When early word had it that Captain America: Civil War was the best film Marvel's done to date, I should have known better. I guess having the privilege to see big blockbusters in advance does make one want to overpraise them into oblivion, even if it's something like Batman v Superman. But don't worry. Civil War is at least better than that, but it's certainly not the best Marvel film to date. Far from it.

I have so many thoughts regarding this film that it would be too much to write out in a review, so I'll boil it down to this: Marvel will be Marvel, and that's what kept Civil War from being great. Like most of their films, Civil War follows a certain formula that we've come to expect from Marvel flicks, and it doesn't stray away from that path. Its unwillingness to take risks is ultimately disappointing but not all that surprising. While the trailers for Civil War promised something dark, serious, and challenging, where lives and relationships between the characters we love are at stake, the film is anything but. In fact, Civil War has a surprising amount of humor, so much so that it severely undercuts the tension and central conflict between Iron Man and Captain America. Why call it a CIVIL WAR when there are one-liners and quips spoken every minute? Since when were Falcon and Bucky buddy-buddy towards each other? Their scenes, among many others, felt like something out of a freaking sitcom. Despite the many flaws BvS suffered from, the film at least had a consistent tone and the climactic battle itself felt significant and crucial to a point where someone could die.

That's the biggest weakness of this film. Everything felt so trivial and inconsequential. Calling it a Civil War is an overstatement when the war itself never amounts to anything more than a bunch of kids fighting together on a playground. There are no real casualties in this film, despite the fact that the film tries so very hard to convince you otherwise. "You've caused so many civilian casualties!" our heroes are told, but just wait until the next scene when there are some jokes thrown in to lighten up the mood, because you know, talking about endangering lives and having security vs. freedom shouldn't be *too* serious a discussion. You can't have your cake and eat it too, Marvel, and that's exactly what Civil War wanted: to be sincere about the very real and relevant issues it's tackling but also make it fun and entertaining for the whole family to enjoy - because more $$$. Even during the climax when motivations and reveals come into play and you feel like someone could die, it ends in such a whimper that you feel what occurred won't have any meaningful effect in future films.

And that's just it. Civil War is entertaining and watchable for what it is - and again, a whole lot better than BvS - but it could have been so much more.