Captain America: Civil War
I was not very excited to see Captain America: Civil War. I had almost convinced myself that I was over the superhero blockbuster thing. That it was just going to be another stream of action with a few one liners thrown in here and there. It’s not that I was totally wrong, it’s just that I was also far from right!
Marvel’s “Captain America: Civil War” finds Steve Rogers leading the newly formed team of Avengers in their continued efforts to safeguard humanity. But after another incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability, headed by a governing body to oversee and direct the team. The new status quo fractures the Avengers, resulting in two camps-one led by Steve Rogers and his desire for the Avengers to remain free to defend humanity without government interference, and the other following Tony Stark’s surprising decision to support government oversight and accountability.
Captain America: Civil War has sparked a small flame of passion for superhero movies in me again. I think one of the most delightful things about it is that even if you’re not a comic book expert, you won’t have any trouble following the action and understanding the character motivations. Trying to fill the boots of being a sequel to both Captain America: The Winter Soldier and The Avengers: Age of Ultron is no small task, yet Civil War ties both together almost effortlessly.
Captain America himself has never been a particular favourite of mine. He’s always seemed pretty dull and straight-laced compared to the perpetual man-toddler Tony Stark and the rest of the team. He really comes into his own in Civil War and his semi-bromance with Bucky Barnes only helps! Even though they weren’t the stand out performances, Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan have both gained many gold stars on my proud parent star chart.
Robert Downey Junior is Iron Man. They are one and the same. He’s super annoying and stubborn and stupid all the time, and yet still loveable somehow.
You’ll hear it from a million people, but Tom Holland has freaking nailed Spiderman. He was genuinely funny all the time. There may have only been one line that felt a little forced between him and Falcon, in an otherwise excellent portrayal of a teenager who’s having an awesome time with his new-found powers and being surrounded by heroes he’s been fanboying over. It goes without saying – I am very excited for the Spiderman standalone movie.
Tied in first place for awesomeness alongside Spiderman, was Paul Rudd’s Ant Man. Just so good. I just can’t even word right now. His comic timing is excellent (although if you didn’t like Ant Man the movie – keep walking). It’s a little hard to completely understand how he’s been roped in to fight this battle alongside Captain America – not that I’m complaining – but he does end up being the game changer for their side in one of my favourite scenes!
I was pleased to see Scarlet Johansson impressively kicking a whole boatload of ass this time round as Black Widow. She definitely dominated some of the more impressive fight scenes early on in the film and even though she doesn’t have crazy awesome brain powers like Scarlet Witch, she still manages to be a way more interesting character. Not that I’m hating on Elizabeth Olsen’s portrayal of Scarlet Witch, she was just a little depressed this movie and the focus was more on some potential romance blossoming between her and Vision, than her being extremely useful.
Black Panther was a welcome addition to the lineup. Chadwick Boseman was regal and fierce and gave a promising glimpe into the personality behind the claws. The character’s introduction was natural and even though Civil War doesn’t focus heavily on the character, he already seems well-rounded with a solid backstory and drive.
Daniel Bruhl as the mysterious villain Zemo seemed to be little more than a tool for plot development. He served as a cause for the intense conflict between our heroes that has made Civil War the stand-out Marvel film for me. If you’d already decided to step of the hype-train that circles superhero movies, I implore you to buy one last ticket and see if Civil War can remind you why you got on in the first place. I think it might…
Rating: M Violence.
FILMGUIDE rating:
