Captain America: Civil War is a flawed but enjoyable
superhero flick. Where it succeeds with stylish action and smart, witty
dialogue, it falls short on a number of points. Civil War is by no means a bad
film, some of its issues are understandable, but not everything works as well
as I would have hoped.
Civil War deals with two main conflicts - The Avengers being
forced to work under the governments control drives the central plot forward,
as each hero is forced to make a choice and choose a side - register with the
government, or refuse and be forced into retirement. When Cap decides that
registering isn't the best idea, he's forced to hang up his shield, but when
Bucky re-enters the picture and a large threat is unearthed, Cap has no choice
but to don the costume once again.
Unfortunately, Iron Man, Black Widow and the rest of the
Pro-Reg team are tasked with bringing him in, as he no longer has the
governments permission to be performing heroics, so herein lies the basis of
the Civil War. It's interesting though that the final showdown is due to a
completely unrelated incident. I won't go into too much detail to avoid
spoilers, but I did find it a little odd that the writers found two separate,
unrelated events to force the opposing heroes to butt heads.
Needless to say, splitting the team down the middle leads to
some pretty great action scenes. The standout is undoubtedly the Airport
showdown. The trailers have made no secret of the fact that this is where the
main battle between both teams goes down, and Kudos to the Russo brothers for
making an incredible action scene that manages to give all combatants a chance
to shine.
Yes the Russo brothers are back, and they bring with them
the same superbly choreographed and executed fight scenes that they brought to
Winter Soldier. Things are a little more superhero-y this time, due to there
being characters like Scarlett Witch and Vision on the scene, but we also get
lots of cool, hand-to-hand action. As a huge Black Widow fan I'm always glad
when she gets a chance to cut loose, and I have to say that this is my
favourite showcase of her skills so far.
Whilst it's a good showcase for Black Widow, Cap, Bucky and
Iron Man, things aren't so smoothly balanced for everyone else. It's here that
the main flaw comes in. This is the largest ensemble we've seen so far in the
MCU, and whilst it's great to see everyone together, and the aforementioned airport
battle is one of my favourite scenes out of any Marvel movie hands down, not
all the characters get the attention they deserve.
Spiderman for instance - he is in two scenes throughout the
whole movie. And one of them he's Peter Parker. As I said before, this issue is
understandable. For the stakes to be high enough in a film like this, you need
a large amount of people, and I can't personally think of a way to make it work
and give every character a chance to shine. Tom Holland does perfectly well in
the role, playing a wise-cracking teenager who doesn't seem to understand the
seriousness of what he's wrapped up in.
Black Panther also suffers because of this. His character is
interesting, and he gets some of the coolest fight scenes thanks to his
acrobatic combat style, but his past is never explored, and nor are his
emotions, and he comes across as a vengeance driven killer, rather than a hero.
Again this is understandable, both in the context of the story and in terms of
the constrictions of having so many characters, it's just a shame to see a character with so
much potential, given so little attention. At least it's made me hyped for
their standalone films (as if I wouldn't be already).
If I had to mention one more critical, I feel like the film
peaked too soon. Once again, understandable in the context of the story, but
given how spectacular the airport battle was, the final showdown that followed
felt a little anticlimactic in comparison. Seeing Tony, Cap and Bucky all going
toe to toe with eachother was exciting, but as I've already said, the airport
scene ranks among the best that the MCU have done, so its tough to make a
mano-y-mano fight scene compare.
But enough about the bad, this is still a great movie, and I
don't want anyone to think otherwise. The writing is great, and the characters
have great chemistry with eachother (with the exception of Chris Evans and
Emily Vancamp, who's kiss seemed forced and extremely awkward). Bucky and
Falcon's relationship is amusing - two people who don't like eachother, but are
forced to work together. It's not exactly an original concept, but Sebastian
Stan and Anthony Mackie have enough charisma and charm to keep it entertaining.
Civil War isn't without its faults, but there is definitely
plenty to keep you entertained. Stylish action, great performances and well written
dialogue make up for its shortcomings, and it secures itself as a solid
addition to the MCU.
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