Captain America : Civil War
A spectacular masterclass in ensemble character film making
Before you read this review, there's something you need to know. It's time for full disclosure. I'm a total geek when it comes to the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. There's not one that I haven't enjoyed, and honestly, a couple rank up there as some of my favorite movies ever made. They are to me as an adult what Indiana Jones or Star Wars was to me as a kid. From Nick Fury turning up at the end of the first Iron Man movie to Falcon battling Ant-Man outside a secret Avengers base, these films have made me a very happy man.
What the MCU has done well is taken its time. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure it's not been one perfectly orchestrated game plan, but these filmmakers know where they want to go, and know how they want to get there, and when air turbulence hits the helicarrier along the way, they just ride it out. And as a result, I care about every single one of these characters and the stories the movies are telling.
2014's triple high of Captain America Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy and seeing Age of Ultron being filmed in Norwich were landmarks for this comic book nerd, so it is with nervous excitement that I approached Captain America : Civil War.
And I always get nervous. I'd been in media lock-down for days to avoid spoilers. Yes, I know our heroes are going head to head, and Spiderman's joining the MCU, but other than that, I'd remained blissfully ignorant as to what the Russo brothers have lined up for us in their second helping of Marvel movie mayhem.
But do they deliver? The answer is yes on many levels. Much like Winter Soldier, this movie isn't just about what it appears to be on the surface. The spectacle is Team Captain America vs. Team Iron Man, and in that regard, this movie literally towers above any and all opponents. The set pieces are choreographed to perfection and the close quarters action is as kinetic, thrilling, and flawless as I've come to expect. And beneath that layer of awesome punchy fightiness, Civil War also attempts to raise questions about loyalty vs. duty, regulation over incarceration, permission opposed to right, and will probably leave you in two minds regarding whose side you’d choose to be on, if push did come to punch.
If there’s a chink in Civil War’s hot-rod red armour, I think it's that the threat (other than our heroes wanting to beat the crap out of each other constantly) isn't quite so well realised as in the Russos' previous effort, and to me didn't feel quite so natural and organic from a narrative point of view. It doesn’t change the game in the same way that the events of Winter Soldier did. There’s also so much going on at times I'll certainly need a second viewing before I really know how I feel about some of the events of the movie. It may genuinely be that I missed a plot point or two amidst all the awesomeness.
Civil War is a spectacular masterclass in ensemble character film making. All the new guys (Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther is bad-ass, and Spidey finally feels like he's back where he belongs) are given ample screen time, both in and out of the war zones, and it's engaging to see some of the returning characters get quality screen-time to cultivate the visions these heroes deserve. If this is an example of how the Russos can handle multiple players and multiple plot lines, the upcoming Infinity War is in good hands.
Thematically, dealing with the consequences of actions both pre-meditated and unintentional run right through the heart of Civil War, and whilst the price paid is never quite as high as I anticipated, we are left with an wilfully abandoned shield of a framework for our heroes and heroines to build their futures on. Where this universe goes next is any sorcerer’s guess…
Captain America Civil War is the best Avengers movie by far, but maybe not the best Captain America movie.
