The first outing that Anthony & Joe Russo had in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, did everything for me. It landed amongst my favorite films of all time and became my favorite film within the MCU. So you can imagine the anticipation level I had for this and after my first viewing of it, I knew I loved it.

Leading up to the release of Captain America: Civil War, I couldn't sit still and I was beyond excited for it. As I watching it for the first time I couldn't believe just how great it turned out to be. Unlike previous superhero films released in 2016, Civil War hit me like a truck in its epicness and it resonated with me a lot more than I realized. Soon after that, I went to see it again in theaters and it still worked for me. Everything came together beautifully and it was a true masterpiece in my eyes.

The things that both Russo Brothers did for the character of Captain America is brilliant. They knew how to handle him - from doing his sequel - and they knew how to handle a lot of characters, like Joss Whedon did. With just two films in, they've created two of the best comic book films to date, and two great films in their own. Their direction here is near flawless. With exception of a few scenes being a little to shaky, the way they shot action is done so well.

Speaking of action, I don't think there's been great action like this since the first Avengers film. Its funny how well those two films feel like each other. In most cases Civil War is just Avengers 2.5, and I think the Russo's handled it so well. Not only does the hand-to-hand fighting feel tightly done and exciting, but the fighting done in bulk - like the airport scene - works so much better.

After the second Avengers film I didn't think anyone could handle all those characters and plot points like Whedon did and yet, the Russo's do it perfectly. I love how this is just as a Captain America movie as it is an Iron Man movie. Going in I was Team Cap all the way, but watching it time and time I feel for both sides and I ended up switching on multiple occasions. That's why I think it works so well - the way that they handled each character and their arc. Black Widow, Hawkeye, and Vision, aren't A-list characters, but the Russo's used them to their advantage and made it work.

I was really surprised on how performance driven Captain America: Civil War really is. Its political talk but its so interesting and it kept me interested. This is easily Robert Downey Jr's show because is acting here is really great. The speech he has about the young boy they kill is passionate and RDJ owns it. Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan both chip in fantastic performances and their chemistry together works. The team is also really great with Jeremy Renner being my favorite.

The addition of Black Panther and Spider-Man had me worried at first. I wanted so bad to see them on screen, but I didn't want them to be crammed in. Thankfully, they aren't. Tom Holland is perfect as Spider-Man. He has the dorky side that Tobey played so well, and he had the sweetness that Garfield had as Spider-Man himself. He was truly the perfect combination of both. Chadwick Boseman is fantastic as well. He's got this vibe to the character of Black Panther that works so well. We all know that the MCU has villain problems, but it stops here. Daniel Brühl is magnificent as Zemo. He's badass, he's smart, his plan makes sense and his overall reason for it all is done so well.

The film isn't a masterpiece in terms of film, nor is it as well crafted as some other comic book flicks before it. But there's something special about it every time I watch it. It could be my love for these characters, it could be the epic airport scene, or it could just be entertaining as all hell. I don't know what it truly is that makes this work for me, but Captain America: Civil War passed all my expectations and has made it a new favorite of mine for the years to come.