Captain America - Civil War: Was it's plot disappointing?

It is a very positive thing for Marvel that the arguments around Captain America - Civil War, tend to range from "the best Marvel movie ever" to "somewhere in the top five."  I would challenge anyone to make an honest case as to why it shouldn't be in one of those two categories.

First of all, the movie is tight, fast, and full of endearing character moments.  It came much closer in scope to The Avengers, than it did a stand-alone super hero movie.  I didn't do the math, but I would be willing to bet that Civil War sports a more numerous hero line-up than the first Avengers did.  Add that draw to the strong performances of nearly every actor involved, and you already have a home-run.  But Civil War also offers possibly the best super-hero action ever put on screen.  And don't forget about an appearance from spiderman that will leave one possibly even more anxious for Spiderman Homecoming ever!

I can, however, see three reasons why some fans felt it slipping from a coveted "Best. Movie. Ever." position in their hearts.  Note:  As I will be discussing plot points, as the central material of this post, prepare yourselves for spoilers.

First, the plot.  To be fair, super-hero movies in general aren't known for their incredibly unique and thought-provoking subject matter.  And here, they've managed to use directing and story telling techniques quite effectively, to hide the movie's simple premise under a guise of mystery, but it does basically boil down to a villain seeking revenge for the loss of his family.  Not exactly a real page-turner.

But I bought it, and here's why:  Civil War wasn't out to sell the villain, as was it's chronologic predecessor, Age of Ultron.  It was selling a conflict between the super-heroes that we already know, and that premise bought up a majority of screen time.  Mission accomplished.  The faint hint of mystery, and even the apparently anti-climactic final play of the villain, actually fulfilled it's purpose, in my eyes, which was to pit the title characters against each other.

Second, the subject matter.  In my estimation, the studio and directors did everything that could be humanly done to maintain a fun, adventurous tone, despite the obvious, central themes.  When I first heard of Civil War, two or three years ago, my first reaction was, "Iron Man, no!  He's the best part!  I don't know if I'll even watch this one!"  I imagined several scenarios in my head, but ultimately kept ending up with Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.  It didn't matter how fun the first half was, the final act had to be a downer.

However, unlike Anakin Skywalker, Robert Downey Jr. was able to push through enough redeeming characteristics in his hardened, guilt-motivated character, that it actually kept me (nearly) torn between sides.  So as I said, downer subject material; absolute best that could be done - still a fun show.

Third, the ending.  It didn't actually feel like an ending at all.  It felt more like the movie had to take a two-year commercial break.  As it stood, thanks to the last five minutes, none of the characters saw any real consequences for any of their actions.  Also, the feud between Iron man and Captain America ended on a fuzzy note.  At times throughout the films playing, their conflict hit very clear, precise notes.  But the very ending left me asking myself, "So, they're...kind of...okay, then?"

In short, no final consequences were seen in this movie.  In any good story, we follow a cause-and-effect relationship of events.  It's the final "events" that give us the sense of closure at the end of a story.  So by that criteria, this movie really didn't have enough closure to serve as the main course.

But was that even the purpose?  They call it the "Marvel Cinematic Universe" for a reason.  The one thing that Marvel can do that sets it almost entirely apart from any other franchise, is to give us that sense of continuation.  In my opinion, Civil War was never meant to be a "one and done" storyline.  It was supposed to build the universe and act as a catalyst to the broader storyline.  If you look at it by itself, it may feel incomplete.  But if you look at it in the overall arch of the MCU, it fits into place much better.

Personally, I'm not putting it up for the best ever, but thanks to the we spend with Ironman, mentoring Spiderman, I would put it at a close second.

What did I miss?  Was I completely off on a point, or all of it?  I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!