Captain America: Civil War Review

Intro: The Marvel World's Finest

It’s very rare that we as filmgoers get a movie like Captain America: Civil War. Quite frankly, it’s a miracle the film even exists. Considering it features in-fighting between 12 superheroes, the breakdown of one friendship and the rebuilding of another, and a complete reshaping of the Marvel landscape going forward, it’s miraculous that the Russo Brothers’ direction makes this all look so easy.

A film that could’ve easily swelled into a pseudo-Avengers sequel somehow manages to not only justify every periphery superhero, giving them a purpose and a character arc, but does so without sacrificing the focus on its true hero, Steve Rogers. It is, after all, a Captain America movie, and while it may not seem like that at first glance, by the time the credits role you’ll see why Cap is the heart and soul of this picture.

Steve’s role at the center of this superhero epic makes the whole film at once a giant spectacle (literally, at one point) and an intensely focused character piece. That perfect fusion of action and emotion is why, after three viewings, I can easily put this at the top of my favorite MCU films. Civil War is not only a near perfect superhero movie, but a fantastic movie, period.

There's History Here

While Steve is, of course, the main character here, the main thrust of the film comes from his dual relationships with Robert Downey Jr.’s Tony Stark/Iron Man (delivering probably his best Marvel performance since his original film) and Sebastian Stan’s Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier. By wisely focusing on Steve’s friendships with Bucky and Tony, the Russo Brothers manage to adapt the best ideas and elements of the Civil War event comic into a new story that actually improves on its source. 

Whereas the comic had Tony and Cap divided over superhero regulation, making Tony into an actual villain, the film turns Tony into an antagonist opposing Cap without sacrificing his humanity. In fact, Tony’s arguments make just as much sense as Steve’s, and the film is set up in such a way that you can choose any side you want and not come off as “right” or “wrong.” Whether you’re Team Cap or Team Iron Man doesn’t matter- by the end of the film, you’ll be surprised to find what you want them to do is stop fighting.

The political motivations that ultimately divide the Avengers help set up the larger conflict, but really only play a backseat to the central story of Cap trying to save Bucky. It’s very much a continuation of The Winter Soldier, but also builds off the themes of Age of Ultron and every other earthbound film in the MCU canon.

As such, it not only acts as a great resolution to the core Captain America film trilogy (which may go down as one of the best superhero trilogies ever) but as a culmination of the MCU up to this point. Subtle nods to past films and a now built-in chemistry between the cast reinforces this, as we now intimately know these characters and find it heart wrenching when the split occurs. This movie simply could not work without the 12 films leading into it. That may seem off-putting to first-time viewers, but it’s merely a sign that the Marvel films have finally created a mythology as dense and exciting as the comic books.

Along Came a Spider (and a Panther, too)

A mythology that keeps on growing, thanks to the new additions of Black Panther and (at long last) Spider-Man. Both are pitch perfect representations from the comics, with Chadwick Boseman’s Panther particularly standing out. Not only is Panther’s role here a great introduction, but it also affords him a fully realized character arc that compliments Cap and Tony. Regal, imposing, and badass all at the same time, Boseman brings comics’ first major black superhero to life in the best way possible.

Tom Holland’s Peter Parker is a delight, as with only 30 minutes of screen time, this unassuming teen manages to fully embody everything millions of fans (myself included) love about Spider-Man. Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield may have gotten certain parts of the Wall Crawler right, but Holland here is the full package. He brings so much confidence and humility to the role that it’s hard not to smile every time he’s on screen, in and out of the suit.

While his role doesn’t amount to much, Peter does play an important part as the outsider looking in on the Avengers conflict. His gee-whiz attitude to meeting Steve and Tony only makes him that much more enduring. And I hate to sound like a broken record, but major props for including Marvel’s most iconic character without shifting the focus away from Cap. Even more props for introducing Spidey and Black Panther in a way that serves the story organically, without grinding the plot and pacing to a halt. It’s just another sign of how great this film is.

While every other hero is given a chance to shine (yes, even Hawkeye), the others that stood out to me aside from Cap, Tony, Bucky, Spidey and Panther were the *ahem* “large” role given to Paul Rudd’s Scott Lang/Ant-Man and the tender, budding relationship between Scarlet Witch and Vision. Not only did they make the long-time comics relationship work on screen, but it also gave both characters more depth than their introductions in Age of Ultron.

Giant Superheroes All-Out Attack

The fact that each and every character weaves in and out of the story in both serious and humorous ways is one of the film’s greatest strengths. It all culminates in a battle between the two Avengers teams at an airport terminal that is easily the best superhero fight in cinematic history. Forget the Spider-Man 2 train fight, the New York Avengers battle, the Dark Knight truck chase or even the Smallville and Metropolis duels in Man of Steel. This battle has it all. Every hero clashes in a perfect showcase of powers and personality, in ways that will make both movie and comic nerds extremely happy.

And this is all without even mentioning the film’s closest thing to a real villain, Daniel Bruhl’s Zemo. He doesn’t match the Avengers in strength, but manages to cause more damage to the team than Ultron, HYDRA or Loki ever could. Bruhl pulls off the role masterfully, acting more like a Bond villain than supervillain here. He’s suave and sophisticated, but also harbors an inner rage that makes him one of the most human foes these super humans have ever faced. He may not have the theatrics of comic-book Zemo, but the depth given to this version makes him one of the better villains to come out of the MCU.

Conclusion: Let Them (Not) Fight

So after praising the ever living hell out of this film, are there any flaws? Well, the pacing is off a tad in the first act, a byproduct of setting up all the moving parts. Even so, it’s never boring and always a joy to watch, never really hampering the overall film. Any other flaws are minor in the grand scheme of things, nitpicks in a near perfect production. Every single aspect of this movie only serves to strengthen the core story, which despite being a commentary on the consequences of power, is ultimately about a friendship being ripped apart.

Once the spectacle of the airport battle dies down, the film wisely refocuses on the core Steve-Bucky-Tony relationship, making for an incredibly emotional finale that asks us not to fear for their lives, but for the state of their friendship. It’s a glorious start to Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with consequences that will carry on well into the next three years of this ever-expanding saga. 

But while the film is equally effective at playing in this huge sandbox while setting up more of it, at its heart it still remains a simple story about a man out of time. A man whose ideals inspire others to act with or against him, and how this mends one relationship while nearly destroying another. Simple stuff, but no less powerful, the stuff superhero stories are made of. The stuff that got me invested in these characters in the first place. The stuff I wanted Batman v. Superman to have, when it didn’t really have it at all. Much like Cap coming out of the ice after 70 years, Civil War is a miracle.