United we stand
(This
review contains minor spoilers!)
Captain America: The Winter Soldier
stands, along with the original Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy, as the
Marvel Cinematic Universe movies near everyone considers to be the best. So
when it was announced that, as a follow up, Marvel would be adapting the
equally popular Civil War storyline for the big screen, people were reasonably
excited.
The result? A film that isn’t as good
as its phenomenal predecessor, but still a fantastic time to be had and feels
like a worthy continuation not just of the Captain America franchise, but the
MCU as a whole.
The story follows the comic storyline
vaguely, with more focus put on Cap and Bucky’s relationship than on the
Superhero Registration (called the Sokovia Accords here). As much as I liked
this change, it really didn’t feel like there was much of Bucky at all until
about 45 minutes through. Before then, it was mostly just talking about the
accords and how they’ll change the world. Sadly, the first third of the movie
is extremely slow, and while there are some good points in it, it all feels
more or less like waiting for the good stuff to come in.
But when the good stuff does arrive,
it hits hard. The action scenes are
some of the best in any movie ever, let alone just a Marvel movie. The now
famous airport sequence will likely be talked about for years as the greatest
superhero rumble of all time, until something else comes along and tops it. The ending battle is nothing to snuff at either, but I felt that the opening zoomed by a bit too quickly to really make sense or care about what was going on.
The biggest draw in Civil War isn’t
the action, but the characters, and the actors all shine in what they bring to
the table. Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johannsson, Jeremy Renner,
and Anthony Mackie are all as fantastic as they’ve been in previous movies,
showing new sides to all their characters. Sebastian Stan gets to show a new
side to the Winter Soldier, as he acts more like the Bucky we remember from The
First Avenger. Elizabeth Olson and Paul Bettany return as Scarlet Witch and
Vision, planting the seeds of the relationship they have in the comics. I
enjoyed them both here much more than I did in Age of Ultron, as they seemed to
have more room to breathe and not be tied up in the plot as much. Finally, Paul
Rudd returns as Ant Man, and is where much of the film’s humour lies. He also
holds a big surprise, and if you were one of the few lucky enough to not have
it be spoiled by merchandise, I’ll refrain from describing it here.
As for the new characters, Chadwick
Boseman is fantastic as Black Panther, capturing the comic book character’s
essence pitch-perfectly. The costume design is also extremely well done, making
him look sleek and elegant without ending up with him looking like Marvel’s
Batman. Martin Freeman has a brief role as a government official, and as much as
I like how he did, it just felt wrong hearing him with an American accent.
Still, he did an excellent job with how little he had to work with.
The villain of the movie, Zemo,
however, I felt was a little weak. His plan was very well executed and played
into the movie’s themes of revenge just fine, but I doubt I’ll remember him the
way I remember Loki or Ultron. He ultimately feels like the type of Hydra boss
you’d see on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D than anything.
And then, there’s Tom Holland’s
Spider-Man. I’ve always said that the perfect Peter Parker is hiding in between
Tobey Maguire’s whiny dork and Andrew Garfield’s quippy smart-aleck. Where one
excelled, the other seemed to have trouble.
I am more than overjoyed to report
that Tom Holland absolutely nails the character, and in a way that blows both
previous actors out of the water. He does far more than I was expecting, and
you’re left wanting much more out of him. All his quips and lines land
perfectly, guaranteeing a laugh out of everyone. His final appearance left the
entire theatre cheering and applauding, and I for one can’t wait for
Spider-Man: Homecoming next year.
The climax
is spectacularly done, putting a satisfying conclusion to the titular conflict,
as well as the Captain America trilogy. I would go into more detail, but it
really needs to be seen to be enjoyed in full.
Captain America: Civil War is
everything I thought it would be. It’s an excellent trip back to the Marvel
Universe, and one I will be rewatching again and again in the years to come.
One last point I’d like to stress:
make sure you stay all the way till the end of the credits. It’s worth it this
time, I promise.
FINAL SCORE
8/10
Great
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