Friday, May 6, 2016

REVIEW: "Captain America: Civil War" (SPOILER FREE)


United we stand. Divided we fall. We are now currently on the 13th entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Can you believe it? 10 years ago, having all these iconic characters share the same screen together was just a mere fantasy. Now, people are clamoring for more and more heroes to be put into one film. We cheered in 2012 with "The Avengers" but those cheers were less enthusiastic last year with its sequel, "Avengers: Age of Ultron". However in 2014, fans around the world were ecstatic to see the Russo brothers' take on Captain America in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier", which was widely regarded by both fans and critics to be one of the best installments in the MCU. Now in 2016, the Russo brothers are back and they have pit two of Marvel's biggest heroes against one another in a retelling of the famed 2006 comic book storyline "Civil War". In March, we had Batman and Superman fighting to the death on a rainy day in Gotham and now we have two entire teams of heroes squaring off. Who will win? Who will lose? And will we, the audience, win by watching this film?

On May 5th, I was lucky enough to attend the Ultimate Captain America Marathon at AMC Theatres, which was a great deal of fun and one of the best ways to experience "Captain America: Civil War".

"Captain America: Civil War" features an ensemble cast, which includes Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Tom Holland, Frank Grillo, William Hurt and Daniel Brühl, and is directed by Anthony and Joe Russo. The film takes place a year after the destructive events of "Avengers: Age of Ultron" as the government is beginning to question the liabilities of the Avengers team. To compromise, the Sokovia Accords were established to keep the heroes in check. Naturally, this truce has divided the Avengers members, most notably Captain America and Iron Man, who both have very different views on the responsibility of being a hero. Because of this, the two heroes form their own alliances and clash against one another in a massive showdown of egos and ideologies. Marvel's secret [yet not so secret] formula for making fun blockbusters is in full gear in "Captain America: Civil War", which features a lot of action, a lot of humor and a lot of fan service. It is by no means a master class work of cinema or as profound as the film at times thinks it is, however you will enjoy watching these charming, heroic figures running around and fighting each other on screen during 147-minute runtime.


Team Captain America consists of Captain America (as the leader), The Winter Soldier, Falcon, Scarlett Witch (not seen in the promotional image above), Hawkeye and Ant-Man. Sharon Carter, while seen in the promotional image, does not fight alongside Captain America in battle.


Although this could be viewed as another Avengers film, at its core, it's still a Captain America film. Always placed in the center of the story, Steve Rodgers is put in a very tight spot as his fellow Avengers have gone against him and are eager to fight for their beliefs. As always, Chris Evans continues to be an exceptional Captain America and the dilemmas he has to overcome in this film brings out Evans' best performance in the MCU yet. Powerful yet kind, Rodgers will do whatever he can to save the people of the world, even if it comes with a cost. His genuine love for his best friend Bucky, who we all know is the assassin known as the Winter Soldier, is something that is very beautiful and heartwarming, although at times almost blinding the character of reason and logic. The conflict Captain America faces in this film are greater than any super villain or any outer space or robot army he has faced before and Evans was able to translate that perfectly on screen.


"Captain America: The Winter Soldier" ends with (SPOILER ALERT) Bucky ultimately saving his best friend, Cap, during the destruction of S.H.I.E.L.D. as he tries to piece together his past. Sebastian Stan gives, what could possibly be, the best performance of his career in this film as he jumps from being sympathetic to antagonistic with ease, allowing the audience to see Bucky in many different ways. Seeing his character grow from best friend to villain to best friend again almost feels like Shakespearian tragedy. Never allowed to find peace in his heart, Bucky's loyalty is put to the test in "Captain America: Civil War", which leads to some very powerful scenes.


Another returning character from "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" is Sam Wilson/Falcon played by Anthony Mackie who becomes one of Captain America's most trusted heroes. Always following Cap's moves, in battle and in mind, Falcon provides much needed moral support for the conflicted hero and provides the audience with some levity. As charming and as fun of a character as he was in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" and his small role in "Ant-Man", Falcon has become more than just a C-list superhero from the comics.


Last year, we were introduced to the twins, Pietro and Wanda Maximoff [Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch respectively], and now in "Captain America: Civil War", Wanda deals with harnessing her uncontrollable powers as she fights alongside Captain America. Being one of the most powerful characters in the MCU, she proves to be a strong player in the battlefield but also is one of the more sensitive characters in the film. Elizabeth Olsen, as always, is incredibly talented and charmingly beautiful, which benefits the film by giving it a very different aura. Something almost magical. No longer just an "X-Men" character, Scarlet Witch now feels very much at home with the other Avengers.


Ant-Man, fresh of his solo film last year, makes his Avengers debut in "Captain America: Civil War" and was a delight. Paul Rudd never loses his charm and wit in this new film as he brings a lot of the film's comedy elements to light. Although not in the film for very long, his presence does not go unnoticed due to Rudd's quips and appeal. Delivering his very best in one of the film's key action sequences, Ant-Man has become so much more than that one minor superhero no one knew a few years ago.


In the finale of "Avengers: Age of Ultron" (SPOILER ALERT), Hawkeye decides to officially retire from the Avengers and chooses to stay in his safe house with his wife and kids. However, he is called into action once again in "Captain America: Civil War" to fight Team Iron Man. Much like Ant-Man, his appearance in the film is solely to be a key player on the battlefield with Captain America, however his short but fun appearance in the film completes the Avengers line-up, which lead to some pretty exciting moments during the epic clash.


Team Captain America consists of Iron Man (as the leader), Black Widow, War Machine, Vision, Black Panther and Spider-Man (not seen in the promotional image above).


We have seen Robert Downey Jr. don the metal suits 5 times prior to "Captain America: Civil War" and for his 6th outing as the character [7th if you include his cameo in "The Incredible Hulk"], we see Tony Stark as a very broken character who is haunted by the mistakes of his past and joins the side of the government to put themselves in check, attempting to avoid any future mistakes. While still being the wise-cracking quippy Iron Man that we've grown to love [and maybe sometimes hate] over the past few years, Downey Jr. was able to bring a different energy in this film. His massive ego and his unstoppable methods are what separates him with Captain America and creates the larger conflict. The more toned down and serious Tony Stark was very welcoming and refreshing in the MCU and was something I wanted to see more of in "Avengers: Age of Ultron". Channeling a lot of his guilt for many of the events he has caused, Stark was, in my opinion, the most compelling character in "Captain America: Civil War" and Downey Jr. gives his best performance as the character since the 2008's "Iron Man".


Scarlett Johnasson in these past few years has become one of this generation's best female action stars as many of us comic book fans are dying to see a Black Widow solo-film. In "Captain America: Civil War", we continue to see why Johansson is great in this role. Always charming, always likable and always stunningly beautiful, Johansson has a strong presence in any scene she is in with her dry wit, caring nature and dangerous attitude. Eventually siding up with Iron Man, she plays a crucial role in the film as a former member of the new Avengers team [which included of Captain America, Falcon, War Machine, Vision and Scarlet Witch] and as one of Iron Man's comrades.


While Steve Rodgers as Bucky Barnes, Tony Stark has James "Rhodey" Rhodes [a.k.a. War Machine] played by Don Cheadle. From the very beginning of the film, Rhodey, of course, sides with his long time friend and supports him throughout the course of the story. The comradery between the him and Stark has never been stronger as they fight side-by-side in the battlefield against Captain America and his team.


One of the most interesting aspects of "Avengers: Age of Ultron" was the appearance of Vision, who was created by Stark by uploading the mind of JARVIS into a synthetic body. He returns in "Captain America: Civil War" as a member of the new Avengers line-up and is still one of the most powerful and mysterious beings on the planet. His robotic yet somewhat humane nature makes Vision a very compelling character on screen. Paul Bettany's soothing voice and calm demeanor creates a very mystical vibe, which brings something new and different to the table. Ultimately siding with his creator, he becomes one of Stark's biggest hitter as his unbelievable powers are put to good use in the film's action sequences. Vision, only after 2 films, has become one of the best character in the MCU thanks to Bettany's hypnotic performance and his incredible abilities.


Here is a character many of us comic book fans have been wanting to see for a very long time. Ever since the mention of vibranium in "Captain America: The First Avenger", fans have been wondering if the fictional country of Wakanda and its king will ever be referenced or seen in the MCU. Now in "Captain America: Civil War", those prayers have been answered with Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa, who we all know as the superhero Black Panther. Without a doubt, Boseman's portrayal of Black Panther was one of the film's highlights. Like Vision, he brings something new to the MCU that we haven't seen before. His costume, fighting style, mannerisms are all done perfectly and add so much more excitement to "Captain America: Civil War". Teaming with up with Iron Man in the film, Black Panther proved to be a formidable force that is not to be reckoned with and made us all excited to see him in his upcoming solo film coming in 2018.


When "The Avengers" debuted in 2012, many fans have took the liberty of editing Spider-Man into the now famous 360-shot of the Avengers team, hoping that maybe one day we will see our favorite web slinger fight alongside the MCU characters. Now, finally, after years of waiting, the Russo brothers have granted us that wish as Sony struck a deal with Marvel Studios to bring Spidey into the world of the Avengers. Tom Holland now sports the iconic red and blue outfit and has become one of the film's scene stealing characters. Holland is, without a doubt, the best on screen Spider-Man yet. Because Holland is actually 19 years old, it really does feel like he is just a normal high school student with these incredible powers. He gave a charismatic, funny and powerful performance that felt like a direct translation from comic to film. Once he arrives on the battlefield, like we all saw in the trailers, it is just so, so fun. Thank you, Holland, for being one amazing Spider-Man.


Pitting these two superheroes together in an all-out rumble is no easy feat and the Russo brothers were able to give 12 superheroes and other supporting characters clear motivation and time to develop as the film goes on. It is very clear that Marvel knows exactly what they are doing with their properties and their confidence in their characters and their filmmakers comes across in "Captain America: Civil War". This is, without a doubt, the most ambitious project Marvel Studios have ever done since "The Avengers". All of the films have lead to this moment with Captain America and Iron Man facing off against one another and it was a massive undertaking on the part of Marvel Studios.


With "Captain America: The Winter Soldier", the Russo brothers have proven that they are capable of handing intense action sequences that feel powerful and "Captain America: Civil War" is no different. The 10+ minute airport fight scene, that we've all seen in the trailers, is one of the best choreographed and executed action scenes in comic book history. Because this is a fight between two teams of heroes, it was a great achievement to see that everyone had a moment to shine as they each provide something unique to the battle. The climatic showdown between Captain America and Iron Man was also extremely emotional and tension-filled, which just comes to show how talented the Russo brothers are at directing and executing an action scene [especially hand-to-hand combat]. The airport battle and the finale fight sequences in "Captain America: Civil War" blow anything out of both "Avengers" films sky-high. Bravo, Russo brothers.

Although the film does extraordinarily well handling well developed characters, action sequences and storytelling, there is one fundamental flaw I had with this film and a few minor issues that are more or less nitpicks. Sadly the biggest flaw in the film is that it doesn't deliver on the promise of it's own title. The film's title is based on the 2006 comic arc "Civil War", which also bits Captain America and Iron Man against one another. However, adding the subtitle "Civil War" to this film is the biggest mistake Marvel has made with "Captain America: Civil War". As an adaptation of the comic series, it fails it almost every regard. While I am not looking for the exact storyline seen in the comics, having "Civil War" in the title of the film creates expectations. Without spoiling anything in the film, "Captain America: Civil War" is more of a brawl than a war.

My other gripes about the film concern some of the cinematography and editing choices, particularly in the other minor action scenes, which I thought weren't handled as well as they should have been. The use of shaky cam, filming in high frame rates and rapid editing were effective in "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" but felt disorienting at times in "Captain America: Civil War". Both films directed by the Russo brothers try to emulate a certain aesthetic, making it look like the film was shot with natural lighting, but the bland color scheme prevented "Captain America: Civil War" from looking and feeling epic. While the airport battle was incredibly choreographed and executed, the location was very uninspiring. The backlot of an abandoned airport seemed very uninteresting and not very engaging. While I did care about what occurred in the battle, it was hard to feel get attached with the surroundings. In "The Avengers", New York was being demolished by aliens and it was up to the superheroes to save the city, which felt very grand because of the setting. In "Captain America: Civil War", the action scene is arguably much better and much more creative but the setting didn't leave a very satisfying impression, especially considering what happens in the comic this film is based on.

The humor in "Captain America: Civil War" was, for the most part, appropriate spread out, but also interrupted some of emotional beats of the film, which instantly pulled me out of the experience. It is appreciated that they are trying to give us some levity but the impact of the scenario sometimes becomes lost in the constant amount of jokes they add into the film. The weight and importance of the film gets bogged down by scenes of Vision and Scarlet Witch cooking in the upstate Avengers Facility or Falcon quipping in nearly half the scenes he's in.

"Captain America: Civil War", while not perfect, shows how powerful Marvel Studios is as a company and as a creative entity. They have full confidence in their work and it shows. Many will inevitably compare the film with "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" but I implore you not to because these are two completely different films with two completely different purposes. "Captain America: Civil War" stands on its own as a Captain America film and as a pseudo-Avengers picture, which was one of the best films in the MCU. The flaws in the film are sadly unavoidable and extremely visible [especially on a second viewing] but it still provides enough adventure for the everyday moviegoer. Those looking for depth or something of weight will not find it here but if you're just looking to sit back and enjoy yourself in a theater, you will have fun with "Captain America: Civil War", which gets an 8 out of 10 from me.

Go see it in Real-D 3D, IMAX 3D and Dolby Cinemas today!

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