Movie Review: Captain America: Civil War
What We Liked
What We Didn't Like
The 2016 summer movie season officially kicks off this year with Captain America: Civil War. When we last left Steve Rogers in Captain America: Winter Soldier (2014) he had disrupted the entire espionage world, and saved millions of lives by the way, by foiling the plot of Hydra to take over S.H.I.E.L.D. from within. Also, his oldest frenemy, Bucky/Winter Soldier, had saved his life after their fight when he really did not have to do so. Then Bucky vanished.
This new chapter takes place after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) and Cap is still searching for Bucky in between Avenging duties, of course.
Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, who also wrote the first two Captain America films, wrote Captain America: Civil War. The director is also a two-hander, as it was done by Joe and Anthony Russo who deftly guided the last Cap film – Winter Soldier and are set to take on Avengers: Infinity Wars next. This is clearly a creative group of people that know their subject matter well by this point.
The film reunites many main characters from the previous Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films and adds some new faces too. The monster-sized cast includes: Chris Evans (Steve Rogers/Captain America), Robert Downey Jr. (Tony Stark/Iron Man), Sam Wilson (Falcon), Chadwick Boseman (T’Challa/Black Panther). Paul Rudd (Scott Lang/Ant-Man), Scarlett Johansson (Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow), Jeremy Renner (Clint Barton/Hawkeye), Paul Bettany (Vision), Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlet Witch), and Tom Holland (Peter Parker/Spider-Man).
The film opens with a great set piece of action set in Nigeria. Cap and friends are trying to capture/stop Crossbones (Frank Grillo). They do not know what he is up to but know it cannot be anything good. We last saw Crossbones when he was just a regular S.H.I.E.L.D. spec ops guy until he got flash fried and a building fell on top of him. He took that personally and intends to make Cap pay. The fallout from this fight, and the collateral human damage lead to the overarching problem in the Avengers’ world.
For all the lives the Avengers save, there are always some that they cannot. In fact, sometimes their very efforts can lead to unintended consequences and horrible things can happen. Any cop or soldier has the same burden to bear. The super heroes naturally feel that burden in an exponential fashion – as does the world around them.
The film then provides us with a quick peak into Bucky’s past, a mission that seems quite simple but has far reaching ramifications plot-wise. Then we proceed to the meat of the conflict.
Just as in the comic plot line, that this screenplay takes its cue from, the world has reached its limit with the repercussions of living with gods among them. Secretary of State Ross (William Hurt) reads them the butcher’s bill. The battles they have fought have had severe consequences. None worse than if they had not fought at all. Still, consequences nonetheless that must be accounted for. The UN’s solution is the Secovia Accords. The UN decides to co-opt the Avengers. The team members can sign on and bow to UN dictates or retire. Thus the debate amongst the team members begins and the divide is created. Both sides have valid point of views, which is the damnable thing about this conflict. Stark is for security and accountability. Rogers is for liberty and living with your conscience at the behest of no committee or faceless group with their opposing agendas.
This genuine debate, which we see only too painfully in our own real-world body politic, presents an immense challenge for the Avengers family. So they fight. First with words, then later with fists during an airport sequence which is truly a comic book splash page come to life. Only the sheer scope of the upcoming Infinity Wars, with nearly every major Marvel character involved, tells me there is any hope of the Russo’s topping themselves after this battle.
I must say that the Russo’s balanced the huge cast with immense subtlety and integrity. No character gets shorted. They all shine. Basically the same way a maestro conducts an orchestra. Particularly enjoyable were Black Panther, Ant-Man, and Spider-Man. The newbies really help and fit in nicely with the big name MCU talent. At the same time, the story never drifts too far away from its center; as Captain America, Evans really aced the dramatic parts with as much skill as he hurls his shield around.
The weakest point of most super hero flicks is the villain. In this case, Zemo (David Bruhl) will undoubtedly get some heat from some quarters. He is not as flashy/funny as Loki. And…oh wait, that really is the only great Marvel villain to date. (Ergo, my point about the villains.) But seriously, the fact that Zemo feels a bit underwhelming is sort of a point in the film’s favor. He Lex Luthor’s the Avengers using his brain (and yes some murderous impulses too). The folks that may cast stones at Zemo here should stop to consider that he is “us.” In this film Zemo is the ordinary guy caught up in the collateral damage aspect of the Avengers ascendance into the modern age. His reactions are not too far off from how you or I may want to respond if we were in his place – although hopefully we manage not to do so. Murder is bad after all. Remember?
All in all, Captain America: Civil War is an awesome flick. As much for the debate it creates as for the super-fun you have enjoying the spectacle and character interplay.
Steven Gahm
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