Captain America: Civil War (2016) Review

While some people may have stated that they are suffering from superhero fatigue, I think as long as there are a lot of great superhero flicks and less stinkers on the way, I'll continue to watch them. It looks like Marvel Phase 3 is off to an amazing start and they have yet to slow down.

Captain America: Civil War centers around Captain America, Iron Man, and the rest of the Avengers as they are being torn apart. All of this is because of some government regulation that wants to keep them in check to prevent further collateral damage. Iron Man decides to support it, feeling responsible for many things, including the creation of Ultron. Cap is against it, wanting to rely more on his judgment than the government's.

To start off on a great note, the film actually does not make this situation all black and white. Both factions have a reason to either support or oppose this thing, which made this feud much more engaging. It's one of the more character-driven installments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, allowing for more screen time with other characters and fleshing them out a bit.

The film follows up on Captain America: The Winter Soldier where Steve tries to look for his friend, Bucky, whom the entire world is after. Steve wants to bring him in, even if it means having to go rogue and just further increasing the tension between himself and Iron Man. This just goes to show how interesting their friendship is. Bucky himself is a very tragic character, having been held captive and being brainwashed to carry out assassinations, it's hard not to feel sorry for him. Also, just seeing Falcon along with them shows what a great team they make. They don't do any of that jealousy subplot or whatever, and already they provide some great chemistry.

The one thing that I was seriously worried about in this film is the large amount of characters present, more so than Age of Ultron. With this many cast of characters, I felt that the film would be cluttered and unbalanced. Needless to say, the film succeeds at balancing each of the characters out, taking their time and providing some character development, and that's all because of a well-written script.

There is Wanda, a.k.a. Scarlet Witch, having her own character arc, being afraid of her powers. There is the Vision trying to be human while also tasked by Tony Stark to protect Wanda. And then there is Black Widow who is really torn between Cap and Iron Man. In addition, while Hawkeye and Ant-Man didn't have to appear in the movie, since they only took part in that battle, they were pretty fun to watch and had their moments.

The film also goes out of its way to introduce both Black Panther and Spider-Man. Some can argue that they were there just to promote their upcoming solo films, but they were such a delight to watch, that it didn't matter all that much. I think the film can still stand on its own regardless of this.

I'm not familiar with Black Panther, but after this film, I really grew into him. Chadwick Boseman was phenomenal in the role. You really get to understand his motivation and why he is after Bucky. It only makes me wonder what his upcoming solo film will be about in two years' time.

However, Spider-Man was one of the biggest highlights of the film. Tom Holland nailed the role just right. This incarnation is much younger, and his line deliveries actually made him feel like a teenager. He's an ascended fanboy who found the opportunity to join and fight along with his heroes. He is also pretty funny with all of his quipping, almost channeling Deadpool, but without the fourth-wall breaking. He left such a great impression, and it's not even his film; that's how good he is. Now I'm really looking forward to Spider-Man: Homecoming next year.

Honestly, directors Joe and Anthony Russo did such a great job balancing the amount of heroes included. It's enough for me to have faith in them directing the Infinity War films, which will have an even larger cast of characters. That's gonna be even more challenging.

I originally had an issue with the movie's villain, Helmut Zemo. Once he reveals his motivations, you can kind of see where he is coming from, but he really didn't leave that much of an impression on me. However, now that I think about it, he stands out the most out of all the MCU's villains. He didn't need to wear some ridiculous costume or have superpowers or have a plot to take over the world; he is just a regular guy using limited resources to achieve his goal. So maybe the way he was written was actually pretty brilliant.

The film delivers on a lot of great action, whether they would be hand-to-hand or chase scenes. There is some shaky cam and fast editing like The Winter Soldier that actually worked. They were done just right to make it exciting and not disorienting. They're also not afraid of being brutal at times. There were moments where the heroes looked seriously beat up after so much resistance. It goes to show that even the super-powered ones have their lower points.

Also, the hero vs. hero fight at the airport that the trailers advertised is nothing short of amazing. Due to having a variety of characters, the film takes advantage of every one of their abilities and gives us some pretty memorable moments and a lot of hilarious wise-cracking to boot. It's not a life-or-death situation, but by the time this moment reaches, the stakes are pretty clear, making for some exciting and somewhat tension-filled brawl.

I really liked Captain America: Civil War. I did have minor nitpicks with some parts of the film, like the underdeveloped and unnecessary romance between Steve and Sharon Carter and this one revelation near the end that I felt was way too convenient. However, the film kicks so much butt that those things did not affect it at all. Also, for a film called Captain America: Civil War, Cap isn't just the main focus. Wouldn't it be better if it was called "Avengers: Civil War"? After all, it's about the Avengers being torn apart.

Anyways, the film has a tight script, great action, and a nice balance of screen time with its ensemble cast. It's great to see the Captain America films go from the simple origin story of The First Avenger, to the game changer of The Winter Soldier, to the emotionally-driven Civil War. It's yet another one of the strongest installments in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

I had to watch it twice just to get a full grip of it, which is why this review came late, but it did get better watching it a second time. For once, it's not a save-the-world type of story; it's a character-driven tale of a group of friends and teammates having a disagreement and leaving their futures uncertain.

With some thinking, I've come to the conclusion that this is the third film this year that I rate as...

SOMETHING WONDERFUL