Captain America: Civil War

Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Tom Holland, Daniel Bruhl, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, Marisa Tomei, Martin Freeman, John Slattery, Hope Davis, Alfre Woodard, Jim Rash
Directed by: Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
2016

Times Seen:
Tim: 2

Summary: Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) reluctantly faces off against Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) as The Avengers are divided over accords passed to register and control them.

Review:

Tim: I was simultaneously optimistic and nervous about Captain America: Civil War. I was excited about the possibilities that the story line would bring, but I was a bit anxious since the source material had some flaws in it. After seeing the movie, it's easy to see this is another great entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This movie might not reach the heights of Winter Soldier, but you have to feel good about the 13th entry in the MCU.

Civil War features one of the greatest sequences in the history of the MCU- the airport battle. I can't even begin to accurately describe how much I love this scene. It's just incredible to see on screen- you have 12 major Marvel characters locked in battle. Think about the magnificence of this moment- you have Captain America, Falcon, Winter Soldier, Scarlet Witch, Ant Man, and Hawkeye verses Iron Man, War Machine, Black Widow, Spider-Man, Black Panther, and Vision. That's amazing and a nerdy dream come true. What's even better is that the airport fight sequence unfolds perfectly- the Russo Brothers do a terrific job of juggling twelve different characters and making it feel like they all get enough time to shine during those scenes. I could watch the airport battle dozens and dozens of times without getting sick of it. It features good action, hilarious dialogue, surprises, excitement. It was handled so effectively- because they're all good guys, no one is specifically looking to hurt the others. So it's a battle waged at half strength. Surprisingly, this doesn't take anything away from the scene. You understand the characters don't want to hurt each other, but they still need to win the battle. We really haven't seen anything like that before. It was great fun to watch and clearly the highlight of the film.

This, unfortunately, leads to the biggest flaw of the film. After this incredible sequence midway through the movie, everything that happens afterwards is a bit of a letdown. The movie hits its apex so soon that the rest of the movie goes downhill. Yes, we get a fun sequence of Iron Man verses Captain America and Winter Soldier, but nothing compares to that airport sequence. The film's antagonist, Baron Zemo is yet another ineffective, forgettable Marvel villain. This just exacerbates the already prevalent problem of weak villains. His arc might have a few surprises and connects well with the larger MCU, but he represents a weak aspect of the film.

I do have to give the Russos credit for not only juggling a large cast, but brilliantly introducing both Spider-Man and Black Panther into the MCU. They make it look easy, but this was extremely difficult to pull off. We know all these other characters and are now asked to embrace two more. What's funny is that those two steal nearly every scene they are in. The Spider-Man here is arguably the best version to every grace the screen. I still love Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield was fine, but Marvel in control of Spider-Man brings us what I've always wanted to see- the wise-cracking, fun-loving Webslinger from the comics. He's probably the highlight of the film in many ways and now I can't wait for his own movie next year. Black Panther was arguably harder because he had zero awareness among the larger audience. He comes across as so cool and so exciting that again, we're stoked for his own movie in a couple of years. The seamless introduction of these two characters is one of the film's biggest achievements.

I'm debating how deep to go into the cast. It's massive and will take a ton of time to mention everyone. I do need to highlight Chris Evans. He has truly become the character of Steve Rogers. I love that while this was an ensemble movie, it's really a Captain America movie. He manages to still own the movie and never gets lost among the shuffle. It was great fun seeing Robert Downey Jr as Iron Man again, and he works well as a #2. He doesn't have to lead every film. I'm glad Emily Van Camp was in this film- she's been underutilized and I want to see more of her. It was incredible to see William Hurt back after so many years. I love that this film connected to the most disconnected MCU film, The Incredible Hulk. Paul Rudd's inclusion was wonderful as he brought some great comedic relief, although he's overshadowed a bit by Tom Holland and his pitch-perfect portrayal of Spider-Man (who had many of the film's funniest lines). Chadwick Boseman is going to make an incredible Black Panther and I'm so excited to see more of him. I could keep going because the whole cast is strong, but you get the point.

Captain America: Civil War is another great MCU movie. While it isn't as good as the previous film in the Captain America franchise, it's better than the last two MCU movies (Ant-Man and Avengers: Age of Ultron). You have to feel pretty good about that. It's amazing that this mega film series hasn't lost any steam and is increasing its momentum as the 13th film comes out. This movie just generates even more excitement for what is to come.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 8



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Captain America: The First Avenger. The Avengers, Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Iron Man 3, The Incredible Hulk, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Ant-Man, Avengers: Age of Ultron