Trailer Trashin’: Hero versus Hero in the Second Captain America: Civil War Trailer
I hope you all enjoyed your Saint Patrick’s Day, dear readers, and are ready for the arrival of spring. My birthday was also this past weekend, and it was definitely a happy one. This Friday finally sees the release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, the first live-action meeting between the Man of Steel and the Dark Knight. And fittingly, this week’s installment of Trailer Trashin’ takes a look at another upcoming superhero clash, with the new Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War trailer.
Premise: One year after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron, another international incident involving the Avengers results in collateral damage, prompting politicians to form a system of accountability and a governing body to determine when to call in the team. When Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) attempts to protect his friend Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) from this act, he is brought into conflict with Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.). This results in the fracturing of the Avengers into two opposing factions – one led by Rogers who wishes to operate without regulation, and the other led by Stark who supports government oversight – while the world is threatened by a new enemy.
My take: It’s hard to believe that the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been part of our lives for almost eight years now. I can still remember seeing Iron Man (2008) for the first time at my local theater, and while I loved the film from that first viewing, I certainly had no idea of what it would lead to. After the one-two punch of Avengers: Age of Ultron and Ant-Man last year, Marvel Studios is kicking off the next phase of its film slate with Captain America: Civil War. In addition to being inspired by one of the most famous stories from the comics, this film also marks the MCU debut of Spider-Man, the flagship character of Marvel Comics. This is the second full trailer for Captain America: Civil War, and it looks awesome.
One of the greatest strengths of the MCU is the casting. Every actor and actress in these movies has fit their role like a glove, and I can’t imagine anyone else playing these characters. Watching Captain America and Iron Man play off each other was great in the two Avengers films, and having that personality conflict front and center is great stuff. I’m glad to see more of Cap’s supporting cast, like Bucky/Winter Soldier, Falcon (Anthony Mackie), and Agent 13 (Emily VanCamp). As someone who loved Ant-Man, it’s great to see Paul Rudd back as Scott Lang, and I look forward to seeing him interact with the other Avengers. The most prominent new character so far is Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther, a character I’ve been anticipating for quite a while, and he looks really cool so far. For Marvel fans like me, it’s nice to see William Hurt back as Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross, the first cast member from The Incredible Hulk (2008) to return in any of the subsequent films. And this trailer also gives us our first look at Tom Holland as Spider-Man, but more about him later.
The action looks really impressive so far. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo did a great job with the action in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and it seems they’ve upped their game even further here. While we’ve seen the Avengers fight each other in previous films, this one throws new characters like Ant-Man, Black Panther, and Spider-Man into the mix. One of the coolest things we’ve seen about Black Panther so far is the very catlike way that he moves and fights. He leaps and pounces, using the claws on his gloves to slash and cut. This is shown to great effect in the scene of him chasing a motorcycle-riding Bucky, which Black Panther disables by leaping forward and slashing the bike’s rear tire with his claws. The biggest action set-piece we see is the battle between the two factions of Avengers at a German airport. It’s so cool to see all these superheroes squaring off against each other, and it really feels like a splash page from a comic book. My favorite bit is Hawkeye firing an arrow at Iron Man, and the arrow breaks apart in midair to reveal a miniaturized Ant-Man, who slips between Iron Man’s fingers and lands on his gauntlet. And since the nature of the real threat hasn’t been revealed yet, there’s still plenty of action we haven’t seen.
Of course, the biggest thing about this trailer is the final moments, with the reveal of the new Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland. The design of his costume does differ a bit from the classic look in the comics, but it’s still instantly recognizable as Spidey. While some might complain, I like that he actually sounds like a kid; for anyone who’s wondering, Tom Holland will be nineteen when this movie comes out. If you listen closely, you can hear some kind of machinery when the “eyes” of Spidey’s mask narrow, so clearly there’s some sort of technology in the mask. Maybe a gift from Tony Stark? Anyway, I’m eager to see more of the web-slinger.
As you can tell, I’m really excited for this one. I’ve enjoyed every film in the MCU so far, and I look forward to the new ones every year. Captain America: Civil War looks like a great way to kick off the 2016 summer movie season, and I definitely want to check it out on opening weekend.
ANTICIPATION: Moviegoers assemble!
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, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, Daniel Bruhl, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Martin Freeman
Directors: Anthony Russo and Joe Russo
Writers: Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, based on Captain America by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
Timothy Monforton
