Captain Ameriva: Civil War
Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie
Directed by: Joe and Anthony Russo
Rated: PG-13
After 2012's massive hit, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, people had huge expectations for the 3rd installment of Captain America. I still have huge expectations for the 3rd Captain America movie. I can't wait until it's released. Marvel just released their latest Avengers movie,Captain America: Civil War.
"What are you talking about, Rebecca? This is not an Avengers movie. It says Captain America in the title." Let me ask you something, friendly doubter. Are there at least 8 Avengers in this movie? Do they each get story lines? Interesting. Sounds like an Avengers movie.
In The Avengers 3: Fight Club..... I'm sorry, I messed up the name. In Captain America: Civil War, the Avengers have been asked to answer for some of the accidental deaths that they have caused while saving the world. Due to these deaths, they are asked to sign a document from the United Nations that sanctions some of their power. This splits the team down the middle causing major problems. Throw in Steve's brainwashed best friend, the Winter Soldier (Bucky Barns) and now we got Bad Blood.
Let's talk about the aspects of Civil War that I liked. The acting was great, as usual. This is a huge cast and everyone preforms quite well. We're introduced to Chadwick Boseman (portraying Black Panther) and Tom Holland (as Spider-Man.) Both actors are great in the roles. I was very skeptical of yet another new Spider-Man being introduced on screen, but the characterization works here.
Chris Evans (Captain America) and Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man) fall on different sides on the debate which presents interesting moments between the two characters. While there are many situations that cause tension to slowly build, the return of Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) is a catalyst in the civil war between Steve and Tony.
The film does a good job balancing serious and humorous moments, something I think Marvel does well, Robert Downey Jr., Paul Rudd, and Anthony Mackie had standout humorous moments.
The film presents an interesting central dilemma. When people are dying, should the Avengers have unlimited power in stopping catastrophic events? Ultimately, it means should the Avengers work with or without the government? That's the issue that divides Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America (Chris Evans). It's a thought-provoking and timely topic and I'm sure people will fall on different sides of the debate.
My main issue with this movie is that it's overstuffed. A script simplification might have been beneficial. Without spoilers, in the 2 and a half hour runtime: we see a war within the avengers, an unnecessary villain, the introduction of 2 new heroes, a tour of the world, and more shaky fight scenes than you could count.
(Hollywood, please stop using shaky cam. Everyone hates it and it ruins everything.)
What made Captain America: The Winter Soldier so great was, at its core, it was a well written, straightforward spy thriller. Civil War feels overwhelming with the amount of ideas, characters and fights it throws at the audience.
Maybe it's just me, but I don't like watching superheroes fight. I didn't like it in Batman v. Superman and I didn't like it here. I don't want to see my favorite heroes punching each other in the face. I understand that Steve and Tony have issues with each other, but there are better ways to work your problems out than almost killing your friends.
As a huge Marvel fan, Civil War was a disappointment. There are elements of this movie I really did like. The central themes of freedom, security, honor, and loyalty are quite interesting. I just wish those themes were explored better instead of seeing The Avengers beat each other up for an hour and a half. My Rating: 6/10