Movie Night- Captain America: Civil War

5/9/2016

Captain America: Civil War

Welcome to Movie Night with Brandon, which is basically my excuse to discuss and review any film I feel like. Whether it's a brand new film or an older one, it's whatever I feel like doing. With all that out of the way, let's talk about some movies. 

I know you think this review is a little late, but I wanted to see the film twice before I gave my full thoughts about it. Although seeing a film like this opening weekend is fun, I like seeing them again with a quiet, less enthusiastic theater so I can think about as a film, not an event. Don't get me wrong, I liked this movie a lot and I'm on the verge of loving it, but there are a few things that keep me from completely falling in love with it. After I give my review and final grade I will discuss some spoilers, so read after the review so we can go into some specifics. 

First lets discuss the things I liked about Civil War. Once again, Marvel nails the casting of it's heroes. I'm assuming you want to know what I think of the new Spider-Man and our first on screen look of Black Panther right out of the gate. Chadwick Boseman did a great job with the role of Black Panther and really sold me on his character. I didn't know much about the character beforehand because I never read one of his comic books, but now I am interested to read some and I'm really excited for his solo film. If anyone knows me they know I love the character of Spider-Man and he is my favorite comic book hero. So I'm delighted to say that Tom Holland's interpretation of the character is my favorite live-action version to date. He's quippy, funny, and has excellent line delivery which is crucial for the part. While he isn't in the film for long, he's one of my favorite aspects about it. All of the returning cast once again knocks theirs respective roles out of the park. The entire reason the Marvel Cinematic Universe has became the phenomenon that it is, is because of the stellar cast. 

Another huge plus to the film is it's incredibly gritty direction from the Russo brothers. Coming off the highly successful Captain America: The Winter Solider, they once again do a great job of realizing the characters and give us awesome action complete with incredible stunt work. The Russo brothers know how to craft and action film that not only has good action, but gives you a story where you care about the characters outside of the action. All of the special effects in the film are also great, which is no surprise considering it is a Marvel film. Considering this film is also just under two and a half hours long, the film never seems to drag. I also really enjoyed a lot of the themes of this movie and the questions it presents. It gives the audience some genuine reasons why you'd pick one side over the other in the beginning of the movie. 

Now it's time to discuss things I didn't like or had flaws with in Civil War. Some character motivations at times feel forced and out of character. I will go into greater detail in the spoiler section but the movie has too many moments of conveniences that felt a bit too much. Another small problem I had was the character of Zemo. While his motivations are very understandable and Daniel Bruhl was amazing in the role, he felt almost rushed in. I feel like the film could've played out almost in the same way without his character. There is also a decision made at the end of the film that I wished they had done differently. The film also suffers from a few pacing issues and tonal shifts that sometimes feel jarring. Once again, I'll get specific in the spoiler section. 

I really liked Captain America: Civil War but it fell just short of perfection for me. It is still currently one of my favorite movies in the MCU and I'll thoroughly enjoy watching it many more times. It boasts some of the coolest segments of any comic book film ever, but it's few flaws make me hesitant to give it my highest grades. While I do highly recommend you check it out, which you probably have already, I cannot say it is perfect for the genre. 

7/10

SPOILERS!

Okay, now to discuss some things in greater detail. 

-The character motivations of Iron Man and Black Widow felt at times very unlike their character. While I do like and agree with how Iron Man first came to the decision to sign the Accords, I felt like a five minute conversation with Captain America would've helped change his perspective and his mind. 

-The films pacing also suffers because of strange tonal shifts. The first half felt very straight-forward and realistic, but the middle section felt too fantastical and happy. Especially since the final act of the film was so dramatic, the pacing suffered because of it's middle section.

-I found there to be a few too many coincidences in the film as well. How did Zemo get out of Germany so fast after his interrogation with Bucky? How did Zemo know Iron Man would be at the Winter Solider headquarters in order to show him the video of his parents being killed? Basically I felt like Zemo was a little bit omnipotent because the script required him to be. 

-By far my biggest disappointment of the film is that no one died. I know that sounds like I am blood thirsty or something but these films lack tension. If Rhodes would've died instead of just being paralyzed, that would've made for a more emotional moment. Instead it's just an excuse for him to get some Tony Stark Robo-Legs. And personally, if the last fight in the film had a death at the end, I would've loved this movie even more. There was no dramatic payoff at the end of the fight since the characters walk away with hardly a scratch on them. If Steve Rodgers would have died, it would've made for this huge scene that would've left such an impact on the franchise and given it some dramatic tension for future films. Instead they play it safe and even end the film with Tony and Steve on almost speak able terms.