I am a couple of weeks late, but I needed to see this film a few more times before writing a review. So far there have been 4 super hero films released this year (X-Men review coming soon) and this one is by far the best. Not only is this film rich with great super hero action, but it has an engaging plot and some emotionally heavy moments.
I Can Do This All Day
Oddly enough, while the action is what may stand out for most people, I loved the plot above all else. It may start off a bit rough (more on that later), but it truly evolves into something special. Everything that happens in the film feels natural, mainly because the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been slowing building to this since the very first Iron Man film. The plot naturally calls for many characters to be used throughout the film. There are definitely a lot of characters for the film to juggle, but mostly everyone felt like they had a purpose. The standout characters for me are definitely Tony, Steve, Bucky and newcomer T’Challa. It has already been established that Tony has a troubled relationship with his dad and this film took that relationship even further. We even got a glimpse into this relationship with his mother, which was incredibly rewarding. The Tony Stark we see in this film is far different than the one from the first or even second Iron Man films. In those early films he would never adhere to the governments’ demands, thinking that the world would be better off without the government intervening with his actions as Iron Man. Since those early films Tony has had some major screw ups (Hello Ultron) that made him realize he may need someone to hold him on a leash. On the other hand, we have a very different Steve Rogers as well. In the first Captain America film he would follow the governments’ orders, but it was not until the first Avengers film that he began questioning those authoritarian figures. From The Avengers onward Steve has had secrets kept from him by the same governing forces he used to obey. This is what leads him to choose the side against government intervention. I loved seeing how the film used the evolution of these characters to wedge a rift between them. As far as Bucky’s role in the plot, we get a better understanding of his tortured past as The Winter Soldier. Of course, with the ending, it is also revealed that he killed Tony’s parents. This has been hinted at in the second Captain America film, but it was nice to see it played out on screen with Tony wanting revenge for the death of his mother. The plot had a great challenge with the inclusion of T’Challa/Black Panther. We have never seen this character on screen, but the film does a phenomenal job interweaving his storyline with the main plot. It completely organic and even had a great resolution where it seems like Steve will be hanging around in Wakanda with his new pal T’Challa. Speaking of which, I am immensely intrigued by the end of the film. Steve never wanted to kill Tony, but he just wanted to defend his friend. Tony was out for blood, so it is not clear whether or not he is at peace with Steve and Bucky. I personally think it would be interesting if they do not team up again until maybe Infinity War Part 2 (title will change eventually).
Hey Everyone
Before delving into my few gripes with the film, I still have some more praise to give. Sticking with characters, I do want to mention the villainous Zemo and Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Zemo is not a great villain, but he is much better than most of Marvel’s past attempts. His path to revenge is riddled with coincidences, but his motivation is what makes him more compelling than the average villain. We also have Spider-Man in this film, who was maybe not entirely necessary, but absolutely welcome. I mentioned earlier how the characters are almost all organically woven into the narrative, but this is not true for good ol’ Spidey. He is more forced than the rest, but it is hard to complain when the film nailed his character as well as it did. The fight scenes are also quite amazing and while most people will say the airport battle is the standout, I love the final battle between Cap, Iron Man, and Bucky. That battle was fueled by emotion, which made me so much more invested in what was going on screen. As far as what I did not like about the film, it is mainly that the beginning felt a bit choppy to me. There were several strange choices like how the lady was waiting for Tony by the elevator, or the fact that Vision was not brought along to the mission in Lagos. Along with that, the beginning just did not flow as well as the rest of the film did later on.
Closing Remarks
While I still think Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a superior film, this one is very close. It had a lot of characters and plot lines to juggle, but it did so very well. Not everything in the film worked particularly well, but for the most part Captain America: Civil War succeeds as one of the most rewarding comic book films.