1. Iron Man (Watch)
The conflict of Captain America: Civil War is generated by a piece of legislation intended to hold superhumans accountable for their actions. This legislation causes a split between the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with one side being led by Iron Man, the hero of the first Marvel Cinematic Universe film. Iron Man is a must-watch in preparation for Civil War because it provides necessary information about Iron Man that will explain why he takes the lead in fighting for the side he does in Civil War.
2. Thor (Skip)
The simple reason for skipping this one is that none of the characters from this film will even appear in Captain America: Civil War, and the fairly stand-alone nature of Thor ensures that those who have not see it will still understand Civil War.
3. Captain America: The First Avenger (Watch)
As I said, Captain America: Civil War will see the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe divided. One side is led by Iron Man, and the other side is led by Captain America. Therefore, this origin story film is necessary viewing for the same reason Iron Man is necessary viewing: The First Avenger provides insight into why Captain America would take the side he does in Civil War.
4. The Avengers (Optional)
This is a hard one to rank because there is little in this movie that will affect your understanding of Civil War. Basically, all that happens in this film is that the heroes of the Marvel Cinematic Universe are assembled for the first time to form the Avengers, and in the process it becomes clear that there are a few ideological differences between Captain America and Iron Man. Basically, this film will just give you the beginnings of some of the relationships we will see in Civil War. My recommendation would be to watch it if you have the time, but don't worry about it if you don't have time.
5. Iron Man 3 (Skip)
Though I personally think this one is a little better than the original Iron Man movie, no new information is given to us in this one that will impact Civil War in any way. For the purposes of preparing for Civil War, this one is a skip.
6. Thor: The Dark World (Skip)
This film (just like the first Thor film) shares no characters in common with Civil War and the story of this installment is even more standalone in nature than the original Thor film. So, this, like the first Thor film, can safely be skipped before watching Civil War.
7. Captain America: The Winter Soldier (Watch)
It's hard to talk about why this one is important without talking about spoilers, so suffice it to say that in some respects Civil War is a direct sequel to two different films. The first is The Winter Soldier. Several storylines that began in this film will be continued in Civil War, and so Civil War will probably be difficult to follow if you haven't seen The Winter Soldier beforehand.
8. Avengers: Age of Ultron (Watch)
Remember when I said that Civil War is a direct sequel to two films? Well, Age of Ultron is the second one. Civil War has been advertised as something of an aftermath movie to Age of Ultron, and given the storyline of Age of Ultron and what we know of the plot of Civil War, this 99.9% certain to be true. So make sure to watch Age of Ultron before you go see Civil War.
9. Ant-Man (Optional)
The hero of Ant-Man will be in Civil War, and one of the few parts of the movie I have seen is the way he is introduced to the story. Believe me, his appearance will seem a little out of the blue if you haven't seen Ant-Man, but it won't be anything you'll leave the theater scratching your head about if you haven't seen Ant-Man. So, like I said with The Avengers, watch it if you can before you go see Civil War. However, if you don't get a chance to watch Ant-Man, don't worry about it. Civil War will still make sense without it.
* * *
Well there you have it. If you haven't seen any of the previous Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and would like to see Civil War (or if you've seen them and want to refresh your memory on all the important stuff before seeing Civil War), you should watch Iron Man, Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Avengers: Age of Ultron before you head to the theaters this weekend. And, if you have the time, throw The Avengers and Ant-Man in there as well. Watching these movies before Civil War will help you better understand what is going on in Civil War when you see it. If you are a parent, and aren't sure if these movies are safe for your kids, check out the Plugged In Online reviews listed below. Also, keep an eye out for my review of Captain America: Civil War later this week!
Optional films:
No comments:
Post a Comment