As I predicted in my post about the previous Marvel movies that are important for understanding this film, Civil War is a direct sequel to both Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron. After an opening flashback scene that offers up some insight into the brainwashing process that turned Captain America's best friend into the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), the present-day events of the film kick off with Captain America (Chris Evans) leading the new Avengers in a mission to take down one of the villains from Winter Soldier: Brock Rumlow (Frank Grillo). This battle ends in the deaths of civilians, some of whom were scientists from the normally seclusive country of Wakanda. King T'Chaka (John Kani) of Wakanda demands that the Avengers be held accountable for their actions. In response, the United Nations create the Sokovian Accords, which will see the Avengers become an organization under government supervision. Tony Stark aka Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), who feels very guilty about the events that transpired in Age of Ultron, readily agrees to the legislation. Captain America, on the other hand, sees the legislation as a removal of the Avengers' right to chose. After hearing both Stark and Cap, the Avengers begin to decide whether they will sign the legislation or not.
At first, the conflict is purely ideological, as the Avengers who did sign the legislation try to convince the ones who didn't to sign it. But when Cap gets a lead on the whereabouts of the Winter Soldier, he goes into action, thereby violating the law. Things just escalate from there, culminating in a massive Avengers vs. Avengers battles.
The storyline is much more complex than this, with a storyline of a man named Helmut Zemo (Daniel Bruhl) working behind the scenes to "bring down an empire." However, discussing this and other storylines in the film would involve venturing into spoiler territory, so it's best to just move on.
I loved this film. This film doesn't fit the stereotypical superhero film mold. I am aware that I said this of Batman v Superman, but this film is better than Batman v Superman. Civil War takes time to delve into some heavy issues, including liberty, the proper use of security, and revenge. The themes of liberty and security come out in the debate between Cap and Stark, and while the film doesn't tell us which of them is right (something the filmmakers have said they did on purpose in order to spark conversations on the issue among fans), it does a great job of presenting the arguments for both sides. Regardless of whether you agree with Cap or Stark, you will find yourself understanding where the other person is coming from. The theme of revenge comes up in the storylines of Zemo and Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), and sadly this is not something I can talk about much without spoiling the end of the movie. Suffice it to say that the film handles this theme well and demonstrates the danger of letting oneself being driven by vengeance. The film handles these themes well, all while offering up the genuine laughs and amazing action scenes we've come to expect from Marvel Cinematic Universe films.
Before moving on to what I didn't like about this film, I want make mention of the two new heroes that were introduced in this film: Black Panther and Spider-Man (Tom Holland). One of the amazing things about this movie is that despite the fact that it is already a complex film, Civil War provides us with an origin story for Black Panther that is well-executed and in a manner that flows naturally with the main story. Due to Black Panther's motivations, you're never quite sure how exactly he is going to act as the main storyline unfolds, and this adds a level of intrigue to the movie. Meanwhile, the introduction of Spider-Man foregoes the origin story (thank God), and assumes that you have some understanding of who Peter Parker is already. Spider-Man felt a little shoehorned into the movie to me, but Tom Holland is a lot of fun to watch in the role, providing a lot of hilarious moments during the Avengers vs. Avenger battle. Therefore, this character is a welcome addition to the cast, even if he does feel shoehorned in.
My only real problem with this film is the depiction of Brock Rumlow and Helmut Zemo. In the comics, both characters are major Captain America villains, and I felt the film didn't do them justice. Marvel has a chance to redeem itself with Zemo because they left the door open for him to return, but Rumlow's storyline ends on a rather disappointing note in this film, with no chance of him returning in future films. This is especially disappointing since his return was setup in Winter Soldier. Marvel, here's a free tip: never give a character more to do in the movie you set him up in than in the film where he appears as a full superhero/villain. This is a problem I also had with Age of Ultron and the depiction of Baron Strucker. Ever since the appearance of Red Skull in the first Captain America film, Marvel just can't seem to get Captain America's villains right. For me, this was especially disappointing in the cases of Strucker and Zemo because I've had previous exposure to this character in one of Marvel's cartoon series, and I know the kind of evil presence they can bring to the screen. Unfortunately, neither of these characters really met the expectations I had for them when they appeared in the movies. Strucker was a whimpy character, and Zemo was basically just a not as interesting version of Loki (the villain of the first Thor and Avengers movies).
Despite my complaints about the depictions of these villains, these film is a lot of fun and I highly recommend checking this one out this weekend. Parents should be aware, though, that there is some language in this film that isn't the most appropriate for young children to hear and some of the action sequences may be a little intense for young children as well. If you would like further details on the content of the film before taking the family to go see this, check out Plugged In Online's review of the film here.
This film was loads of fun.
ReplyDeleteNice review.
- Zach