Now, if you’ve been in the theater recently, I’m pretty sure that there’s been an excess of people lining up to get tickets and popcorn for Captain America: Civil War. As a huge Marvel fan, I couldn’t wait a single heartbeat to see the movie myself. And when I did, I watched it two times in a row.

Yes, I might’ve gone a little crazy.

Captain America: Civil War opens up with a flashback of the Winter Soldier, James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes, alleging that his whole presence in the movie is what prompts the ensuing “civil war.” Now, I’m sure that Civil War has ruined some friendships by now because of the choice between #TeamCaptainAmerica or #TeamIronMan. The movie plays the tension between the titular character, Captain America, a.k.a. Steve Rogers, and the infamous Iron Man, a.k.a. Tony Stark.

Their friendship/rivalry is tested pretty much the whole film. The looming tension doesn’t die down throughout the movie, and it constantly allows the audience to somehow feel at edge with each scene. The level of seriousness for Civil War is at max. Even during the most subtle and less action-packed scenes, the audience can tell that this whole issue is not a child’s game. And while Captain America: The Winter Soldier did give that dose of graveness, Civil War just takes it up a notch to the point where I actually cried a couple of times.

Steve and Tony are both given these separate storylines that won’t necessarily outshine one another, and this film shows, in more conclusiveness, that these two characters have both been suffering from loneliness and grief for too long. Though foreshadowed and mentioned in their previous standalone films, Civil War brings a new light to these two characters, allowing any fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to know them better and feel that there’s more to show.

The action scenes are top notch. The flow of the film felt very smooth and well-thought-out, and each character was able to contribute well and didn’t feel left out. Though there’s an excess of Marvel characters in this particular film, they decided to bring in the fan favorite Spider-Man. I loved Spider-Man/Peter Parker in this film. I think Tom Holland did a fantastic job — seeing that this is the first time I’ve seen him in anything, and his performance felt very Peter Parker-ish, more so than any of the previous Peter Parkers. He has this joviality that felt more real than any of his cinematic predecessors, which may be due to the fact that he’s a teenager rather than an actor in his mid-20s.

I also loved the fact that, other than Spider-Man, there were characters that we all know from the Marvel Cinematic Universe that were able to cut the tension a little bit, like Falcon/Sam Wilson, Hawkeye/Clint Barton, and, my personal favorite, Ant-Man/Scott Lang. While #TeamIronMan had Spider-Man as comic relief, I personally thought that Ant-Man (played by Paul Rudd) stole the show. Even while kicking ass, he just can’t stop being funny, and that’s something to look forward to when you go and see Civil War.

Each character still felt like he or she had plenty of space to grow, which will allow room for development in future films. While there were also scenes that didn’t quite fit well and felt unnecessary, all in all, the film was able to deliver in the acting and production departments. Despite nerding out over the excess of Marvel characters and marveling at the explosive fights, the writing of Civil War is what gripped me. It was cohesive and engaging while making sure it didn’t overplay some of the concepts from the previous films. I’ve always had faith in the Russo Brothers, the writing team behind both Winter Soldier and Civil War, and I have been a fan of them since their work on the television show Community.

I think what makes the Marvel movies so marketable is their wonderful storylines and their characters that feel very much relatable, even though they’re “enhanced” — and that’s why they have been leading the superhero genre of films as of late.

Captain America: Civil War doesn’t fall short, certainly delivering a proper goodbye to the Captain America standalone films, and it’s worthy to be remembered and shared with future generations of Marvel fans.

Captain America: Civil War premiered on April 27th internationally and on May 6th in North America in 3D, IMAX, and other premium formats. Check out IMDb and RottenTomatoes for other international showtimes and local theater schedules in the US respectively.