Year: 2016
Director: Anthony and Joe Russo
Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland, and Daniel Bruhl
Tagline: Divided We Fall
Synopsis: The prospect of government oversight and the machinations of a mysterious villain threaten to tear the Avengers apart from within.
Tagline: Divided We Fall
Synopsis: The prospect of government oversight and the machinations of a mysterious villain threaten to tear the Avengers apart from within.
Review
At this point, it is easy to think "Great, another superhero movie." And I'll admit, a little bit of superhero ennui has set in. But every time I think I'm ready to be done, Marvel hits it out of the park again. Put briefly, Captain America: Civil War is one of the best Marvel movies yet.
Does it bring anything particularly new to the table? Well, no. Not really. Although it does introduce a few new characters to the universe. But what Civil War does it does just right. It has all the epic set pieces and big battles. The visuals are top notch. The music is great. And the humor is well-timed. But what drives Civil War is that it remembers these characters are people and devotes enough time to each of them to keep us caring about them. And that's no small feat, given how many superheroes are involved this go round.
As buildup to the film, there's been a lot of ads asking whose side you're on. Well, I'm 100% Team Captain America. And by the time the film was over, I was getting rather tired of Tony and his arrogant attitude where he always knows what's best for everyone else. He seems thoroughly convinced that what works and is needed for him must be what works and is needed for everyone else. That attitude caused havoc in Age of Ultron and it causes more havoc in Civil War. I will say this though, I love when Tony refers to Bucky as "Manchurian Candidate." And I hope that there is more to Tony's character arc in future installations.
While I disagree with Tony's reasoning, it is well-established and believable. The filmmakers do a great job of setting up all the important characters' motivations for which side they choose. Even though it is heart-wrenching to see them go at each other, it makes sense why they are fighting.
And hidden in the midst of all of it, you've got the brilliant villain Zemo manipulating events. He's not the best villain ever, but he's different, he's clever, and he's subtle, which is just what we needed.
I really liked the introductions of Black Panther and Spider-Man. A young Aunt May is weird. And Martin Freeman's Everett Ross seemed somewhat pointless. Presumably they needed an opportunity to bring him into the universe so that he could eventually do ... something.
As for the thematic conflict of the film -- whether the Avengers should answer to a government body -- I side with Captain America. To me, Civil War is the most relevant of the superhero movies, as the role of government is debated with every news break these days. My friend summed it up well (and I can do no better): "the government trying to control superhero actions is a prime example of legal hubris in the face of complete government incompetence for the task. Red tape/bureaucracy and emergency super-human responses to global catastrophes don't go well together." Yup.
One of my favorite lines in the film comes from Sharon Carter, quoting her aunt, Peggy Carter: "Compromise where you can. Where you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye, and say 'No. YOU move.'" It's a perfect statement for the movie and a perfect statement for the real world we live in. In the comics, the sentiment is voiced by Captain America himself. Go Team Cap!
If you haven't already, go see Captain America: Civil War. As superhero movies go, it's one of the best. It's smart, it's funny, and it's character driven. Be sure to stay through the credits for a couple of bonus scenes.
*** Spoiler Section ***
Knowing what happens in the comic books, I was worried Steve Rogers wasn't going to survive this film. I'm very glad he did. And he survived it with his moral compass and integrity still in tact, which is even better.
Considering how deep the rifts went, I thought they did an excellent job wrapping things up at the end. I liked Black Panther's closure and Bucky finding some measure of peace. But I wish Natasha had been there with Steve to show that she is taken care of. She and Steve have a close, platonic bond and I wanted closure that they were back side by side.
The absences of Thor and Hulk/Banner are noted. And after the end of Age of Ultron it is unsurprising that both of them are gone. Nick Fury's absence on the other hand is perplexing. He's the kind of guy who would be full of opinions on something as sweepingly dramatic as the Sokovia Accords. With all those big names already in the cast, I can understand not wanting to pay extra for Samuel L. Jackson. But they could have at least mentioned Fury and acknowledged him. The dude was instrumental in forming the Avengers. Why wouldn't he have a vested interest in their continuation?
One final thing that confused me was from Steve's letter to Tony at the end. Steve says that the Avengers belong to Tony and he (Steve) is used to being on his own. But according to my tally, most of the Avengers end up either on or sympathetic to Team Cap. Black Widow ultimately sided with Steve. Black Panther has granted Steve and Bucky asylum. And when they are back in the mix, you know Bruce Banner isn't going to want government interference in his life. Nor can I imagine Thor allowing some Earth-bound government to dictate to him. Even Spider-Man (though certainly allied with Tony) shows early signs of having the same moral compass as Steve. If someone is in danger, it didn't sound like Peter Parker would be interested in waiting for the "all clear" to go help them.
Does it bring anything particularly new to the table? Well, no. Not really. Although it does introduce a few new characters to the universe. But what Civil War does it does just right. It has all the epic set pieces and big battles. The visuals are top notch. The music is great. And the humor is well-timed. But what drives Civil War is that it remembers these characters are people and devotes enough time to each of them to keep us caring about them. And that's no small feat, given how many superheroes are involved this go round.
As buildup to the film, there's been a lot of ads asking whose side you're on. Well, I'm 100% Team Captain America. And by the time the film was over, I was getting rather tired of Tony and his arrogant attitude where he always knows what's best for everyone else. He seems thoroughly convinced that what works and is needed for him must be what works and is needed for everyone else. That attitude caused havoc in Age of Ultron and it causes more havoc in Civil War. I will say this though, I love when Tony refers to Bucky as "Manchurian Candidate." And I hope that there is more to Tony's character arc in future installations.
While I disagree with Tony's reasoning, it is well-established and believable. The filmmakers do a great job of setting up all the important characters' motivations for which side they choose. Even though it is heart-wrenching to see them go at each other, it makes sense why they are fighting.
And hidden in the midst of all of it, you've got the brilliant villain Zemo manipulating events. He's not the best villain ever, but he's different, he's clever, and he's subtle, which is just what we needed.
I really liked the introductions of Black Panther and Spider-Man. A young Aunt May is weird. And Martin Freeman's Everett Ross seemed somewhat pointless. Presumably they needed an opportunity to bring him into the universe so that he could eventually do ... something.
As for the thematic conflict of the film -- whether the Avengers should answer to a government body -- I side with Captain America. To me, Civil War is the most relevant of the superhero movies, as the role of government is debated with every news break these days. My friend summed it up well (and I can do no better): "the government trying to control superhero actions is a prime example of legal hubris in the face of complete government incompetence for the task. Red tape/bureaucracy and emergency super-human responses to global catastrophes don't go well together." Yup.
One of my favorite lines in the film comes from Sharon Carter, quoting her aunt, Peggy Carter: "Compromise where you can. Where you can't, don't. Even if everyone is telling you that something wrong is something right. Even if the whole world is telling you to move, it is your duty to plant yourself like a tree, look them in the eye, and say 'No. YOU move.'" It's a perfect statement for the movie and a perfect statement for the real world we live in. In the comics, the sentiment is voiced by Captain America himself. Go Team Cap!
If you haven't already, go see Captain America: Civil War. As superhero movies go, it's one of the best. It's smart, it's funny, and it's character driven. Be sure to stay through the credits for a couple of bonus scenes.
*** Spoiler Section ***
Knowing what happens in the comic books, I was worried Steve Rogers wasn't going to survive this film. I'm very glad he did. And he survived it with his moral compass and integrity still in tact, which is even better.
Considering how deep the rifts went, I thought they did an excellent job wrapping things up at the end. I liked Black Panther's closure and Bucky finding some measure of peace. But I wish Natasha had been there with Steve to show that she is taken care of. She and Steve have a close, platonic bond and I wanted closure that they were back side by side.
The absences of Thor and Hulk/Banner are noted. And after the end of Age of Ultron it is unsurprising that both of them are gone. Nick Fury's absence on the other hand is perplexing. He's the kind of guy who would be full of opinions on something as sweepingly dramatic as the Sokovia Accords. With all those big names already in the cast, I can understand not wanting to pay extra for Samuel L. Jackson. But they could have at least mentioned Fury and acknowledged him. The dude was instrumental in forming the Avengers. Why wouldn't he have a vested interest in their continuation?
One final thing that confused me was from Steve's letter to Tony at the end. Steve says that the Avengers belong to Tony and he (Steve) is used to being on his own. But according to my tally, most of the Avengers end up either on or sympathetic to Team Cap. Black Widow ultimately sided with Steve. Black Panther has granted Steve and Bucky asylum. And when they are back in the mix, you know Bruce Banner isn't going to want government interference in his life. Nor can I imagine Thor allowing some Earth-bound government to dictate to him. Even Spider-Man (though certainly allied with Tony) shows early signs of having the same moral compass as Steve. If someone is in danger, it didn't sound like Peter Parker would be interested in waiting for the "all clear" to go help them.
Quotable Quotes
- "I don't mean to make things difficult." "I know. You're a very polite person." -- Steve Rogers and Tony Stark
- "Can you move your seat up." "No." -- Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson
- "Who's speaking?" "It's your conscience. We don't talk a lot these days." -- Iron Man and Ant-Man [I sure hope this was meant to be a direct reference to Finding Nemo.]
- "I don't know if you've ever been in a fight before, but there's not usually this much talking." -- Falcon to Spider-Man
ISFS
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