Captain America: Civil War – A Review

Captain America :Civil War is the quintessential Marvel movie-engaging storytelling, constant pushing of its own boundaries, a healthy dose of humor, forgettable antagonists and top-notch action sequences that enthrall the audience. The movie deals with the much discussed topic by critics of the collateral damage due to superheroes saving the world. This point is the underlying theme that propels all the characters’ actions in the film.

The story continues Steve Rogers’ search along with Sam Wilson for the Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes from the previous installment of Captain America as well as the repercussions of human casualties due to the Avengers’ missions from Age of Ultron. Both the aforementioned points lead to a conflict between Steve and Tony when Bucky is found guilty of a mass murder and rest of the Avengers are made to pick sides.

Daniel Bruhl as Helmut Zemo adds to the growing list of Marvel antagonists who do not leave a lasting impression on the audience. Further, this version of Zemo is different from the comics and he plays his part in creating interesting swerves to the central Tony-Cap conflict till the very end.

The notion of superhero vs superhero was attempted to mixed response in the recently released Batman vs Superman:Dawn of Justice. However, in Civil War the conflict between Captain America and Iron Man is not only well-written but also plays it right along the lines of disagreement building between the two characters since their first altercation in The Avengers (2012).

“Captain America: Civil War Review”by BagoGames is licensed under CC BY 2.0 

This well-establishment of characters over the past 8 years helps the directors Anthony and Joe Russo to juggle the superheroes at hand with ease in the action sequences and provide hilarious banter as well.

The action sequences in the film are the best yet in the Marvel Universe and the Civil War fight of 6 on 6 is without a doubt the coolest superhero action sequence ever. As mentioned before, the way these characters play off each other is the biggest asset in these scenes which was first demonstrated to great effect by Joss Whedon in The Avengers (2012) and carried onto over here expertly by the Russo brothers.

Given that the number of superheroes to be handled is going to only go up for the upcoming Avengers films (also being directed by the Russos), the brothers sure are up for the task especially after the way they seamlessly introduced T’Challa aka Black Panther and the much awaited Spiderman to the MCU.

Spiderman in his brief cameo absolutely steals the show and Black Panther in a relatively meatier role as the dutiful son, a self-made man and a badass warrior on his quest for vengeance makes us wish his solo movie in 2018 could not come sooner. Marvel continues to marvel (pun intended) in their casting, costume and getting each character’s tone absolutely spot on. Tom Holland’s Spiderman and Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther only further evidence the fact.

“Day 11 – CIVIL WAR” by Mike Saechang is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 

All in all, Captain America – Civil War is a spectacular summer blockbuster that further establishes Marvel’s superiority in the battle between DC vs Marvel. It also helps to have actors such as Chris Evans who symbolizes the essence of the First Avenger to perfection and Robert Downey Jr. who gets to flex his acting muscles in this one to portray a much more troubled  and yet charming Tony Stark.

With Benedict Cumberbatch joining the MCU as Doctor Strange next, the Marvel juggernaut refuses to slow down anytime soon. In my not so biased opinion, Captain America – Civil War is a must watch for both comic lovers as well as the casual moviegoers alike and kick-starts Marvel’s Phase 3 with a bang.