Captain America: Civil War was my most anticipated movie of the year, and for good reason. Over the past 8 years, I've become such a huge fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, loving almost every film within it, and being very impressed by the long-form storytelling. My favourite aspect of the MCU is the characters; seeing their beginnings, how they've grown and evolved, and how the relationships between them grew. The Avengers was such a solid team, and the supporting characters around them are fantastic.
But much like I've always found with sandcastles, building something up is fun, but tearing it apart is even more so.
That's what Civil War is, in many ways: The Avengers being torn apart, and the status quo of the MCU along with it. Marvel talked Avengers: Age of Ultron up like it was the "Empire Strikes Back" of the MCU, but really, it's Civil War. Civil War even name-drops Empire Strikes Back. And just like Empire Strikes Back, Civil War is probably the best film in the series.
What makes this movie work so well is that it has such a strong grasp of who the characters are and how to use them. That the writers, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, were able to take so many of these characters, balance them so well, and use all of them so perfectly is amazing. The sides that the characters take make sense, and the interactions between them are just as fun as they've always been.
This doesn't feel like a Captain America movie very much; it does feel like an Avengers movie. There is a large focus on Steve Rogers' side of things, but so much is shown from the perspective of Tony Stark that this movie can't simply be labelled "Steve's story". Although, the more personal elements of the story definitely come from Steve's relationship with Bucky, and since Steve is the main Avenger to oppose the Sokovia Accords, the conflict really does originate with him. It's more of a Captain America story, but not solely one.
That conflict is what's most surprising in this movie, and it's probably Civil War's greatest success: the conflict doesn't feel one-sided. Throughout the movie, I didn't really know who to root for, because the movie presents so many logical and emotional reasons for both sides. Going into the movie, I was Team Cap all the way, but I think I turned to Team Iron Man by the end. There really isn't a "good" or "bad" side to the argument, only what the viewer interprets as right or wrong. Neither side is perfect, and the fallout that the ending will have over the Marvel Cinematic Universe going forward will be very interesting.
The story was very engaging and very intricate. Due to so many characters and elements at play, there was the risk of it being over-stuffed, but even with so much, Civil War strikes a perfect balance. It's an adaptation from the comic pretty much in name only, but the massive changes made served the story better, and made for a better story (because the Civil War comic isn't great). A strange and unavoidable fact about Civil War is that it shared a lot of story beats with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Not just a few passing plot points, either; there were a lot of times when characters from one movie could be paralleled directly to the other. The two main heroes and the villain share almost the same plots and motivations, which was kind of funny. The plot itself is also largely the same, but since every single person is comparing the two movies already, I won't go into too much detail. There's a review of Batman v Superman on this site already, but I will say that all of the themes, story and character beats that BvS touched on were done much better in Civil War.
This movie has a lot of moments of reflection on how far the MCU has come and how much has changed. The characters themselves have evolved a lot; Tony Stark has gone from reckless and careless to moral and responsible, Steve Rogers has gone from patriot to insurgent, and it all makes sense given how their stories have played out over the course of these films. Their arguments are consistent throughout the film, but by the end, their roles are almost reversed, but it all fits.
Civil War explores the relationships between the characters in a lot of interesting and unexpected ways. A lot of friction between certain characters was to be expected, and there certainly was a lot of conflict, but the friendships were so much deeper. Whether it's between characters who've known each other for years, or characters who meet in this film, all of the relationships feel real and natural. Those relationships are unstable, strained, and eventually broken many times, and you feel for the characters through it all. My level of emotional investment in the MCU was already very high, and that investment made me enjoy this movie all the more.
The action in Civil War is nothing short of amazing. My only wish after I saw The Winter Soldier was to see all of the Avengers fighting with the same intense choreography, and that's what we get here. The stand-out sequence is the airport scene, where all of the heroes, new and old, let loose on each other, and I don't think I've ever felt so elated. There's never been a scene like it in a movie before, mixing humour, surprise, and all of the pairings and "what if?" fight scenarios I've ever wanted to see. Every character gets a chance to shine, and there were some moments that I don't think can ever be topped. The airport scene shines, but there are so many smaller scenes of grounded, more intense action. The end fight in particular was built on top of so much emotional buildup that it felt more impactful than any moment in the MCU so far.
But for as good as all of these old or expected elements are, the new elements are the ones that really shine. Black Panther was fantastic all around, from his introduction to his setup for the future. Chadwick Boseman had a lot of dedication to the part, and has a very unique and personal place in the story. He's definitely one of the most interesting superheroes in the MCU, and since he has his own kingdom and mythology, we'll have a whole new world to explore in his solo movie. His costume also looked incredible on-screen. The costumes in general are the best that they've ever been in the MCU.
As a villain, Zemo was just fine. It was a weird cliché to have him be so over-competent for no reason, since he seems to be 100 steps ahead of everyone as just a normal guy, and he was a bit superfluous to the story. He is important to the MCU, since he single-handedly tore the Avengers apart, but what he did could have been done by the other characters on their own. Most of how the story played out still could have played out without him, it just would have happened differently. Still, I thought that Daniel Brühl gave a solid performance and wasn't wasted.
But the one who stole the show was Spider-Man. Tom Holland has brought to life what is without a doubt the best live-action Spider-Man we've ever seen. We see some of Peter Parker and Spider-Man in action, and both are exactly what my idea of Spider-Man is. The keyword is "different"; his relationship with Aunt May is different, his costume is different, his personality is different, and his humour is different. He's very charismatic and light-hearted, and brings an appropriately modern attitude to the character. Spider-Man is likely to be one of the most fun Avengers characters going forward, and as long as Marvel retains creative control, he's in good hands.
In the end, Captain America: Civil War is possibly my new favourite movie in the MCU, and possibly my favourite comic book movie of all time. It balances everything so well, and it was everything I wanted it to be and more. The character dynamics are fantastically developed, the conflict is complex and well-defined, the plot is perfectly paced and balanced, and the direction is fantastic. Maybe there's a bit too much shaky cam at times, and maybe the CGI was a bit off in places, but I completely believe that Infinity War is in good hands with the Russo Brothers.
I've never been more excited about what's going to happen next in the MCU; where the characters will do, and what new things we'll see. Black Panther and Spider-Man: Homecoming just got a huge boost in hype for me, and the Russo Brothers have shown once again how talented they are, and how many surprising they can pack into a couple of hours. They made these characters feel human and real, and that made it all the more heartbreaking when the war began.
When the dust settled, there wasn't a clear winner, and I wouldn't have wanted anything else.
But much like I've always found with sandcastles, building something up is fun, but tearing it apart is even more so.
That's what Civil War is, in many ways: The Avengers being torn apart, and the status quo of the MCU along with it. Marvel talked Avengers: Age of Ultron up like it was the "Empire Strikes Back" of the MCU, but really, it's Civil War. Civil War even name-drops Empire Strikes Back. And just like Empire Strikes Back, Civil War is probably the best film in the series.
What makes this movie work so well is that it has such a strong grasp of who the characters are and how to use them. That the writers, Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, were able to take so many of these characters, balance them so well, and use all of them so perfectly is amazing. The sides that the characters take make sense, and the interactions between them are just as fun as they've always been.
This doesn't feel like a Captain America movie very much; it does feel like an Avengers movie. There is a large focus on Steve Rogers' side of things, but so much is shown from the perspective of Tony Stark that this movie can't simply be labelled "Steve's story". Although, the more personal elements of the story definitely come from Steve's relationship with Bucky, and since Steve is the main Avenger to oppose the Sokovia Accords, the conflict really does originate with him. It's more of a Captain America story, but not solely one.
That conflict is what's most surprising in this movie, and it's probably Civil War's greatest success: the conflict doesn't feel one-sided. Throughout the movie, I didn't really know who to root for, because the movie presents so many logical and emotional reasons for both sides. Going into the movie, I was Team Cap all the way, but I think I turned to Team Iron Man by the end. There really isn't a "good" or "bad" side to the argument, only what the viewer interprets as right or wrong. Neither side is perfect, and the fallout that the ending will have over the Marvel Cinematic Universe going forward will be very interesting.
The story was very engaging and very intricate. Due to so many characters and elements at play, there was the risk of it being over-stuffed, but even with so much, Civil War strikes a perfect balance. It's an adaptation from the comic pretty much in name only, but the massive changes made served the story better, and made for a better story (because the Civil War comic isn't great). A strange and unavoidable fact about Civil War is that it shared a lot of story beats with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Not just a few passing plot points, either; there were a lot of times when characters from one movie could be paralleled directly to the other. The two main heroes and the villain share almost the same plots and motivations, which was kind of funny. The plot itself is also largely the same, but since every single person is comparing the two movies already, I won't go into too much detail. There's a review of Batman v Superman on this site already, but I will say that all of the themes, story and character beats that BvS touched on were done much better in Civil War.
This movie has a lot of moments of reflection on how far the MCU has come and how much has changed. The characters themselves have evolved a lot; Tony Stark has gone from reckless and careless to moral and responsible, Steve Rogers has gone from patriot to insurgent, and it all makes sense given how their stories have played out over the course of these films. Their arguments are consistent throughout the film, but by the end, their roles are almost reversed, but it all fits.
Civil War explores the relationships between the characters in a lot of interesting and unexpected ways. A lot of friction between certain characters was to be expected, and there certainly was a lot of conflict, but the friendships were so much deeper. Whether it's between characters who've known each other for years, or characters who meet in this film, all of the relationships feel real and natural. Those relationships are unstable, strained, and eventually broken many times, and you feel for the characters through it all. My level of emotional investment in the MCU was already very high, and that investment made me enjoy this movie all the more.
The action in Civil War is nothing short of amazing. My only wish after I saw The Winter Soldier was to see all of the Avengers fighting with the same intense choreography, and that's what we get here. The stand-out sequence is the airport scene, where all of the heroes, new and old, let loose on each other, and I don't think I've ever felt so elated. There's never been a scene like it in a movie before, mixing humour, surprise, and all of the pairings and "what if?" fight scenarios I've ever wanted to see. Every character gets a chance to shine, and there were some moments that I don't think can ever be topped. The airport scene shines, but there are so many smaller scenes of grounded, more intense action. The end fight in particular was built on top of so much emotional buildup that it felt more impactful than any moment in the MCU so far.
But for as good as all of these old or expected elements are, the new elements are the ones that really shine. Black Panther was fantastic all around, from his introduction to his setup for the future. Chadwick Boseman had a lot of dedication to the part, and has a very unique and personal place in the story. He's definitely one of the most interesting superheroes in the MCU, and since he has his own kingdom and mythology, we'll have a whole new world to explore in his solo movie. His costume also looked incredible on-screen. The costumes in general are the best that they've ever been in the MCU.
As a villain, Zemo was just fine. It was a weird cliché to have him be so over-competent for no reason, since he seems to be 100 steps ahead of everyone as just a normal guy, and he was a bit superfluous to the story. He is important to the MCU, since he single-handedly tore the Avengers apart, but what he did could have been done by the other characters on their own. Most of how the story played out still could have played out without him, it just would have happened differently. Still, I thought that Daniel Brühl gave a solid performance and wasn't wasted.
But the one who stole the show was Spider-Man. Tom Holland has brought to life what is without a doubt the best live-action Spider-Man we've ever seen. We see some of Peter Parker and Spider-Man in action, and both are exactly what my idea of Spider-Man is. The keyword is "different"; his relationship with Aunt May is different, his costume is different, his personality is different, and his humour is different. He's very charismatic and light-hearted, and brings an appropriately modern attitude to the character. Spider-Man is likely to be one of the most fun Avengers characters going forward, and as long as Marvel retains creative control, he's in good hands.
I've never been more excited about what's going to happen next in the MCU; where the characters will do, and what new things we'll see. Black Panther and Spider-Man: Homecoming just got a huge boost in hype for me, and the Russo Brothers have shown once again how talented they are, and how many surprising they can pack into a couple of hours. They made these characters feel human and real, and that made it all the more heartbreaking when the war began.
When the dust settled, there wasn't a clear winner, and I wouldn't have wanted anything else.
Great review. This film was loads of fun and strong in its conflict and themes. I still rank Guardians of the Galaxy as my favorite Marvel flick, but this one comes pretty close.
ReplyDelete- Zach