Captain America: Civil War [Movie Review]

The poster is missing two supers.

And so it begins.
Phase 3 of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The end of the Avengers, the beginning of something new...

Meet your main cast. I think that at least at the time of posting this is the most complete poster image on the net.

I... am... punching bag man...

Let me start by saying that my biggest gripe about this movie is that it is possibly more of an Avengers film than a Captain America film. I mean we have a dozen major characters. That's just gross, I mean a gross. (Sorry).

4.5 out of 5 stars

Some of the strongest scenes are those that do not involve supers
beating the crap out of each other.

I think Scarlet Witch actually might have the most complex story in the film.

Ok. Before I got further into the review, let me say that I honestly think I under rated Winter Soldier back when I first wrote the review. It probably should have been a 4.5 as well. Now days I really cannot review an MCU film independtently, they have built such a complete and connected universe that even the outside films such as Guardians of the Galaxy must be considered when anything occurs in the MCU. Everything affects everything. So I watch all of the MCU before each new theatrical release (I try to include as much Agents of Shield as I can as well...)

I'm fairly certain that most people know the basic plot. Something comes between the Avengers and the team splits. It's in the bloody title. What is actually interesting is how many threads are pulling at the Avengers, ripping them apart. It is not simply the Winter Soldier. It is much much more.

Very nice supporting cast. Martin Freeman rocks, and Emily Vancamp
has a far more interesting character than you've seen in early Cap films.

I don't want to touch on all of them. You need to see the film to see those.

Here are the salient points of the movie. Death matters, injury matters. Back when I saw the very first Avengers movie, I was bothered by the fact that no bystanders seemed to die. The massive Chitauri insect-ship slashed and crashed through buildings, raining debris on the streets. But we see not one single civilian killed, maimed, or even bloodied. I know it is a Disney film, but it always bothered me that we did not see the human consequences of supers battling aliens - at least not on screen. Sure someone could have died, or been injured, but it was never shown. It wasn't until Age of Ultron that we really saw a character die. Quicksilver is gunned down and dies on screen. Fury only pretended to die in Winter Soldier. Now the characters are mortal - well some of them. I'm not sure it anything can kill Vision (or is it The Vision?) aside from maybe... maybe... the Scarlet Witch. But the consequences are there... very human consequences. There are lots of casualties in this film. Actions have far reaching repercussions. This is a good thing for the MCU in the long run. 
 
The movie is morality play in many ways. It asks us the same question that keeps popping up. Freedom or Security? However this movie actually frames the question with more nuance that I would have expected. Neither side is actually in the right or in the wrong. They treat the subject as if it were grey instead of black and white, as it should be treated. Far better than expected.


I want to say something about the Scarlet Witch, Wanda Maximoff, as she is really one of the more interesting characters in the film. This is actually the 3rd movie that she has been in if you consider the after the credits bit in Winter Soldier, which I do. She is a very important character in this film, and a good chunk of plot actually center around her, which means that what I really want to talk about, I can't. Too many spoilers. Suffice to say - I would be absolutely happy if they actually did a Scarlet Witch movie.

Suffice to say that overall this movie was very very good. Clocking in at 147 minutes + previews (saw a Rogue One preview and a Dr. Strange preview) I was never bored. They balanced character and action quite well, there is certainly enough comedy, and overall it was a very good movie experience.

If you are a fan of the MCU, I highly suggest seeing this movie.

Oh, and sit through the entire credits. There is an inter credits bit, and an after credits bit. Do not be like half the bloody audience I saw the movie with who got up and left as soon as the credits began to roll. Have they never seen a Marvel movie before? Sit through the credits.

This movie repairs one of my complaints that goes all the way back to
the very first Avengers movie. I never reviewed that movie, it was out
before my blog. My first MCU review was Thor: The Dark World.