Disney and Marvel Studios have done it once again.
“Captain America: Civil War,” released May 6, is the latest superhero movie since “Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.” While “Batman v. Superman” was a disappointment for a lot of superhero fans, “Captain America: Civil War,” is definitely a winner in the aspects of presentation, character development, and action.
The story happens approximately a year after the events of “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” and the Avengers continued to protect the world as needed. But when they accidentally caused yet another international disaster, the United Nations decided to step in. Tension erupted as Captain America (Chris Evans) and Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.) had disputes over a contract that would put the Avengers in government hands. As a result, the team split in two and entered a civil war among themselves that could change them forever.
“Civil War” had an excellent presentation and lead-in. Unlike “Batman v. Superman,” this movie had set-ups for Cap and Iron Man’s rivalry, which can be traced back to previous movies such as “The Avengers” and “Age of Ultron.” It was not surprising for these two superheroes to eventually end up at war due to their different belief systems.
The movie firmly painted the Avengers in shades of gray, not pure white. It explored the severity of the collateral damage superheroes can cause and portrayed them more as vigilantes.
The film, like all of Marvel’s films, had breathtaking action sequences. It established itself from the get-go, beginning with a raid scene showcasing the new Avengers. The iconic showdown between the Cap’s team and Iron Man’s team is brilliant, but it may be hard for the audience to watch their favorite superheroes to fight with each other, especially the final battle between Cap and Iron Man.
In addition, this movie continued the development of some of the familiar characters appeared in the previous “Avengers” movies. There was development on Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), the Winter Soldier. We got to know the events involving the Winter Soldier from the perspective of Bucky. Since he was free from the brainwashing for the majority of the movie, he displayed a more sympathetic side of his character than the cold-blooded killing machine.
The film also introduced the “Black Panther” (Chadwick Boseman) and a new incarnation of “Spider-Man” (Tom Holland), who both proved to be interesting additions to the Avengers. While the Black Panther had a rather stoic, vengeful, and a regal air around him, Holland’s take on Spider-Man was considerably more appealing and lighter than the two past Spider-Men: Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.
All in all, “Civil War” was a grand edition to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and a great prelude of things to come for the “Avengers” series.
The movie is rated PG-13 for violence and strong language.
[star rating=”5″]
