This is it. This is the start of the blockbuster movie season. Batman V Superman was just a taste. Captain America: Civil War is the true herald of what’s to come. I can only hope that at least half of the summer blockbusters will be even half as great. Here’s my review.
WARNING: This review is Spoiler Free however I am writing this with the assumption that you’ve seen the other movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and have seen all the Civil War trailers. I don’t think I’ve spoiled anything from the previous movies but I want to cover my butt. The last movie Avengers: Age of Ultron has been out for two years. Get with it. I won’t spoil Captain America: Civil War and you have my promise.
I’m really tired. I would like nothing more than to be in bed right now but I have all these thoughts in my head that I need to get out. This film was the best case scenario. Marvel had one movie to tell the Civil War story even though we all know the North wins… wait… wrong war. Sorry. Marvel had one movie to do it where the comics had a multiple issues. The main story may have been been told over one set of comics but to get the whole thing you had to read Captain America, Iron Man, Avengers, Spider Man, Fantastic Four, X-Men, and many more. So writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely had a big job to do. Obviously they had to change the story and I had almost no problems with the changes. They made sense when taken in the context of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe). So for a majority of movie goers, they won’t even notice nor care that much. For comic book fans, I think they’ll be fine.
Let’s get the problems out of the way and then we can get on to the good stuff. The main reason given that divides the Avengers was a bit too simple and there was one blatant error with it that rubbed me the wrong way. More was introduced as the movie progressed but the initial problem left me shaking my head. This is by no means a deal breaker but the thought never left my mind that the initial problem was a tad too simple. My second problem will have to be vague as I don’t want to spoil anything so let me say this. How some of the other heroes got pulled into the fray could have used a bit more explaining. Just an added line. “Hey we got *enter name here* because blah blah blah.” There, done. One line of exposition. The writers at least gave a half hearted attempt so it didn’t come out of no where but just one or two added lines of dialogue would have been nice. Also the shaky cam in some of the action scenes was a bit obnoxious. I’d much rather see whats going on instead of trying to focus on something while the camera bounces around like a dogs humping it. And for my last problem, the 3D wasn’t worth it… at all. There was not one scene that benefited from it. The good thing about that problem though, is that you can avoid it. See it in 2D.
Since that’s all out of the way lets talk about what the movie got right. The answer? Everything else. Let’s be honest, this is really an Avengers movie and they just put Captain America’s name on it. This film was written and shot to showcase everyone, though some more than others. Sure, Iron Man and Captain America are the two main characters but we’ve always known that. That’s been the case since the The Avengers. This time around, everyone gets their moment to shine and their powers and abilities are presented beautifully. There are still minor changes of course. Scarlet Witch had to be nerfed because if she was as strong as she was in the comics then she just has to think about it and all her enemies are dead. Also, she’s just a tad insane in the comics. But do you see what’s going on here? I’m comparing this movie to the comics and I’m not raging. That’s because it was so well done. Batman V Superman had three heroes and they just barely made an enjoyable movie. Civil War had twelve and they hit a home run. Speaking of heroes…
I was scared when Spider-Man first appears. I could even hear a few moans from the other movie goers. I’m happy to say that my fears were quickly put to rest as newcomer Tom Holland (In the Heart of the Sea) is the best Peter Parker/Spider-Man yet. I liked both TobyMaguire and Andrew Garfield because it wasn’t their fault that their respective franchises have a bad legacy, but Tom Holland is better than either of them. His delivery of dialogue is quick and snappy with sarcasm that every Spider-Fan loves. The CG for his more epic moves was done really well. Even 2014’s The Amazing Spider-Man 2 had some wonky CG but this one got it good. The airport battle, that the already famous picture below is from, reminded me of how broken Spider-Man is. He’s OP and it’s fantastic.
This movie had a good story, it was visually pleasing, and it didn’t try to overreach like other comic movies have done. They also have an amazing group of actors who are able to not only look the part but embody a character so well that you’re not watching Chris Evans play Captain America, you’re watching Captain America himself. They’re all great actors but this time around Robert Downey Jr outshined everyone. Tony Stark spends so much time talking fast and being funny that it’s easy to get lost in that and forget what a good actor RDJ really is. The others are great too but this movie belonged to him.
Now that I’ve seen the movie, I’m glad that Thor and Hulk weren’t in it. It would have been really cool to see them in the airport battle but they would have either muddled up the story, or have just been there just for fancy fight scenes. Now that I think about it, that’s a good reason for this to not be an Avengers title. They’re not all there.
It’s almost four in the morning for me so it’s time for some final thoughts. Go see this movie. It’s a perfectly done comic book movie that grabbed me and still hasn’t let me go. And oh yeah, spoilers happen and the longer you wait the bigger the chance of you stumbling upon one. Spoilers aren’t really the end of the world. A great movie is going to be a great movie no matter what. But the surprise and excitement of seeing a story unfold before your eyes can only happen once. Watch Captain America: Civil War and see it in a theater. Skip the 3D and save yourself some money.
Captain America: Civil War gets an 11 out of 11.