as it turns into a bit of a buddy movie.  Ruffalo and Hemsworth work well together and have great chemistry and humor together.  Of course, after several movies together, Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston as Loki are comfortable and wonderful every time they share a scene.

Tessa Thompson is introduced here as Valkryie.  She is an epic addition to the cast as the tragic heroine who has succumb to drink and scavenging on Sakaar.

There are people who hated the fact that the storyline of Ragnarok, which is the legend of the destruction of Asgard,  was treated as an afterthought in comedy movie but that did not bother me at all.  Some claimed that Thor did not show emotions over the loss of his father and eventually Asgard.  This also did not bother me because it was clear he was bottling up his feelings to get through.  We see a scene with this idea during Avengers: Infinity War.

Thor: Ragnarok is weird and original and different than any other MCU movie.  It is fun and full of energy.  Hopefully there will be future installments with Taika Waititi at the helm because this was fabulous.

Underoos!!!!

The line was originally from Civil War, but it appears in the opening video diary in Spider-Man: Homecoming which is a very funny and sweet way to start this film off. It immediately establishes our hero, Peter Parker, is a young kid, and that is the key to the latest variation of Peter Parker.  He is a young kid.

Previous Peters were played by men in their upper 20s and early 30s, but Tom Holland is like 21, but looks younger.  Peter is in high school and he looks it.  Marvel was going for the vibe of a John Hughes movie with Homecoming and it definitely feels as such.

I loved this version of Spider-Man.  It is the first real version of how Spidey should be.  With Marvel Studios making a deal with Sony to use Spider-Man in the MCU films, we have Spidey as he should be.

The film benefitted from the exceptional work Michael Keaton as Adrian Toomes, the Vulture.  Keaton not only was menacing, but he was able to create a character who was relatable to the audience because understand why he did what he did.  And he acted the heck out of the scene in the car with Peter in the backseat.

Marvel uses Robert Downey Jr’s Tony Stark as a mentor for Peter and a way to show that Spider-Man exists in the same universe.  They do not overuse Downey Jr.  It never once feels like Iron Man’s movie, which some people thought it would be.

I’m a bit torn by all the spider suit tech in the movie.  It feels a bit overused, as if he is just a junior Iron Man instead of Spider-Man but it is a minor gripe.

Zendaya is an interesting prescience on screen and I like her as a possible love interest for Peter.  Jon Favreau is a fun addition as Happy Hogan, and Marisa Tomei makes a much hipper and cool Aunt May.  Jacob Batalon’s Ned gives Peter a friend and a confidant and he gives the audience a voice in the story.

Homecoming is either better than or even with the best Spider-Man movie ever, Spider-man 2.  Hopefully, the upcoming Far From Home will be as good as this.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is the next film in the EYG MCU Rewatch and the second film written and directed by James Gunn in the series.

Gunn took some wild trips in this sequel including the introduction of Ego, the Living Planet (Kurt Russell).  If five years ago, someone told me that Ego the Living Planet would be a main character in a feature film, I would have laughed in your face.  Not only is he here, but he is played by the one and only Kurt Russell.  Absolutely insane.

In the sequel, it feels as if the team has taken a step back from the family they were in the first film and become a group of bickering and mean spirited jerks.  Deep down they care for one another but their past hurt overpowers those feelings.  Their struggles and arguing filled the first act of the film and was a bit much.  This is especially obvious with Rocket.

The biggest problem with Vol. 2 is the excessive amount of jokes.  I am not opposed to humor in the film.  Heck, Vol 1 had its share of jokes, but in Vol. 2, it just seemed as if there were too many jokes cracked by everyone and it messed with the tone of the film.  There are too many situations that are made silly by the jokes.  Plus, there are too many poop,fart, penis jokes for my taste.

Having said that, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 has plenty of other moments that are filled with emotion and life.  The relationships between Peter and Ego, Peter and a Rocket, Rocket and Yondu, Drax and Mantis all get time and they all have beautiful moments.

of course, there is nothing better than the finale of Vol. 2.  The connection of Peter and Yondu is investigated and the ending with Yindu and the Ravagers is arguably the most beautiful and touching scene in the MCU franchise. I cry every time.

Baby Groot.  What else needs to be said?

Though the soundtrack isn’t quite as important as the soundtrack from Vol. 1, the songs are great and work during the film.

The fact that James Gunn gets to complete his trilogy is a great thing.  He knows these characters better than anybody and he should be able to deliver an amazing conclusion.  I hope he pulls back on the jokes just a bit, but it is obvious that Gunn knows how to provide an emotional and invigorating story with the Guardians of the Galaxy.

Oh… And the Stan Lee as a Watcher cameo is one of the best cameos of all of them!

The EYG MCU Rewatch rolls along with a 2016 origin story featuring Stephen Strange, the eventual Sorcerer Supreme.  Magic comes into the MCU in a big way with Dr. Strange.

With Civil War, we have reached films that have reviews listed on this website.  (Reviews prior to 2016 were lost when we moved to the new web site).

Benedict Cumberbatch took the role as Dr. Strange, the narcissist surgeon who had a devastating car wreck, damaging his hands.  Strange obsessively searched for a way to fix his hands which led him to the doorstep of the Ancient One (Tilda Swinton) who introduced him to a new way of thinking.

The special effects of Doctor Strange went to a different level than any Marvel movie prior to it.  The creation of the different dimensions and magical realms is beautiful and very impressive.

Some of the ideas here should not work, but they somehow do.  Doctor Strange shares some basic surface-level principles with Iron Man, but the themes are considerably different.

Pone of my favorite parts of the film is the finale vs, the dread Dormammu.  Instead of the typical third act slugfest with the major villain, Doctor Strange has an intellectual conflict that traps Dormammu in an unsinkable situation.  Sure the film does have the fight prior to the coming of Dormammu, but that does not take away from the originality of the final battle.

Wong is played by Benedict Wong and takes the character, which in the comic books was little more than a servant, and becomes a master and more of an ally of Strange instead of a valet.

Baron Mordo is introduced as well, and the movie really serves as an origin story for him too.  Chiwetel Ejiofor is great as the master who loses his path via his disappointment in the choices of the Ancient One.

Doctor Strange is one of the initial steps to take the MCU in New direction and Dr. Strange plays a big part in the upcoming Infinity War.  While some of the timing of the movie feels odd, the arrival of magic was very mystical.

I never liked the comic version of Civil War because it felt as if they made characters do things that went against who they were.  Unlike the comic, the movie version of Civil War, the next in line for the EYG MCU Rewatch, never felt as if the characters were doing what they should do.

That does not mean that the sides were easy.  On the contrary, there were plenty of times where, although I was squarely on Team Cap, I could understand and even relate to Team Iron Man.

This film was almost a training exercise for the Russo Brothers, the directors, to show that they could manage a large cast and not let characters fall to the side.  Because although this was a Captain America solo flick, it was perceived as Avengers 2.5 and featured a huge chunk of the team.  From this, the Russos wound up with Infinity War.

Despite the number of characters, Steve Rogers was the focus of the film and his relationships with both Bucky Barnes and Tony Stark were examined in depth.

But we also got the introduction to the MCU of Black Panther and Spider-Man.  Having Black Panther debut in Civil War was one of several factors for why his solo movie became such a massive financial and creative successes.

Many people criticize Helmut Zemo (Daniel Bruhl) as being a poor villain but I push back on that.  Zemo was great as the manipulative and Machiavellian antagonist who brought the Avengers to a splitting point and won in the end.  I hope we will see Zemo again some day.

I can’t write about Captain America: Civil War without talking about the airport scene, which is one of, if not the, greatest action scenes in the MCU, if not movies in general.  All of the heroes of the film, divided up between our two leaders, battling one another over ethical considerations.  There were so many amazing moments contained within that twenty minutes that it is hard to pick just a few.  And the entire scene was based in character.  It was a monumental accomplishment by all involved.

Civil War has sprinkled storylines that are still being paid off today and will be paid off at the end of this coming week in Endgame.  It is a triumph of planning and creativity.