Captain America: Civil War serves a couple of purposes depending on what camp you fall into. On the one hand, it goes a long way to solidify that the Captain America films have shown the most growth out of all the standalone films. The First Avenger was good, The Winter Soldier was great and Civil War just falls ever so slightly from Soldier’s greatness. On the other hand, if you felt underwhelmed by Avengers: Age Ultron (I’m not one of them) it really gives you the Avengers follow up you probably were hoping for in the first place. Since so many characters make appearances in this installment, it doesn’t quite feel like Cap’s movie but the central conflict of the narrative never forgets that it is. The inclusion of these characters doesn’t feel like a cheap gimmick or a way for actors to fulfill contract needs. Each character brings a little something to Civil War while not distracting from the overall arc of the story.
Civil War doesn’t ignore the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron (something I’m sure many fans wish was the case), it glosses over them. Instead, this is positioned as a direct follow-up to Captain America: The Winter Soldier. To the extent that Civil War can be said to focus on any one of a myriad of subplots, it revolves around the fractious relationship between Captain America (Chris Evans) and his childhood friend-turned-Manchurian Candidate Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). Once again captured by bad guys and reprogrammed to kill, The Winter Soldier returns to the nemesis column – at least for part of the movie.
Aside from the Cap/Bucky relationship, Civil War is about adding a real-world element to the existence of The Avengers. Viewed with increasing distrust by nations around the world, the superhero group is asked to accept oversight by an international commission. Several of The Avengers – Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), War Machine (Don Cheadle), and Vision (Paul Bettany) – reluctantly agree. Others – Cap, Falcon (Anthony Mackey), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) – believe that autonomy is critical. Newcomers Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) side with Iron Man. Thus the battle lines are drawn and what starts as a political argument evolves into an all-out war.
Batman v Superman attempted (with limited success) to address the subject of collateral damage from superhero actions – that the number of civilian casualties is unacceptable even when the objective (usually eliminating a supervillain threat) is achieved. Civil War goes down the same road, with William Hurt and Martin Freeman providing the “voices of reason.” The concept of a government body regulating superhero actions is intriguing and it adds a nice conflict to the proceedings. In general, the X-Men movies have done a better job exploring this but at least this movie addresses the subject matter rather than continuing to ignore it, especially when the battles escalate and the destruction becomes more massive.
The film’s success rests with its ability to match fans’ expectations when it comes to the superhero-on-superhero violence. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, cross-over comic book battles were always big sellers, and this is just the next step in their evolution. As in the comic books, nothing really bad happens when the good guys rumble despite the serious issues in play. So Civil War features a lot of pummeling and punching and blowing things up (which is quite fun in its own right) but that’s about it. This isn’t a criticism by any means. The big battle royale centerpiece of the film is probably one of the best of the MCU because it gives the fans exactly what they want and directors Anthony and Joe Russo are more than capable to capture every facet of the action. It’s really one of those sequences you could play over and over again. Late in the proceedings, the directors prove they can make the action more personal and emotional as well. The fight between Iron Man and Captain America is powerful, provocative, and compelling. That sequence works in a different way than the big battle centerpiece. The stakes, which have personal as well as larger implications, are high. There’s drama in that fight; it isn’t only about spectacle.
When this film was announced we learned later down the line that Sony would be allowing Spider-Man to join the MCU in a joint venture. Sony owned the rights to the character and made films of various success under their banner but after the sequel of the second reboot, the character was in a bit of limbo. The decision to include him in the larger universe was met with cheers from fans and by the time this film hit the big screen, it remained to be seen how they would actually use him.
This is a character that could’ve been shoehorned in simply because a standalone film was on the way but his inclusion is very natural. The inclusion of Wonder Woman in Batman v Superman felt forced, even though she was the best thing about that film, but this feels just right. A lot of the credit goes to Tom Holland, the third actor to take on the role of Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Getting someone younger than the actor’s in the past was a step in the right direction. He possesses an exuberance that’s infectious and he really makes Spidey’s quips seem like they’re popping right out of a comic book. I have mentioned in other reviews that some of these actors were born to play these roles and I think the same can be said for him.
He’s not the only newbie on the scene. We also get our first experience with Black Panther and Chadwick Boseman shows early on that he was ready to take on his own film as well. It’s crazy to think that in 2016 when this film was released that no one could predict the cultural impact his character and his film would have all of two years later but the foundation is set here.
The production’s tone makes a refreshing change from the dour, gloomy approach that was adopted by Zack Snyder in Batman v. Superman earlier that year. The purpose here is to entertain viewers rather than depress them. Tony Stark’s dialogue is peppered with his usual cynical one-liners. Spider-Man quips and banters as he fights (one of his opponents makes a comment about this). And not every scene takes place at night or in the rain. There are plenty of dark moments but they are counterbalanced by lighter scenes and this is something that Marvel has perfected to a science. They know when to get serious and they know when to lighten the mood. The transitions are always seamless and never jarring.
I really liked that there was no central villain. Sure, The Winter Soldier begins as such but the real enemy here is the differences of opinion and how taking sides can ultimately draw lines in the sand. A team that once fought together to save the world, is now divided. The conflict is much more personal than stopping the big bad. By the end of the film, you’re convinced that so much damage has been done to people who were once friends that there is no going back to the way things used to be.
Captain America: Civil War lives up to the standards that began with Captain America: The Winter Soldier. The second film is much more personal and still the best of the bunch but Civil War is an effective companion piece and definitely delivers on fan expectations while leaving a defining mark in the MCU.
