CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR: A Superbly Crafted, Delightfully Entertaining Superhero Ensemble

Superhero films are seemingly a dime a dozen lately. Though only the beginning of May, we have already seen the release of Deadpool, Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, and the current film Captain America: Civil War, with many more to come before the end of the year. How to distinguish a film, then, in such an overcrowded world?

The Russo Brothers, who also directed the exceptional Winter Soldier, have somehow managed to do just that. With some incredibly innovative action, some deeper, thought-provoking themes, and a plethora of dynamic characters, both old and new, Captain America: Civil War is among the very best of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The Buildup and Confrontation

Captain America: Civil War is the next in the continuing series of the Avengers. Now, after several city-wide destructions, the Avengers are under intense scrutiny by the government, who will no longer tolerate their mostly supervision-free organization. The resulting clause, called the Sokovia Accords, would require the full permission of a governing body before they could intervene in any future worldwide incidents. Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), still feeling guilty after his creation of the villainous Ultron, is completely in support of the Accords, while Captain America (Chris Evans) is suspicious of the government’s agenda, preferring for the Avengers to remain an independent organization.

Such conflicting points of view can seemingly only end in a fight, yet it’s still not quite enough. Since this is a Captain America movie, it only makes sense for the conflict to mainly focus on his decisions, which here are influenced by his past. Here, the conflict comes in the form of Bucky Barnes aka the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), who is a wanted fugitive for his war crimes, though Cap still supports him due to their history and also because Bucky had been brainwashed while committing those crimes.

The Russo Brothers really spent a great deal of effort to make the story of Civil War believable. Though they had plenty of assistance from past films, even as far back as the first Avengers, where Captain America and Iron Man were always at odds, they still needed to show some real depth to the story in order to make a film where two principal and likable superheroes fight one another. The buildup from friend to enemy is slow but steady, and by the conclusion their confrontation even becomes potentially one of the darker aspects of the entire Marvel universe.

Characters, New and Old

It’s not just Captain America and Iron Man who are fighting here, either. There are several superheroes who align with one or the other, depending on their personal point of view. On Iron Man’s side is Black Widow (Scarlet Johannson), Vision (Paul Bettany), War Machine (Don Cheadle), and newcomers Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland). And on Cap’s side are the Winter Soldier, in addition to Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). Such a numerous amount of superheroes could easily seem excessive, yet the Russo Brothers manage to seamlessly weave their interactions, and often in the least invasive way possible.

Once again, such an aspect is helped by past films, which had already introduced nearly every character present, with the exception of Black Panther and Spider-Man. Yet, they needed to also move the arcs of existing characters in a way that was credible. A character such as Ant-Man joining the Captain America side makes sense due to his past life as a criminal, while Black Panther’s alliance with Iron Man is reasonable due to his life as the son of a King. I had seen an interview with the Russo Brothers about this film, in which they conceived of the story by running through the script with each character, making sure that their arc from start to finish was engaging and never at odds with their previous motives. The writers of Batman v. Superman, with its throwaway, unlikable characters, would have benefited from the same strategy.

As mentioned, Civil War is not only a Captain America film, but also a place to introduce further stories down the line. The characters of Black Panther and Spider-Man were added to the story as a way to establish them before getting their own solo films (Black Panther is coming in February 2018, while Spider-Man: Homecoming premieres next summer). Such an addition might have made Civil War seem to be just another entry in a continuing franchise (which is often one of the more criticized aspects of Avengers: Age of Ultron), yet here they tackle the introductions with just the right amount of screen-time.

Chadwick Boseman brings a confident, strong screen presence as Black Panther, both with and without the costume, and despite only being introduced in this film, he becomes one of the film’s most memorable characters (also, his costume is just too darn cool). His screen-time is limited, but the Russo Brothers present just enough character development shrouded in mystery to make us interested in his upcoming film.

I was also really looking forward to seeing Spider-Man, who has long been my favorite comic character. Yet, despite two separate film series, he has never been properly presented on the big screen. Tobey Maguire was decent as the nerdy Peter Parker, but he was often stale and bland as the legendary superhero, while Andrew Garfield was just the opposite, playing Spider-Man well but a poor Peter Parker due to his suave manner. How perfect, then, to finally see Tom Holland, whose interpretation was a hybrid of these two aspects. As a younger incarnation of Spider-Man, he is juvenile, spunky, and clearly intelligent. He is often the film’s comic relief, which is necessary in a movie that sometimes gets almost too dark to handle.

Dark, Noirish Tone

The Marvel films are sometimes criticized for being too lighthearted, with few dark themes out of fear of alienating a younger audience. It was surprising to me, then, when greeted with the intensified action sequences of Civil War, with an emphasis on the final battle between Iron Man versus Captain America and the Winter Soldier. Though the airport scene is the film’s climactic highlight, this one dares to go even further into previously unseen territory.

Even here, though, in a scene that could seem overly stressful due to the fiery emotions of the characters, the Russo Brothers know when to hold back just enough to keep the film levelheaded. An example is when Captain America quotes the line: “I can do this all day,” a repeated quote that was part of his repertoire as far back as the first Captain America film. Little callback aspects like this are really what help to distinguish Civil War from the many superhero films out there, which could easily have dwarfed it if not done precisely right.

Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl), the film’s primary villain, though motivated by an easily predictable motive, also manages to further embellish the film with a deeper tone. Brühl, who seems particularly well-suited for playing the bad guy, is very much Marvel’s version of Lex Luthor. Though he is not a fighter on his own, he is instead intent on simply setting plans in motion, and then sitting back as the world comes apart before him.

Zemo is one of the stronger Marvel villains, which makes the further addition of the character Crossbones (Frank Grillo) dull in comparison. A followup to his character in The Winter Soldier, Crossbones is all but wasted by the conclusion of the film, really lending little to no impact on its events. In a film with mostly fleshed-out characters, the character of Crossbones is unfortunately one of its more forgettable aspects.

Intense, Beautifully Choreographed Action

At the end of the day, though, Captain America: Civil War is a superhero film, and as such there are numerous acts of adrenaline-pumping action. There are four main battle sequences in the film, starting with the initial battle with the Avengers and ending with the aforementioned Iron Man versus Captain America and Winter Soldier fight. The airport scene, though, is likely to be the one that people will think back on fondly. In a scene that seems to stretch on for a great deal of time, yet thankfully never wears out its welcome, it features nearly every character from each side in its fight.

The tone here, thankfully, is dialed down lighter than the rest. After all, many of these characters are actually friends in person, and as such they are not trying to kill one another. Some highlights here include the boyish attitude of Spider-Man, the claw-slashing attacks of Black Panther, Scarlet Witch’s strengthened abilities, and, without dropping any spoilers, a huge moment for the character Ant-Man. It is pure, absolute, unbridled entertainment, which made me feel like a kid again watching cartoons on Saturday mornings. The Russo Brothers really understood the childlike wonderment of superheroes, and they capture that in a scene that is rarely rivaled in the genre.

Conclusion

Captain America: Civil War is easily amongst the very best in a mostly exceptional line of superhero films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With deeper themes and a darker tone, it also manages to imbue some of the more wildly entertaining action scenes that I have yet to see in a comic book movie. Though the many characters may seem overwhelming, and some of them appear wasted by the conclusion, it mostly consists of an impressive array of both new and old, and also contains quite possibly the best on-screen adaptation of the character Spider-Man.

In a year already piling up with superheroes, Captain America: Civil War is the most memorable thus far. It manages to not only be a perfect conclusion for the Captain America series, but it also sets up films and stories in a way that makes me even more excited for the future of this franchise.

[highlighted_p boxed=”false” center=”false”]Have you seen Captain America: Civil War? How would you rate it in terms of the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

Captain America: Civil War is now out in cinemas around the world.