Marvel Studios is on a roll right now. With the latest success of the last season of Daredevil and the huge critical and box office success of years prior, Marvel is firing on all cylinders. Can they keep it going with their newest installment?

Captain America: Civil War is the next installment in the Captain America trilogy and the next movie in the great Marvel Cinematic Universe. In the movie, the governments of the world have seen the damage that the Avengers can do as a unit and they want to put the team in the hands of the federal government. As Cap and Tony bickered back and forth about the merits, lines began to be drawn and the Avengers – with newcomers as well – began to pick sides. Without spoiling any more of the movie, that’s the gist of the movie. Now, it’s almost impossible to deny that Marvel Studios is in a league of its own in terms of quality of film. Can Captain America: Civil War live up to the lofty expectations set by its preceding film, Captain America: The Winter Soldier? In truth: it not only met the expectations, it surpassed them.

Trying to find out where to begin to describe how good Captain America: Civil War is starts with the characters. As this is Captain America’s film, it’s fitting to start with the Star-Spangled Avenger. Chris Evans once again shows is stuff in this movie, still giving the character more depth than anything we have seen in movies. But even with Cap showing his best in the movie, Robert Downey Jr. – still and forever will – makes Tony Stark/Iron Man his character. And when Downey and Evans get together in scenes, it’s mesmerizing to an unnatural degree. The two bounce off each other so well, the feud that will rip the two apart is more emotional. There are two other characters that need to be addressed, one of them being Chadwick Boseman as the Black Panther. Adding characters is difficult in any movie, but the way T’Challa was introduced in the movie felt smooth and fresh, with a hint of sheer vengeance that deepens the character for what’s to come in not only this movie, but in his solo film.

But even though Black Panther was awesome and the tension between Tony and Steve was great, Tom Holland as Spider-Man was the showstopper. There is no other way around it: Tom Holland is perfect as Spider-Man. Anthony and Joe Russo found a way to make Spider-Man not only an action superstar, but snarky and fun and…well, a teenager. It was a joy to see him on screen with the Avengers for the first time in the history of comic book movies actually made me tear up as a fan. His wit and charm bounces off of all the heroes in such an entertaining way that it feels natural. Like Spider-Man was meant to be in this universe with these characters and fighting alongside the likes of the Avengers.

The action in Captain America: Civil War is perhaps the best in superhero films, or most action films in general. The action is very grounded and realistic, with some extreme hardcore hand-to-hand combat moments. And yes, what you heard is true: the airport action scene in the movie is the best superhero royal rumble slugfest ever put to screen. 12 superheroes with their own distinct personalities going at each other, while showcasing their personalities through the action, is spellbinding. Seeing Iron Man, Black Panther, Vision and Spider-Man taking on Cap, Bucky Scarlet Witch and Ant-Man is so much fun and extremely entertaining.

But, for nothing else, the best part of the movie is how it captures the emotional turmoil that the comics portrayed. The biggest thing about Captain America: Civil War is that it shows just how much Cap and Tony grew as characters together, going so far as to fight each other as a means to knock some sense into each other. What’s also great is that the “choose-your-side” gimmick isn’t so black and white. Both Tony and Steve share very convincing ideas in regards to their sides, so much so that choosing as side isn’t as easy as the trailers suggest. The big thing about the Civil War comic story arc is that, in the end, nobody really wins. There is no winner in this war, because everyone lost something huge in the process. They gave up their humanity, their friends, their bonds and then lay everything on the floor as they fought. The movie does a magnificent job at recreating that emotional part of the story. The end of the movie was the most somber way to end a Marvel film, but it was done in a way where it’s not depressing and angering. The comic story arc is iconic, and the film raises it to a new level.

Captain America: Civil War is an almost-perfect movie. Key word: Almost. The beginning did feel like it dragged on for a while and the way they showed the reasoning behind Tony’s decision to be pro-registration was a bit awkward. The scene was almost uncomfortable, and when it ended, you’re left wondering why they chose that route instead of something else. And Baron Zemo, played by Daniel Brühl, felt a tad bit unnecessary. He adds more emotional impact in an already emotionally stuffed film, but his plan was a bit on-the-nose and kind of forced a conflict between Tony, Cap and Bucky that – given the stakes of the film – was entirely pointless. Martin Freeman’s character, Everett Ross, was even more useless.

At the end of the day, Captain America: Civil War delivers on its promise and then some. The sheer emotional impact of the movie alone made it one of the better superhero films in recent memory, but combined with clever dialogue, top-tier action and great characters, makes Captain America: Civil War the best superhero film ever made. If you were wary about superhero films, this will  be the one to change your mind. Just like how there won’t be a movie like Marvel’s The Avengers, I can safely say that there is no movie in the next few years that will be like Captain America: Civil War.