In its most emotionally satisfying installment, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has finally managed to tell a complete and compelling story for its own sake and not for the sake of its ever-expanding mythology.

In the thirteenth MARVEL film, the Avengers are dealing with a world that has grown weary of the damage left in the wake of their exploits. It gets to the point that the United Nations wants to regulate how, if and when the Avengers actually do their avenging. This effectively splits the team into two, one faction is led by Tony Stark/Iron Man who believe that a little supervision and accountability will be a good thing. Those opposed to regulation are led by Steve Rogers/Captain America who believe that answering to a central authority will severely limit how effective they will be in saving lives or that those making the decisions will not be making the right decisions. Neither group is wrong, thus leading to the most divided group of superheroes we’ve ever seen onscreen.

It’s also the most expansive list of superheroes we’ve seen so far, coming in at twelve (TWELVE!) Avengers now on the roster, not to mention the other supporting cast members who round out the ensemble. After all, you can’t dismiss a supporting cast that includes William Hurt and Martin Freeman.

Remember when we thought it was a superhuman, magical feat when Joss Whedon was able to juggle six Avengers? So what superlative are we to now bestow upon the Russo Brothers for making sure that every single cast member gets their moment to shine and nothing ever feels rushed or lacking?

The plot moves at a brisk pace but lingers just long enough to remind us that MARVEL wants their characters to exist as actual characters and not just as half-realized excuses for spectacle and VFX. The movie also never picks a side in this Civil War, it just allows its characters to have their motivations and opinions, without judgement. No, the judgement has been left to the audience and as far as I can tell, we’ve also been split down the middle between #TeamCap or #TeamIronMan.

The action is amazing, there’s an entire sequence that is well worth the price of the ticket and I get the feeling that this will be the best action movie of the year. After all, when you’ve got a stable of superheroes with skills and powers that are constantly being utilized in new and innovative ways being brought to life with Disney money and ILM visual effects, it’s kinda hard to imagine who’s going to top that.

The great thing about placing our heroes at odds with one another is that it makes them their most honest and essential selves. They say and do what they want and nothing is ever unsaid or excessive; they don’t have that kind of time to waste. The film follows their example and gets to the heart of what it means to disagree with dear friends you may respect (and love) but disagree with to your core.

Please do yourself the favor and see the best movie MARVEL has ever made.