Captain America: Civil War Review

Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Directed by: Anthony Russo and Joe Russo
Written By: Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeeley/Characters created by: Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlet Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Renner, etc.

The Russo Brothers are such a treasure!!! Maybe it really takes two directors to helm a superhero ensemble flick of this magnitude. As the 3rd Avengers film will be released in a little over a month, I have no doubts after re-watching "Civil War" that the next two Avengers are in good hands.  Don't get me wrong, I adore Joss Whedon but Age of Ultron was a disappointment.  Not only in its portrayal of Ultron but of the uneven way it balanced all the characters. Which is surprising because the first Avengers did it so well. For "Civil War", we had an MCU film with it's biggest roster of superheroes: Ironman, Captain America, Winter Soldier, Black Widow, War Machine, Vision, Scarlet Witch, Falcon, Ant-man, Hawkeye as well as introducing Black Panther and Spider-man to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  Many thought it would have been difficult to do with how Age of Ultron suffered from an over abundance of characters with not enough time devoted to them all.  I mean poor Quicksilver's death meant nothing because there was not enough time focused on his character.  But I'm glad to say that the ones who doubted the film were not only proven wrong but blown away by the excellent balance of character moments, action and various plots at hand.

Both Russo brothers definitely had an underrated skill at the time for working with so many characters yet giving them all plenty of opportunity to shine.  For that reason alone, this is by far the best of the Captain America trilogy.  I'd say this is the first trilogy that gets consistently better with each film.  The First Avenger was average at best, often telling the origin story of Steve Rogers in the dullest and overall mediocre way.  It had it's moments but ultimately not one of the best of the early MCU films.  The Winter Soldier was a superb action thriller that mixed spy/espionage storytelling with incredibly well choreographed superhero action.  It was not only one of the best MCU films but arguably one of the best superhero flicks of all time.  So here comes Civil War; a movie that was hyped up to be the biggest event of the Marvel Cinematic Universe since Marvel's The Avengers that was adapting one of the most brutal but game changing story-lines from the comics.  So many characters to balance in 2 and half hours, so many motivations to write competently and not to mention all making it make sense so that the following movies after Civil War could make sense as well.  Thankfully, Captain America: Civil War was the finest MCU film to come out at that time!!! :)  What a tremendously fun and inspiring superhero ensemble flick that sees two sides of a conflict that feels very understandable from both sides!!!

After an Avengers mission in Lagos goes terribly wrong and results in another devastating death toll, the government steps in, with the Incredible Hulk's General Ross, now Secretary of State, played by the solid William Hurt.  He declares that 4 years of the Avengers working on their own has gone too far as too many lives in New York, Washington, Sokovia and now Lagos, have been lost due to the Avengers saving the day.  And he makes a good point!! As well as saying that the world owes the Avengers a debut that they can never repay. Also a good point!!!  This, of course, is the catalyst of setting the main plot of Civil War as the introduction of the Sokovia Accords, which each Avenger must sign so the UN can monitor their actions when they're out saving the world.  Of course this idea of superhero supervision begins to split the team apart as we have a glorious scene of the members of the Avengers each divided as to what to do here. Of course, this is Cap's movie, so his perspective is clear and drives the film: The Avengers are the best the world has to offer against larger than life threats and must resume working alone on their own terms. I LOVE Chris Evans as Captain America.  After 3 films, I really have come to accept that embodies the character so well.  It's not surprising that he would be against government supervision consider in his last film, Winter Soldier, revealed to him the dark side of living matter up to them as his freedom and justice ideals have shifted since. And that's one of many things I continue to love about movie as it is not just an ensemble film for many of the MCU heroes but direct continuation of Winter Soldier.  From Cap finally tracking down Bucky to his growing romance with Agent Sharon Carter, played well by Emily VanCamp, moving forward to even Cap's reaction to Agent Carter's death, like I said, this is very much a Captain America film first!

And yet, Robert Downey Jr. often gives Chris Evans a run for his money as Tony Stark/Iron Man!!! After 5 films as the "genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist",  you would think his performance as the egotistically, charismatic Tony would eventually get stale as we have come to know him so well.  But this film, at times, feels like one of Iron Man's best moments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe because Tony's perspective on the situation is so surreal and serious.  There is very little quipping and jokes from Tony this time around.  Much like Iron Man 3, we see a deeply, troubled Tony who is finally speaking on his guilt about what the Avengers are not only all about but what they do.  The truth is, they always think about the lives they need to save and not the lives that get caught in the crossfire.  I loved Robert's performance as it could be the best of his portrayal as Tony Stark.  From his intense confrontation with the mourning Sokovia student's mother, played so breathtakingly painful by Alfrie Woodard to the brutal revelation of Tony finding out Bucky murdered his parents, something as simple as Robert's eyes gave me chills!!! What a powerful performance with great emotional depth! O_O  Can we finally get a good follow-up with Iron Man 4 please??? -_- Downey deserves it after that!!!

As for the rest of the Avengers, each individual character is not only given a clear motive behind their siding of the Sokovia Accords but give multiple times to shine in the spotlight very nicely. Scarlet Johnasson's Black Widow, is surprisingly the first to pick Tony's side, learning from her time as a double agent as well as an Avenger that maybe it's best if the team follows the rules. Scarlet is just stunning as Black Widow, both acting and presence as I'm glad they had Black Widow switch sides realizing how bad things were getting for the team being split apart.  Of course, Falcon, played by stoic but funny Anthony Mackie, was on Cap's side as he also saw first hand in Winter Soldier what happens when the heroes aren't in control themselves.  I loved his scenes with Bucky in particular, those two Cap sidekicks forming a love/hate relationship.  I loved just seeing more aspects of his character like his pet robot Red Wing as well as doubtful but ultimately devoted loyalty to Cap.  Clint Barton aka Hawkeye played by the stoic by silly Jeremy Renner, is on Cap's side due to what has become of his friends after his retirement so far and wanting to set things right.  He's able to free Wanda and help her stop Vision from keeping her captive under Tony's orders.  Not to mention, "made you look was funny."  I also enjoyed his scene with Tony at the Underwater Prison facility where he tells Tony why he chose Cap's side.  Just so much well done scenes because there is so much history between these characters.  The two newest Avengers, Vision and Scarlet Witch, are also so well realized with Paul Bettany's Vision coming from a stand point of logic and statistics. Since Iron Man's debut as a hero, there have been more unforseen casualties in the world due to the Avengers' heroics and they must be watch over so there can be less.  I love that Paul Bettany gets to explore the depth of Vision as well as we see his romance with Wanda grow.  That kitchen scene was cute but saddening; considering how the two can relate in power levels but feeling somewhat like outsiders because of it.  Vision is a machine while Wanda's powers were forced on her.  It's not wonder they are drawn to each other and it's a shame they became at odds once Vision kept forcing her to stay put do to Tony.

Speaking of Wanda, outside of Elizabeth Olsen's accent coming and going, Scarlet Witch is also given some depth here when it's her character that causes the latest civilian causalities of the mission while saving Cap's life.  I like how Wanda was initially scared of going out to the field again; reasonably blaming her self for all this...but eventually find the strength to stand up for herself by saving Clint from Vision in an impressive visual of her powers and joining Cap's side to show she can control herself and doesn't need to be watched over like a child.  War Machine, played once again by Don Cheadle, does a good job by showing Rhodey's loyalty to the leader of the other side: Tony.  He, of course, is driven by his duties to his best friend and doing what best for a country he has served many times himself.  Lastly, you have good old Bucky, played by Sebastian Stan, who is still on the run after the events of Winter Soldier and is at the middle of all this thanks to the real villain behind this making him out to be the true enemy everyone must capture. I LOVE Bucky, he's savage as a fighter but vulnerable as a man who had his life stolen from him for decades just so HYDRA could make him into the ultimate weapon.  I really enjoyed the rekindling of his and Cap's bromance/friendship. The scene before they head into the facility in Moscow was SOOO natural and genuine. Both Sebastian and Chris have good chemistry together.  Paul Rudd as Ant-man....God, that man is a treasure!!! I think I enjoyed him so much more here than in his own film!!! His lines and performance were priceless.  "Thinks for thanking of me!" "It's your conscience!" "Something just flew in me!" "Anybody have any lemon slices!"  Just....so adorable and cute!!! :) Also, the reveal of Giant Man was both shocking and incredible.  What an amazing visual effect!!! I just can't wait to see more of Paul as Scott Lang!! He such a scene stealer!! :)

But enough about the old characters, let's talk about the new characters introduced into the movie. First, T'Challa aka Black Panther, played with a stoic brilliance and strength by Chadwick Boseman.  Of course, after his father, T'Chaka, is killed in the UN explosion in Vienna, T'Challa is out for blood when Bucky is the prime suspect in his father's murder.  Black Panther is this movie, unlike his recent solo film, is almost a different character.  Here, he is a single minded superhuman warrior out for blood; going after Bucky himself in a marvelous action sequence/chase scene and eventually joining Tony's side to kill the Winter Soldier himself.  I LOVE T'Challa's journey as well as many badass moments throughout the film. An agile, aggressive fighter who is just a heartbroken, grieving man underneath.  I liked in the end, he realized how much vengeance corrupts and poisons so many like it did the Avengers, tearing them apart but also, realizing how much a monster the real villain became because of his own diabolical plan due to revenge on those heroes.  Also, "I don't care!" Hilarious and awesome!!! :)  Next we have the long awaited debut of Peter Parker/Spider-man to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (After the failure of the Amazing Spider-man reboot franchise).   Played with the infectious enthusiasm and teenage wonder in newcomer Tom Holland,  Peter's part in all this is just so natural and not forced at all.  Of course, Tony finding out about him is rushed but their dynamic as well as Peter's MO for being Spider-man is refreshing. We don't need to hear "With great power, comes great responsibility" over and over again as the writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely along with Tom's youthfully charming performance turn this into the best take on the character thus far. Great job!!! :)

As for the villain, it's surprising that the writers turned the usual militaristic, mustache twirling comic book character to a more realistic former solider turned vengeful husband/father.  Zemo could very well be the best villain for that fact so far in the MCU (After Loki and Killmonger of course) Daniel Bruhl gives an excellent performance, especially during his confession to T'Challa about why he did all this.  It was heartbreaking and real; making you feel sorry for the guy, especially when he almost kills himself if it wasn't for T'Challa's intervention. Another brilliant moment!!!  While some of the machinations for his plan make no sense like knowing about the Sokovia Accords, knowing where and when to be somewhere to move his plan forward were a bit contrived in retrospect, his character was still well written when it came to motivation.  I want to talk about the action scenes in this movie because no matter how intimate or small, they each are either beautifully directed, elegantly choreographed or feature some of the best visuals I've seen from this franchise.  From the opening mission in Lagos to the now epic Airport fight sequence to the overbearingly emotional final battle between Iron Man, Cap and Bucky, each fight scene was beyond entertaining and so well done.  Man, this was such a great film!!! :)

"Captain America: Civil War" is an astonishingly awesome collision of superhero infighting that properly and expertly propels the MCU's impressive story forward.  The performances overall are strong, the fight scenes are stunning, the villain for once is memorable and the fallout of the film's events will be one that will be continue to be felt throughout the MCU until the team comes back together bigger and stronger for "Infinity War". :)

Final Film Score: A+