Released: May 2016
Director/s: Anthony and Joe Russo
Run Time: 147 Minutes
Rated PG-13
Distributor: Marvel/Disney
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
Cast:
Chris Evans: Steve Rogers/Captain America
Robert Downey, Jr.: Tony Stark/Iron Man
Scarlett Johansson: Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow
Sebastian Stan: Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier
Anthony Mackie: Sam Wilson/Falcon
Don Cheadle: James Rhodes/War Machine
Jeremy Renner: Clint Barton/Hawkeye
Chadwick Boseman: T’Challa/Black Panther
Paul Bettany: Vision
Elizabeth Olsen: Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch
Paul Rudd: Scott Lang/Ant-Man
Tom Holland: Peter Parker/Spider-Man
Daniel Bruhl: Zemo
William Hurt: General “Thunderbolt” Ross
The whole Marvel Cinematic Universe is quite an interesting entity. The whole thing started with Iron Man back in 2008 and has since exploded into a world-wide phenomenon matched only by the likes of Star Wars. There have been a few missteps along the way in films like Iron Man 2 and Avengers: Age of Ultron, but for all their faults, these are still really good movies. I can’t honestly say I’ve ever seen a consistently strong line-up of films ever. Not even Warner Bros./DC can say that. That’s not to say that every film that bears the Marvel label is good. Some of the X-Men films and the Fantastic Four films are…more than slightly questionable, but those properties are currently owned by Fox Studios, so any failing those movies have are going to be on Fox. With Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man, only one particular character has had movies just getting better and better. Captain America: Civil War is the culmination of years of hard-work from actors like Chris Evans, Robert Downey, Jr, and producers like Kevin Feige. The result is quite possibly the BEST MCU movie to date, and I don’t say that lightly.
Captain America: Civil War starts in the country of Logos as the Avengers are hunting down a mercenary by the name of Crossbones in order to prevent him from getting his hands on a lethal virus. After a serious fight, the Avengers win, but the resolution of the battle ended up costing the lives of several innocent people in a nearby building. The Avengers are called into a meeting with General/Secretary of State Ross at the behest of Tony Stark, who feel that because of recent and nearly global catastrophes, the Avengers need government oversight. This basically splits the team down the middle with Steve Rogers disagreeing with Stark. Because of recent events involving the Winter Soldier/Bucky Barnes, Captain America essentially becomes an outlaw out to find and protect his friend. When you have a movie that is loaded with superheroes and/or super-villains, it is really easy to get sidetracked and try to say, “Look at who we’ve got in this movie!” The comic book movies that have tried that approach have failed miserably, notably Spider-Man 3, X-Men 3, and Joel Schumaker’s Batman films. The problem is that they aren’t handled correctly. When The Avengers was released, it showed that you can have your cake and eat it too. Writing is extremely important in movies like this. Captain America: Civil War is extremely well-written and balanced. That’s the key word here: Balance. There is no character here that feels out of place, no subplot that feels contrived or unimportant, and there’s still plenty of humor and fun to be had.
While there a LOT of superheroes in this movie, there are two that stand out the most for me. The first is Black Panther, played by Chadwick Boseman. This is the first live-action movie with Black Panther, and he’s handled extraordinarily well. Boseman brings a level of gravitas and emotional heft to the character and is certainly physically capable as well. The character was a suit made out of vibranium, which is from the character’s home country of Wakanda. The character gets involved after his father is killed in a terrorist attack, and he gets a good amount of screen time. I love it.
From the trailers, we knew that Spider-Man was going to be a part of the show, especially after Sony struck a deal with Disney to have Spider-Man appear in the MCU. That was a really, really good move. For the amount of screen time that he got, Spider-Man actually makes a hell of an impression. Tom Holland is quite possibly the best Peter Parker/Spider-Man yet. Not only does Holland bring the wise-cracks, but he also brings the physicality that’s required. He IS Spider-Man. So, I’m excited for both Spider-Man: Homecoming and the Black Panther stand-alone film which is coming in 2018.
Captain America: Civil War is incredibly well-written. The story is complex without being overly confusing, the drama is tangible and it feels real. One of the most important aspects of the movie is the motivations for the characters. Each character has their own motivation for doing what they’re doing. Because these motivations are legitimate, you find yourself questioning which side you support more. For the first time in the MCU, there are consequences and they try to deal with them the best way they know how. While Tony Stark is for government oversight, Steve Rogers is not and believes that the Avengers need to go where they are needed, not where they are told to go. This sets up a very contentious relationship between the two and it pretty much tears the Avengers apart. While there is the subplot of a guy named Zemo who is apparently manipulating things, his presence is almost inconsequential. This situation would have happened regardless, and we’ve seen tensions between Stark and Rogers rise over the course of several movies. The other upside to the writing, is that the film isn’t grim-dark like Batman V. Superman. You don’t need grim-darkness to provide a thought-provoking experience.
While there’s a lot more going on story-wise than I’ve just described, it’s best if you see it for yourself. Now let’s move on to the action. Wow. They really turned up the heat here. There are a lot of great action sequences. Logos was phenomenal, even if the camera got a little shaky at times, but then it clears up and when Captain America and Bucky encounter Black Panther for the first time: Holy shit. It’s great. While we have some really great chase sequences and epic one-on-one fights, the real centerpiece here is the fight between the Avengers at the airport. Without spoiling things, that fight delivers on ALL counts. Everybody from Ant-Man to Spider-Man brings their A-game and I think it will go down as one of the most memorable action sequences in movie history. It’s THAT good. The relationships between the characters really make this fight all the more organic. The Russo Brothers have outdone themselves with Civil War. This is one of the most epic movies that I’ve seen in a long time. A lot of people have taken to calling this The Avengers 2.5. I personally wouldn’t, because Steve Rogers is at the center of the film. It is called Captain America, after all.
The film doesn’t feel like 2.5 hours, and that’s due to the fact that it keeps moving despite introducing new characters along the way. When you have a movie this big, you really don’t want the film to stop at all just to introduce new characters. That’s something that people behind the movie understand and the result is the best Marvel Cinematic Universe film to date. I love The Avengers, Thor, and Iron Man, but this movie tops it all. The overall reception of the movie so far, has been overwhelmingly positive. Captain America: Civil War is a very strong start for the MCU’s Phase 3, which includes Black Panther, Spider-Man, Avengers: Infinity War, and concludes with The Inhumans. There’s a lot of stuff coming up, including Doctor Strange, which is to be release at the end of the year, but the Russo Brothers are directing the next two Avengers films. I can’t wait to see how they pull that off. Anyone who is a fan of the MCU has already seen Captain America: Civil War, but if you haven’t, go see it. I can’t recommend it enough. It’s by far one of my favorite comic-book movies ever made. I plan on seeing it again.
My final recommendation for Captain America: Civil War, is an enthusiastic 10/10. I’m absolutely blown away by how awesome this movie is. Like The Avengers, this one could have easily been wrecked, but it wasn’t and that’s what counts. When this comes out on video, I’m definitely buying it.