Captain America: Civil War (spoilers)

[delericho]

Following their usual pattern, Marvel have released their latest film in the UK a little ahead of the US general release (well, according to IMDB), and I went to see it last night.

Yeah, it's great.

I particularly liked the way that there wasn't a clear 'right' side here - both Tony and Steve are clearly good guys, they're both clearly trying to do the right thing, but they also both clearly make big mistakes along the way. (And it really helps that we've now seen Tony in six movies and Steve in five, so we knew the characters going in - no need to set up personality traits or explain motivations - just lay out the situation and off we go! Of course, that means it probably won't work for anyone who hasn't seen the previous movies.)

Additionally, the handling of the far-too-large cast of heroes was excellent - show the battle lines being drawn, have the huge set-piece fight, and then move the secondary characters aside so that the big guns get the finale to themselves.

And Spider-man was perfect.

But... overall, I think I still preferred "The Winter Soldier", which for me remains the high-water mark for the MCU to date. This one probably sits just behind the first "Avengers" in my order of preference - but it's a close thing!

Oh yeah, and they didn't have a climax involving a great big menace in the sky. Which is nice.

 

[horacethegrey]

Yeah I agree. It was great

No it wasn't just great... it was f***ing awesome. It was more awesome than it had any right to be. And it highlights the fact that Marvel Studios know what the hell they're doing, unlike another studio making comicbook movies that I can name. *cough* DC/Warner *cough*

So let me get to it as to why I think this film is Marvel's best.

PLUS

The Russo Brothers – So, the brothers have knocked it out of the park yet again. After the stellar job they did directing Winter Soldier, I was ready to put my faith in them for whatever plans they had next for Cap. Even if the next movie was an adaptation of a storyline I found to be questionable. Actually, I won't mince words, I hated the Civil War comic. It ranks up there with some of worst crossover stories Marvel has done. That said, the Russo's do a masterful job of taking the central idea of CW and improving on it for the big screen. Despite the numerous characters, storylines, and other plot points the movie throws at us, the film never loses focus and is always on point. Along with the Russo's penchant for frenetic action and nail biting suspense, the movie's pacing is relentless and 2 and half hours seem to fly by in a flash. So kudos to the brothers again for a job well done, and proving to us that they are the right pair of filmmakers to helm the MCU ship. I look forward to what they have planned for Infinity War.

Chris Evans – With the number of heroes onscreen, you'd be forgiven for thinking this is another Avengers flick. Make no mistake though, this is Cap's film and Chris Evans once again does an excellent job portraying him. Aside from showing Cap's physicality like that of a human wrecking ball, what's always impressed me of Evan's take on Steve Rogers is how genuine and unforced he portrays the character's innate goodness and decency. In a world of grey and grey morality, Evan's Cap is still the paragon of morality. But what's great about the movie is that it shows it may not necessarily be a good thing at times.

Robert Downey Jr - Despite this being a Cap film, in reality Evan's shares co lead status with Robert Downey Jr. And man, does RDJ really deliver a great performance here in his 6th go as Tony Stark. It seems the universe really has a hard on for crapping on Tony Stark's life, and Downey really makes you feel the guy has the weight of the world on his shoulders. The witty quips are still there, but they're just a mask as always for the pain Stark feels, especially when he has to make the hard choices. Unlike in the Civil War comic though, where at times Tony acted like an unrepentant a**hole, RDJ makes you sympathize with Tony's reasons for supporting the Sokovia Accords. And when he finally loses it in the film's climax after learning what really happened to his parents, you completely understand the rage he feels.

Loads of Characters – Having a number of superheroes appear in one movie is always tricky. There's a chance that some of them may appear to be nothing more than deadweight when the film's focus is only on a few. Thankfully it's not the case here, as the Russo's deft direction gives each of our heroes a chance to shine. Vision,Wanda, Black Widow, Falcon, Bucky etc. Each of them has something to contribute to the overall plot and their motivations as to why they choose their side in the conflict. Still, there are exceptions who stand out from the rest. Patricularly...

Black Panther – Now that's T'Challa alright. Chadwick Boseman is awesome as the King of Wakanda. He has a regal air about him that nonetheless gives way to blind rage (especially since his father King T'Chaka is killed early on in the film). And it's definitely unwise to make him angry at you, as they portray him as a fierce and agile fighter who is more than capable of matching Cap in a fight. The ending though, shows the Panther is not a man without reason, as he makes the choice that resolves much of the conflict. So yeah, Black Panther was great here, and has me hyped for his upcoming solo film. And speaking of upcoming solo films...

Spider-Man – After five movies under Sony Pictures, I was a little burnt out on Spidey (though I'll admit his brief cameo in the last trailer was cool). But damn, leave it to the Russo's to breath new life in the character and make him exciting and fresh once more. And all credit to Kevin Feige and company for casting Tom Holland as Peter Parker. The guy looks and acts like an unassuming nerd that you'd never imagine him as a superhero. Holland takes the best from both Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield's performances and make's it his own. And that's not mentioning how the Russo's filmed Spidey in action, which is incredible to see. I agree with what most critics have said, this is the best portrayal of the character to ever appear in the movies. And like Black Panther, I look forward for his new movie in the MCU.

Zemo – Okay, let's get this out of the way. Daniel Bruhl's Zemo is not the character from the comic. Now normally I'd find that a problem, as I was big fan of Baron Zemo in the Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes cartoon. Despite that, I think Zemo here is pretty interesting and a fresh take. He's not a supervillain, but a grim and determined soldier who goes to great lengths to achieve his ends. And while he does some pretty despicable things, in the end you find he has some reasonable grievances against Cap and the Avengers. And the great part is, he wins.

Reality Check – A tragic incident in Nigeria involving Cap & friends early on in the film is what spurs the need for superhero registration. And it's pretty understandable, given that they shows us that the collateral damage in previous MCU movies was far worse than we thought. Despite their heroic efforts, innocent lives have died while the Avengers have been trying the save the world. And it's pretty ballsy for the film to show that having superbeings roaming around our world may not be a pretty picture as we thought. The MCU is not a safe place by any means.

Conflict – Vison has a nice speech early in the film about how existence of superbeings seems to invite conflict, and how that conflict often leads to catastrophe. And the results are pretty catastrophic here. No one comes out unscathed as both sides clash either on Cap or Iron Man's side. What makes the conflict so good and interesting, is that both sides have reasonable justifications. Unlike in the comic, where Iron Man's pro registration stance is portrayed as moronic, leading many fans supporting Cap's side. Here it's not so black and white, but shades of grey, which is a better mine for drama.

Action – As they proved in Winter Soldier, the Russo Brothers are pretty great when it comes to filming comicbook violence. Here they take it to another level, mixing Bourne style fisticuffs with some outlandish superpowers. The best example being the battle in the Liepzeig Airport, where all the heroes are given a chance to showcase their unique abilities. The showstopper being Paul Rudd's Ant-Man having a gigantic splash (pun intended).

MINUS

Honestly, I'm having a hard time trying the think of any flaws the film might have. I'm pretty sure there are some, but most of it was so good that it's going to take me awhile before I can nitpick on the not so good stuff. But for now, the worst I can say is... Marisa Tomei is too hot to play Aunt May?

But yeah, bring on the rest of Marvel Films Phase 3 if Civil War is any indication.

 

[Iosue]

I loved Tony and Steve's meeting at the task force in Berlin. You could see that they cared for each other, you could see them reaching out to find some common ground, and then...it all goes south.

 

[Erekose]

Just watched this film and it has definitely confirmed that the screen version of Captain America is my favourite superhero in the portrayal of any comic book characters. The nuanced portrayal by Chris Evans is just perfect. While the film strives at great lengths to justify Tony Stark's position, and succeeds at making it understandable, I think my view was pretty much that Cap was right throughout the film as he eloquently explains in the letter at the end.

 

[delericho]

Chris Evans – With the number of heroes onscreen, you'd be forgiven for thinking this is another Avengers flick. Make no mistake though, this is Cap's film and Chris Evans once again does an excellent job portraying him. Aside from showing Cap's physicality like that of a human wrecking ball, what's always impressed me of Evan's take on Steve Rogers is how genuine and unforced he portrays the character's innate goodness and decency. In a world of grey and grey morality, Evan's Cap is still the paragon of morality. But what's great about the movie is that it shows it may not necessarily be a good thing at times.

One thing they've done that is very smart is that in WS they paired Cap with Black Widow and in CW they put him up against Stark. As written, Cap can be a bit of the shining knight without irony, which can be a bit dull, but by providing him with someone to provide a strong contrast they allowed him to shine. Also, it really helps if that other person can bring the humour...

(There is, of course, another well-known superhero who could likewise benefit from a similar treatment...)

 

[horacethegrey]

One thing they've done that is very smart is that in WS they paired Cap with Black Widow and in CW they put him up against Stark. As written, Cap can be a bit of the shining knight without irony, which can be a bit dull, but by providing him with someone to provide a strong contrast they allowed him to shine. Also, it really helps if that other person can bring the humour...

(There is, of course, another well-known superhero who could likewise benefit from a similar treatment...)

Fat chance of that happening while a certain hack director is at the helm. *cough* SNYDER! *cough*

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

I liked the movie a lot. I think I prefer Winter Soldier, primarily because I personally coud just not quite believe Stark's rage in the end. Even though I can understand that he had a lot of frustrations and trauma* working against him, it just didn't quite feel right to me.
And of course, the grand plot of the "villain" of the story seems to hinge on a lot of uncontrollable factors (like Cap, Stark and Bucky being the only ones to reach the Russian Supersoldier lab and them being able to see a video that conveniently exists...)

I mentally compare Batman v Superman and Civil War a lot, since both movies central premise is that the "good guys" clash.
Civil War worked tons better than BvM. Weirdly, I though thte main problem was that BvM was cramming too much stuff in it. But Civil War also introduced two new superhero (Spiderman and Black Panther) and had plenty of other superheroes in the mix, and gives them room in the story.
But somehow, Civil War manages to integrate all this better in the story. It advances the actual plot. And maybe one thing they clearly avoided - there was no final confrontation with the big villain or some super monster or whatever. The Supersoldiers were already dead (I really wondered how they would cram 4 supersoldiers into the fight that hasn't had anything established about themselves so far - they didn't have to). The villain has no intention of actually physically confronting anyone. The fight is just Iron Man vs captain America, no extra enemy that forces them too cooperate. Which also makes the whole conflict more serious and meaningful. This is not just a misunderstanding, this is a genuine personal conflict that will take time to resolve or heal.

*)
1) Parents murdered, and his best friend protecting the murderer
2) Responsible for Ultron and the deaths in Sokovia
3) Break-Up with his girl because he didn't keep his promise (a clever way to explain the seeming inconsistency between Iron Man 3 and Age of Ultron)

 

[horacethegrey]

I liked the movie a lot. I think I prefer Winter Soldier, primarily because I personally coud just not quite believe Stark's rage in the end. Even though I can understand that he had a lot of frustrations and trauma* working against him, it just didn't quite feel right to me.
*)
1) Parents murdered, and his best friend protecting the murderer
2) Responsible for Ultron and the deaths in Sokovia
3) Break-Up with his girl because he didn't keep his promise (a clever way to explain the seeming inconsistency between Iron Man 3 and Age of Ultron)

Like I said in my review above, I think this is the best we've seen of Tony Stark in the MCU since the first Iron Man. He's really at his most flawed here and f***s up the situation so much if only because of his ego, as Natasha calls him out on. As much as I disliked Age of Ultron, it rightly pointed out Tony's tendency to try fix the situation but somehow making things worst.

And Robert Downey Jr. played it brilliantly.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

Can I take my kids to see Civil War? The youngest two are 4 and 7. We didn't take kids to Captain America 1 due to the shooting, warfare scenes and we didn't take any of the kids to see Winter Soldier due to the gunfire at the start and things like dudes getting tossed into aircraft engines. We did take them to see Guardians of the Galaxy and they seemed to take the more violent moments alright. Just wanted to know if there are scenes that might be too much for them in this.

 

[ccs]

Can I take my kids to see Civil War? The youngest two are 4 and 7. We didn't take kids to Captain America 1 due to the shooting, warfare scenes and we didn't take any of the kids to see Winter Soldier due to the gunfire at the start and things like dudes getting tossed into aircraft engines. We did take them to see Guardians of the Galaxy and they seemed to take the more violent moments alright. Just wanted to know if there are scenes that might be too much for them in this.

Well, there's plenty of gun play, punching, ("normal") soldiers/people being swatted about by the supers like rag dolls, any # of folks being blown up/killed in building explosions (twice - and this IS central to the conflict) & freeway destruction.
Two characters actively want to KILL Bucky. One character gets blown out of the sky by friendly fire & crippled. And for a second Cap comes really close to chopping Tonys head off with his shield.