Captain America: Civil War makes the impossible possible.

Over it’s 147 minute runtime, directors The Russo Brothers along with screenwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, manage to produce a film that pays off thirteen films of build-up from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, kick off “Phase 3" with a bang, and with characters throughout the world of the Avengers abound…make it a movie that is focused on Captain America.

Moments large and small from the Iron Man trilogy, the prior Captain America flicks, and the two Avengers films come to light as the superheroes we’ve come to know and love over the last eight years collide - but how do they come to blows?

While these heroes have always seemed to rub each other the wrong way (usually with hilariously sarcastic results), the story here is a very loose adaptation of Marvel’s Civil War comic series from 2006.

The Avengers have been the world’s protectors since 2012’s The Avengers - with mixed results. Yes, they saved the day in the end, but with every victory has come collateral damage. Between The Battle For New York (from the first Avengers film), the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. (as seen in the prior Captain America installment, The Winter Solider), the destruction in Sokovia (last year’s Age of Ultron), and a mission gone wrong in Lagos (seen in the movie’s wonderful, Mission: Impossible-esq opening sequence), the United Nations want the Avengers to stop acting of their own accord, and instead submit to a document called, appropriately, the Sokovia Accords. This would turn the Avengers from an independent group of do-gooders into the weapon of the United Nations. And from there grows the split.

As we’ve seen in Iron Man 3 and Age of Ultron, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) has grown from being the first hero of the modern age to a man filled with worry and regret. He wishes to give in to the greater ambition. On the other side is Steve Rogers (Chris Evans). While America’s living, breathing icon - the events of The Winter Soldier have changed his outlook on the trustworthiness of the government, and whether or not any group should have such absolute authority. It’s a conflict that cuts to the core of our heroes, and will cut to the core of audiences. And smartly - the film never really picks a side. This will be something that fans will debate as much as our heroes do. And they do like to debate.

There’s no need to worry, action fans - the debates may start around a conference table, but they do not end there. Civil War is filled with some incredible action sequences, including stunning hand-to-hand combat, an insane chase sequence, and the long-awaited clash of “Team Iron Man" (Iron Man, War Machine, Black Widow, Spider-Man, Black Panther and Vision) and “Team Captain America" (Captain America, The Winter Solider, Falcon Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and Ant Man) being one of the most amazing superhero action sequences ever rendered to film - finally giving the Battle for New York a run for its money. The only sequence that may outclass it? An emotionally wrenching finale, mixing one of the bleakest endings from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with some of the strongest personal stakes punctuating every punch with extra weight and feeling.

Before you start to worry - Civil War IS a film with significant weight, but the character moments that have always made the Marvel Studios films a joy to watch remain here. There are hilarious character moments - including some pairings fans will be going on about for some time, and there’s even a new romance or two in the air.

How do they manage to make this work? It certainly is assisted by the fantastic casting done to this point. We know this cast. We love this cast. We don’t want to see them hurt - or hurt each other - but we cannot take our eyes off the screen. Some how, even with the focus on Chris Evans’ Captain America, EVERY character gets a moment to shine, with Paul Rudd’s Ant Man finally playing with the big leagues, and Robert Downey Jr. doing possibly his best work as an older, wiser Tony Stark. He’s not the enfant terrible of 2008’s Iron Man anymore. And even with that - three NEW characters are added to the mix, and somehow manage to shine just as bright.

Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther is a character unlike any seen in the MCU to date. His royal past shines, as he carries himself with style and grace, and he adds tremendous gravitas to what could be a thankless role in others hands. That said - most audiences will be coming out of the theater raving about Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. I didn’t think it was possible, but Holland manages to make himself known as the PERFECT Peter Parker AND the PERFECT Spider-Man. Like I said, the impossible is possible now. You will be absolutely giddy for Spider-Man: Homecoming by the time the credits role. I also need to call out the work of Daniel BrÁ¼hl’s Zemo. His version of Zemo has been under the radar throughout the promotion of this film, but goes places no Marvel Studios villain has before - and while not the Zemo we know from comics - is incredibly effective and heartbreaking.

This time last year, fans were unsure of the end of Phase 2 for Marvel. Age of Ultron didn’t deliver exactly what we wanted - but as the Civil War has broken out, Phase 3 begins with a seismic shift of the Marvel Cinematic Universe we knew - and with an Infinity War on the horizon, I find myself aching for the next installment.

Captain America: Civil War is an excellent story, well told, that delivers for the fans and leaves you breathless for the next installment.

Congratulations, Marvel Studios. Congratulations, Russo Brothers. You’ve reached the next step of comic book movies - I’m locked in as I need to know where we go next, and that next adventure cannot come soon enough.