Captain America: Civil War
In my review of the first Avengers movie, I said Joss Whedon’s blockbuster represented “the most complete manifestation of the superhero team aesthetic yet seen on film.” Four years later, we have a new champion in the category of “best team film.” (To be fair, the hero-snuff-film future sequences in X-Men: Days of Future Past were pretty good examples of multi-hero action, as well.) The way in which Captain America: Civil War brings together a dozen or so heroes, sorts them into not one but two teams and then flings them at each other is its own special delight for comic book fans long accustomed to such things on the printed or digital page. And it must be pretty exciting for non-fans, too.
The Russo brothers’ second film in the Captain America trilogy, and their last before tackling the upcoming two-part Avengers: Infinity War films, Civil War maintains the same balance of action and significant (if brief) character development/interaction that made Winter Soldier so enjoyable. The fight and chase scenes are frenetic without being confusing, while the comic relief, mostly supplied by our bug-themed heroes, provides a Whedon-flavored lightening of the otherwise dark proceedings. Even more impressive, the film introduces two additional MCU Phase Three stars—one brand new to filmgoers and the other oh-so familiar—and both generate a real sense of “Man, I can’t wait to see his solo film!” All this is achieved without once veering too far from the core plot of the film.
As for that plot, Captain America: Civil War continues a controlled headlong rush down the road laid down by the preceding Captain America-themed entries: in the extended aftermath of Ultron’s Slovakia-based attempt at an extinction-level event and the unmasking of Hydra’s presence in S.H.I.E.L.D., Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and crew figure in yet another high-profile event during which lives are lost. (Paul Bettany’s Vision is absent for reasons we can only assume are plot-related—as in, had he been there, the fight would have been over in 30 seconds.) All the world’s governments want this particular band of enhanced individuals on a leash. A guilty Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) agrees. A wary Steve Rogers doesn’t. Throw in an explosion that costs Wakanda its king and for which Bucky (Sebastian Stan) is a prime suspect, and this particular go-round of “Watch the heroes fight each other” makes more sense than it usually does. (It actually makes more sense than the comic event upon which it’s based, as that material basically just turns Tony Stark, and a few other heroes, into a super-villain for the duration.)
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