Hero vs. hero. Is it a new concept? Definitely not, but it looks like it took Marvel to perfect it. ‘Captain America: Civil War’ delivers where others have failed, with a perfect mix of action, comedy, and enough suspense to push you off your seat and onto the floor!
If you were left completely disappointed by Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, I’ve got great news for you — it gets better! Captain America: Civil War thrives where it’s DC counterpart could not, delighting fanboys and fangirls with a solid, structured story, incredible action and characters you can root for. The only problem I had? It left me wanting so much more!
***WARNING: SPOILERS***
By this point, if you’ve watched the trailers, countless TV promos, and sneak peeks, you have a pretty good idea of the concept of the film. The world’s beloved Avengers find themselves divided by a serious moral conflict following their battle in Sokovia. In this corner stands Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Tony Stark himself, whose guilt over the innocent lives lost in their fight against his own invention, Ultron, has him feeling like it’s time for the government to step in and keep the heroes in check. However, Captain Steve Rogers (Chris Evans), who literally has America in his name, feels that any kind of restriction will keep them from effectively keeping the world safe. Who is the the U.N. to tell The Avengers which fights are worth fighting? So, because, you know, there are no more villains for the Avengers to fight against (Norman Osborn, Magneto, Doctor Faustus…), our heroes turn on each other. Are you not entertained?!
Well, yes, you actually will be. The truth is, the best part of the whole film is watching Iron Man and Captain America bring together their own rag-tag bands of merry superheroes, which includes established fan favorites like Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), newbies Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland), plus the kickass girl power of Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson). Oh, and lest us not forget that Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) FINALLY joins the Avengers fray, delivering some of the best comic relief moments.
Does the film feel crowded? Too many superheroes in the proverbial super soup? Um, no! In fact, there were some notable absentees from the film that I gather Marvel fans will be confused over. But you’ll forget all about them when 12 of Marvel’s finest go head-to-head in a rumble to remember. And because the stakes are relatively low in comparison to previous films, the battle gets away with having tons of wisecracking one-liners thrown between punches. At one point, Peter Parker comes up with an inventive tactic to take down one of the Avengers using a trick he picked up in, wait for, an ‘old movie’ called ‘Empire Strikes Back’. Yeah…
Of course, we can’t forget the other wedge between Stark and Rogers — his name is Bucky! The Winter Solider (Sebastian Stan)has some splain’in to do, after being MIA for 3 movies, er, I mean, some time. In truth, it’s what goes down between the Cap’s two close friends that really brings the movie to it’s climax, resulting in a 2-on-1 gladiator battle for the ages. Fans will be breathlessly wondering if Captain America could truly do this all day — and gasp when they actually get the answer.
Here’s my one complaint : Marvel’s too good — and they know it. The film ends without any real resolution, which they can do, since they have locked in a movie to release practically every six months from now until forever. Still, it feels like a slight to leave the struggle between our heroes unresolved until the next movie. Wait, will they even touch on this in Doctor Strange? Probably not. Certainly not in the the Guardians of the Galaxy sequel. HOLD UP — do I have to wait until Thor: Ragnarok to get some damn closure?! Or worse — Avengers: Infinity War — Part 1 in 2018?? I’m NOT about that!
My new fury aside, I insist everyone see Civil War at least twice: once, because it’s sparkling edition to the Marvel Universe crown. And twice, because … hell, when are we going to see Captain America again?! Jeez!
Hollywoodlifers, you stoked to see the movie?!