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Are you still sad that Age of Ultron didn’t excite you as much as you wanted it to? Angry that Iron Man 3 deceived you so much into thinking that we were finally getting the Mandarin? Don’t worry, folks. It’s time to forgive Marvel Studios and dive into what might be the best Marvel film to date. Captain America: Civil War is everything a superhero film should be. It’s everything Marvel fans love about this universe, and frankly, it’s what Batman v Superman should’ve been.
I had no doubt in my mind that I was going to love this film. I managed to avoid every trailer/teaser of the film after the trailer that revealed Spider-man, because I did think they were showing too much – but I guess some people enjoy that. I will admit, I wasn’t happy when I saw Spider-man in the trailer for the first time. One, I thought they should’ve kept it as a surprise, and two, I didn’t like the way he looked (minus the animated eyes, because that was pretty sick). But after watching the film in it’s entirety, I understand why they showed him so early.
Let’s jump right into it.
“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.”
Following the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, the Avengers are faced with a decision. Either act under government supervision or retire from their days of being heroes. This consequently splits the team into two sides, and the mayhem ensues.
Although this is a Captain America film, it did feel like Avengers 2.5. Civil War tries it’s best to focus on the relationship between Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and his best friend from childhood James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes (Sebastian Stan), but there’s so much happening around the two, that you can’t help but stray away. The chemistry between Evans and Stan is so incredibly heartening, and you really feel for Steve each time he has Bucky taken away from him. From The First Avenger itself, when Bucky is presumed dead, Steve loses a part of him and that visibly tears him apart.
A rift forms between The Avengers, as they’re faced with the Sokovia Accords, courtesy of General Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt). Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is the first to sign, followed by his good friend James “Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle). Steve questions the Accords, making it clear that he doesn’t want to sign. And so, teams have been formed and they ready themselves for battle.
While Thor and the Hulk are missing in action, Civil War manages to have more characters in this film, when compared to Age of Ultron. One of the biggest issues people had with Age of Ultron, were that there were too many characters, and not all of them were given proper screentime. And even though Civil War has a couple more heroes, the Russo Brothers have managed to make audiences fall in love with each and every one of them. Granted, while Tony and Steve arguably have the most amount of screentime, you still learn a lot about each character and you find yourself already getting emotionally invested with each one.
With all the action sequences, Joe and Anthony Russo have managed to portray them extremely well, without the shaky camera quality you’d get for regular Action films. But of course, this isn’t just your ordinary action film. No, this is a film that successfully introduces character after character, gives you insane and memorable fight scenes, makes your heart break when one of them is hurt – Civil War leaves you breathless.
Throughout Civil War, Steve works with Bucky, Sam Wilson aka The Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) and this is one of the best teams you could ever have. Steve has finally found a crew that mean as much to him as the Howling Commandos. And you can really see the connection between the four. Sharon Carter does what she thinks is the right thing to do (her aunt Peggy Carter has taught her well) and helps Steve save his best friend. Emily VanCamp hasn’t been in the MCU for long, but she has managed to leave an impression on me, and I can’t wait to see more of her.
We’re finally introduced to T’Challa, or the Black Panther. Since the first Avengers film had been released, I eagerly waited for literally anyone at Marvel Studios to come out and say “Alright, you can have T’Challa”. Now that he’s here, let me just tell you that he is in very good hands. Chadwick Bosemen undoubtedly kills it as T’Challa and he is one of the standouts of this film. I sincerely do not believe there is a single person who even thinks Black Panther is a boring character and Civil War just shoves it in your face that he has plenty to offer.
Also introduced in Civil War, and into the MCU really, is our favorite web-slinger Spider-man. Spider-man is my favourite superhero. I did enjoy the performances from Tobey Macguire and Andrew Garfield, so I was a little doubtful when they announced another reboot, and with a much younger actor. And then the Civil War trailer released and I had even more doubts. But rest assured, my worries have ceased to exist. Tom Holland delivers a stellar performance and I left the theatre with absolute joy knowing that my favorite hero was done justice. Peter Parker is finally the Peter Parker that everyone has wanted to see on-screen. We have a light Spider-man, who doesn’t hide the fact that he’s a complete nerd and a Captain America fanboy (staying true to his comic book origin). Although Peter wasn’t in the film for a very long time, he really leaves a mark on you and you just want more. Spider-man is exactly what the MCU needed and we’re just going to have to prepare ourselves for what lies ahead for the webslinger.
“Peter Parker is finally the Peter Parker that everyone has wanted to see on-screen.”
Civil War builds unique relationships with all our favorite superheroes, as well as touches up on relationships we’ve already seen. From The Winter Soldier, we saw how Steve creates a loyal friend and partner out of Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and it’s still evident in Civil War. Scarlet Witch/Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) also has her share of new friendships mainly one with the Vision (Paul Bettany) who is always a delight to see. Hawkeye/Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) also obviously makes an appearance and I noticed that he’s actually pretty protective over Wanda. During the events of Age of Ultron, Clint was the one who encouraged to Wanda to fight, so it’s only natural for him to be the one to form a special “mentor” bond with her. Also appearing in the film is Scott Lang/Ant-man (Paul Rudd), and while he doesn’t necessarily build on his relationships with any of the Avengers, he does prove to be a force that the Avengers are desperately in need of (trust me, it’ll make sense when you watch the film).
For a good portion of the film, Tony and Steve have conflicting beliefs. The two never had a stable friendship, that’s been clear from the beginning. But we all know Tony does care for the super soldier and does consider him a good friend. Civil War tears the two apart and breaks out into well… a war. But throughout all the MCU films (including the standalone Iron Man films), Civil War showcases Downey’s acting skills in a way that’s so pure and energetic. We’ve all seen what this man can do, but now we’ve been given the Tony Stark who is actually a human being, under the ‘genius, playboy, philanthropist’ mask he constantly wears. Tony is so ridden with guilt and anger, and you really connect with the character in this film. He lets the anger consume him, but you completely understand why. Although I was/still am Team Cap, I sat there thinking “Okay, I understand you, Tony. You beat him up real good”. You really do empathize with him.
Anyone who knows me, knows that I love the MCU’s version of Bucky Barnes; Sebastian Stan absolutely kills it in Civil War, and he’s finally getting the praise and recognition he deserves (I mean, he even got praised by Mark Hamill!). Bucky has always been a very important aspect of Steve’s life and we’ve constantly seen that since The First Avenger. But Sebastian Stan, man. Not only does he have incredible chemistry with Chris Evans, but he shares a couple of scenes with Anthony Mackie, and Bucky and Sam are phenomenal together. Albeit, their shared scenes are short, but when you see them having their moments with each other, they’re so charming and they prove to be worthy of working with Captain America and you can’t help but fall in love with the two.
“The entirety of Civil War has some of the best action sequences in Marvel history.”
And can we just talk about that airport scene? If you’ve seen any of the trailers/teasers, you know what I’m talking about. That one scene might just be the best fight sequence Marvel has ever produced. It’s packed with energy, anger, and even humour. In fact, the entirety of Civil War has some of the best action sequences in Marvel history. This film is so glorious, and so magical, and you just feel every emotion throughout. Understandably, the film isn’t a carbon copy of the Civil War comic series, it’s loosely adapted, but is worth every minute of your time and money. It does contain few aspects of the comic book, so I don’t object to the film being called Captain America: Civil War.
Captain America: Civil War had the honour of being directed by the Russo brothers, who previously directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and TV Shows such as Arrested Development and Community. The two will return to direct both films for Avengers: Infinity War, and I truly cannot wait to see what they have in store for us. To have two directors who love the comics and characters as much as the fans, is something that is desperately needed in comic book films; people who understand the characters wholeheartedly and can portray them flawlessly. Civil War was written by duo Christopher Markus and Stephen Feely, who have worked on the two previous Captain America films, as well as Thor: The Dark World. Markus and Feely will return to the MCU, writing for both Infinity War films.
Judging from the masterpiece of movie entertainment that was Captain America: Civil War, we’re in for one heck of a ride.
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