If it wasn't clear that Marvel were the kings right now in the superhero genre, it most certainly is now as they extend their lead over their competitors. It comes at no surprise that the successful Marvel franchise has only been elevated with its latest incarnation.
The damage and lives that have been lost in the events in New York, Washington, Sokovia and now Nigeria have finally caught up with the Avengers and the government are now pressuring for the superheroes- or vigilantes- to be put in check and not have free will. A clash of opinions splits our heroes and tensions only build from there with Captain America Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) having very different views. The latest movements of Cap's old friend Bucky- also known as The Winter Soldier- have made things very tough for Rogers and Stark and has also created a new enemy in the form of the Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman). A combination of the two makes the rest of the heroes make a crucial decision: who's side are you on?
From the synopsis and even the poster alone, the film does seem quite overcrowded and there is a lot to get through. This has been a problem for many superhero films in the past with the characters being rushed or the film just becoming a total mess due to it- see The Amazing Spider-Man 2 as an example. The tittle having Captain America may also be an attempt to make it seem not as filled to the brim but the film features all but two of the heroes we have seen, also adding more to the mix. In saying this though, The Russo brothers were able to create a jam packed film in a very good way. With there being so many mouths to feed within the film, each hero is given a moment to stand out and fills the movie with memorable moments. This is extremely impressive as you see each side as 5 or more heroes and for each of them to have equally great moments that all have great effect is something that movies with only a few heroes struggle to do.
Our beloved cast once again deliver with Robert Downey Jr standing out as this portrayal of Tony Stark takes a much more serious look at situations than before. A good progression of the character as he looks to put in place what he believes in, no matter who disagrees with him, not even some of his closest companions. Evans again delivers as Steve Rogers and plays the character incredibly well at this point with his brave and courageous ways. Elizabeth Olsen was fantastic as the all powerful and mysterious Scarlet Witch, just as she was when she was the most underrated part of Avengers: Age of Ultron. Paul Rudd made his first appearance with the rest of the impressive cast and he really showed his comedic talents as he hit every joke he made out of the park. Although he might of been a questionable casting at first, he has only proved himself furthermore within this film. The casting for the Marvel Cinematic Universe has proved to be very good and quite importantly consistent with all members including the likes of Sebastian Stan, Paul Bettany and Scarlett Johansson really delivering in their roles.
The old cast aren't the ones taking the full limelight. Chadwick Boseman looks to be perfect as the Wakandan Prince and is awesome as Black Panther. One of the best looking suits we've ever seen in a superhero movie and Boseman makes sure it isn't just an impressive looking character. His boldness and fighting for what he believes in can be quite similar to the traits of Steve Rogers. We can certainly look forward to seeing more of this character with an solo film already been announced.
For me, the thing I was most looking forward to was seeing the newest addition of my most favourite superhero, Spider-Man. With there being two previous attempts, I was looking forward to the new and fresh look at Peter Parker with Tom Holland on board. It was made clear that Spidey would be younger which would be something different to both Maguire and Garfield's portrayals. What's even better is that Holland was able to be a combination of the two bringing us the best Spider-Man we've ever seen. He has the awkwardness of Peter Parker that Maguire brought us and improves on the attitude shown by Garfield where he is quick witted and has a change of attitude when in the suit. This new Spider-Man is incredibly fun to watch as he trash talks his opponents whilst dealing with them. Due to this, a solo Spider-Man movie led by Tom Holland cannot come quick enough!
As you would expect in such a high budget superhero movie, the action in this is phenomenal. From the first piece of action in Nigeria with Captain America, Falcon, Scarlet Witch and Black Widow all coming against a familiar foe, the standards are set early on. A very positive thing from this is that the action always looks to impress with a fantastic chase scene to eventually the greatest action scene in comic book movie history. I won't go into too much detail but the airport scene is one that we are going to be talking about for many decades to come. A truly fantastic scene with lots of great action, allowing the heroes to fully show their strengths, it is one that will be referenced to death. The Russo's have brought the great action from 'The Winter Soldier' into Civil War and most importantly improves on it. The Russo's also bring some nice ways to film a lot of their action with the chase scene showcasing many different angles to get some rather impressive shots with.
The Marvel movies have all been created with good senses of humour within them. This is carried on in Civil War and boy does it deliver. With the likes of Ant-Man being introduced with the comedy shown in his solo film and the original cast members, the humour flows easily throughout the film. Arguably two of the funniest members of the film are an unlikely pairing but bounce off each other very well but you will have to see that for yourself. Although Tony Stark is more serious this time, he simply cannot help himself at times with his one liners or by making some sort of remark. The cast have great chemistry together and this shows in the comedy as they can bounce off each other with ease.
A criticism that can be given to the film does come within its storytelling. At first there is a lot of government driven policies to put the Avengers into check. The film seems to distance itself from that as the film goes on and becomes much more about personal agendas. It builds up the government looking to do this but after an event in Vienna, it kind of loses track of this. There is also a villain on the side of the film, that does feature quite a bit. However I do feel that the story surrounding him does fall flat a little. In saying this, it does leave it up for the character to potentially return and have an even bigger effect in the future.
Final Verdict =
A very good inclusion to the MCU, one that will be great for multiple viewings. Great performances once again, great humour and even better action. One of the best from the MCU and most definitely worth seeing! P.S: There are 2 scenes within the credits for those wondering.
So have you seen 'Captain America: Civil War'? If so what did you think of it? I hope this review was helpful and if you do go to see it, I hope you have as good a time as I did! Once again, thank you so much for reading, it is much appreciated!
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