'Captain America: Civil War' Review

Captain America: Civil War is an adaptation of the beloved comic series of the same title that's been modified to conform to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I've been very excited for this film since the moment it was announced, and it's honestly the most excited I've ever been for a comic book film. The promise of a showdown not only between Captain America and Iron Man but also the rest of the Avengers alone made me giddy. Not to mention when it was announced that Sony Pictures would be collaborating with Marvel Studios to bring Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I fortunately got the opportunity to see the film Tuesday at an early screening. On the flip side, I had a terrible seat that slightly soured the experience as being that close to an IMAX 3-D screen hurt my eyes during action sequences. Due to that slightly soured experience and the fact I've been extremely busy all week, I figured it'd be best to wait and write my review after my second viewing Thursday night. Also, I'm not sure when this will be completed and apologize if it's published a little late.

'Captain America: Civil War' Review

Captain America: Civil War is the thirteenth Marvel Cinematic Universe film, the conclusion to the Captain America Trilogy (composed of Captain America: The First Avenger and Captain America: The Winter Soldier), and the kick-off point for Marvel's Phase 3. Captain America: Civil War finds the United Nations looking to instate oversight on the Avengers with the Sokovia Accords, a result of the events that befell in Avengers: Age Of Ultron. Naturally, the Avengers are split on the Accords and end up falling in one of two camps; Those opposed (Team Cap) and those in support (Team Iron Man). I won't go much further to avoid spoiling anything but many of you are probably wondering right now, "Does the movie live up to the hype?" Why, yes it does. I've seen the film twice at this point and can say it has an amazing re-watchability that made my second viewing all the more enjoyable.

Joe and Anthony Russo return to the directors chair hot off of Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and hit another home run. The Russo Brothers and the screenwriting duo of Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus manage to balance a large ensemble quite well, ensuring every character's intentions and motivations are crystal clear. They explicitly lay out the viewpoints of each character and the two opposing sides of Tony Stark and Steve Rogers. Obviously, I went in purely Team Cap and some of you may want to know if I swapped sides during the movie. While I clearly saw both sides and the pros and cons of each side, I didn't ever swap sides. In essence, this is what makes the film so brilliant.

Another excellent aspect of Civil War is the incredible action and visual effects work. The Russo Brothers and the stunt team managed to up the ante in every way imaginable. The action ranges from a tactile Avengers mission in Lagos, a rampant chase in Berlin, an INCREDIBLE airport fight sequence (I'll touch on this a bit more in a moment), and the emotional third act finale that intensified the conflict even more than I thought possible.

If you need just one reason to see Civil War, it's without a doubt the airport fight scene. The airport fight sequence has been largely teased at in the marketing material but the marketing team wisely kept the best footage for the film itself and oh, boy is it good. The airport scene is about twenty minutes of twelve superheroes fighting each other and its amazing. My jaw was agape for a majority of it, when I wasn't laughing of course. It's not just great to see hero vs. hero, it's amazing because each hero fights the other at some point in the sequence bringing every comic book geek's hero matchup fantasies to the big screen. I'd daresay it's without a doubt the best action sequence I've ever seen in a comic book movie and even go as far to maybe even expand that to film in general as the fight is truly spectacular.

After the political thriller subgenera of The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War went for a psychological thriller subgenera. Psychological thrillers dive into the unstable emotional and psychological states of its characters, which Civil War handles brilliantly. Really, when it comes down to it, every character was terrific and enjoyable. Do remember this is a CAPTAIN AMERICA movie though, not an AVENGERS sequel. Therefore most of the Avengers drama is a secondary plot line, and not the primary focus of the film. One thing I liked was that each character had a reason and purpose to be involved in the conflict, no character felt shoehorned in. Now, I'm not going to go super specific as to each character and performance but I'll definitely touch on the major players.

Chris Evans reprises the role of Captain America for the fifth time (sixth if you include his Thor: The Dark World cameo), and seems snug in the role at this point, understanding the character Steve Rogers inside and out. And Evans ensures he doesn't get too comfortable as he continually pushes himself in this film, allowing for some terrific tension between Rogers and Stark. Evans is clearly the definite Captain America at this point and I can't see a replacement in the foreseeable future.

Robert Downey Jr. gives his best turn as Tony Stark yet. Downey puts his A-game forth as he gives the most emotionally-grounded performance thus far. Trust me, in the pivotal third act Downey doesn't hold back, and unleashes his gravitas in an emotionally fueled fight between Captain America and Iron Man that will put every audience member on the edge of their seat.

Downey's snarky humor is downplayed here, but very evident when acting alongside Tom Holland so it's no surprise he's been added to Spider-Man: Homecoming as the dynamic between the two was definitely a highlight of the film. Downey, like Evans, would be impossible to replace, so here's to hoping he'll stick around in the MCU.

Sebastian Stan's back as the Winter Soldier and is provided the opportunity to really dive into Bucky's psyche following the events of Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Stan gives a tortured performance as Bucky that reveals his situation's much more incredibly complex than it looks at first glance. The film really makes his friendship with Steve a focal point of the story and ongoing conflict that's a satisfying payoff to those who have kept up with this arc through the Captain America trilogy.

Scarlett Johansson returns as the shifty Black Widow and her history as a double agent certainly makes her role in the film incredibly interesting.

Anthony Mackie recurs as Sam Wilson, and Falcon's at the height of his coolness this time around as the creative team found really interesting uses for his wings with a few nods to the comics (i.e. Redwing). It'd also be unfair to remiss the great moments between Bucky, Falcon, and Captain America, as there's one bro-moment that will leave you dying of laughter.

Don Cheadle is back as James Rhodes, and has an extremely important role to play amidst the conflict. I liked the upgraded War Machine armor, and thought it looked awesome onscreen (the same can be said for Iron Man's armor as well).

Elizabeth Olsen and Paul Bethany are back as Scarlet Witch and Vision following their onscreen debut in Avengers: Age Of Ultron, and they have an small subplot that definitely hints towards interesting things in their future. Both are phenomenal and my favorite moments of theirs were their scenes together, as the chemistry is perfect!

There are even a few smaller scale MCU characters brought in the conflict in Hawkeye and Ant-Man that allow for some levity to the seriousness of the situation. Jeremy Renner's proven that Hawkeye is a cool character at this point, and has some terrific action sequences/cool moments that were very enjoyable to watch. Paul Rudd returns after his MCU debut in Ant-Man as Scott Lang, and gets the opportunity to be a part of a few moments that will make fans squeal or laugh uncontrollably. 

As for the new characters, this film introduces two huge superheroes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Panther and Spider-Man. Chadwick Boseman was a perfect choice as T'Challa, the prince of Wakanda, a.k.a. the Black Panther. Boseman uses a very authentic fictional accent that he and his dialect coach spent a great deal of time researching that works incredibly well. Boseman has a very personal stake in the conflict but is unique being very distanced from both sides' viewpoints with his own agenda and definitely expresses that in his dramatic turn. Black Panther is awesome in the film and is given some of the coolest action and stunt work.

Tom Holland is unique in the sense of getting to play Peter Parker at the actual age of a High Schooler in comparison to previous incarnations. Holland makes it abundantly clear this is a young Spider-Man in the conflict and that's what's so fascinating about it. It was incredible to see Spider-Man swing around and quip with all our other favorite Marvel characters. Spidey/Peter Parker has about 30 minutes of screen time, and I can say based on what I've seen I loved this interpretation of Spider-Man, as it's very different to anything we've seen before. I can't quite go far enough to say it's the best because honestly I haven't seen enough to actually compare Holland to Maguire or Garfield. I can say that he has potential to be the best incarnation of the web-head though. On another note, both character's costumes looks exceptional, and I can't wait for both of these characters' upcoming respective standalone movies! 

Emily VanCamp has a relatively small role in comparison to all the heroes running around, but an important one nonetheless as Sharon Carter. Martin Freeman has a minuscule role in the film as Everett Ross, but I'm hoping to see him pop up in Black Panther down the line as his role is very Agent Coulson-esque, and I've definitely missed Coulson in the films. 

Believe it or not, there are actually one or two villains in the movie. But don't worry, none of it detracts from the main ideological conflict between the star spangled man and the armored avenger. Daniel Brühl is an interesting case as Zemo. I can't discuss too much of his role but I'll say he's malicious and genius. His evil plan relies on a few coincidences and seems a bit odd at first but once all is revealed, everything fits together perfectly. I can say he's certainly the most successful Marvel villain and definitely one of the most evil, but he's nowhere near as compelling as Loki. Brühl's performance is terrific and his plan is brilliant. For some reason I didn't find myself engaged in the character himself, but who knows, that could certainly change if he returns later down the line. 

Frank Grillo has a relatively small, yet pivotal role in the film that continues his arc from The Winter Solider as he returns as Brock Rumlow, now dubbed Crossbones. Unfortunately, he doesn't get the opportunity to leave too much of a lasting mark, only appearing in the opening action sequence, but he was fine in the capacity used. Certainly not a standout Marvel villain, or anything along those lines. I would also be remised not to inform you that there's two post credits scenes so stay all the way through the credits as they're worth the wait. Although you may need to do a bit of research afterwards to understand if you aren't familiar with these characters. 

In reality, many will obviously compare Civil War to Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, and it's almost impossible not to given the many similarities. And with that being said, Captain America: Civil War is everything Batman v Superman should have been, considering it actually had a backbone with a pre-existing universe. What makes Civil War so rewarding is that it's lain on the foundation of twelve previous films in this cinematic universe that has brought each of these characters to this very point. I can't praise the film highly enough and you should definitely see it.

If you're still unfamiliar with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and feel the need to catch up, I can say that Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age Of Ultron are the only films truly necessary to jump in. If you want to understand all the references I'd recommend watching these select eight Marvel films in the order of Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Avengers, Iron Man 3, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Avengers: Age Of Ultron, and Ant-Man (all the blue text found in this review are hyperlinks to my reviews of the perspective film).

After my second viewing, Civil War cemented itself as my favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe film to date, and Captain America: Civil War in my opinion is the greatest comic book film since The Dark Knight. Captain America: Civil War is unique and proves that the comic book genre can be transcended to become something even greater than just an enjoyable film-going experience.

Film Assessment: A+