It’s hard not to compare “Captain America: Civil War” to “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” and not just because both feature superheroes beating one another to a pulp. Whether it was purposeful or not, both films share striking similarities in story. Both movies feature superheroes taking two different stances on protecting civilians, with mass destruction striking fear in humanity; both have actual villains pulling the strings and manipulating the heroes in the background; both feature heroes dealing with loss (with one’s parents playing a key role); and both introduce more heroes into the ruckus to build to future installments. On paper, the only edge Marvel seemingly has over DC is it boasts more superheroes.
The real edge Marvel has over DC is the Russo Brothers, who direct “Civil War” tightly with a keen attention to detail. The duo blends intelligence, humor, drama, and spectacle seamlessly! Much like their previous outing with Steve Rogers, “The Winter Soldier,” they deliver a story that not only tells a smart political story, but delivers entertaining action set pieces on the side. While that film admittedly was a little rough around the edges, this follow-up is as smooth as Tony Stark’s wit.
Much like “Batman v Superman,” tension arises between our heroes due to mass destruction. Unlike that film, both heroes take responsibility for their actions, but go about that in different ways. Captain America (Chris Evans) feels that, as heartbreaking as it is, lives will be lost in war; it’s all a matter of how many lives you do save and how you personally deal with your actions. Iron Man (Tony Stark), feeling remorse for his actions after encountering the mother of one of his unfortunate casualties, agrees with the Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross (William Hurt) and Everett K. Ross (Martin Freeman) that the Avengers need to be reined in. Over a hundred countries in the U.N. agree, stating that if any superhero doesn’t sign the Sokovia Accords and work under the direction of the government that they retire or be condemned as a criminal.
Captain America’s pride and kinship to Bucky Barnes a.k.a. the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) gets the best of him and, in an attempt to save his friend from being taken in, goes rogue and rebels against the government. What the country believes Barnes is responsible for this time is the bombing of the U.N. during the signing of the Sokovia Accords. We know Bucky is innocent in this case, making it easier to side with the titular hero of this film, but the Russos never approach their material in a black and white sense.
The biggest strength in “Civil War” is in that the subject matter is dealt in shades of grey. While audiences are already divided into Team Cap and Team Iron Man going into the film, they won’t find it easy to stay on either side during the proceedings. On the one hand, Rogers has a point in fearing that government meddling will interfere in the Avengers actually saving the world, not to mention the paranoia of being assigned to missions that combat their moral beliefs. On the other hand, Tony has a point in that the Avengers are no better than the villains if they act without direction as evident by their blatant disregard to laws and regulations, not to mention copious amounts of property damage.
Many have attacked the film beforehand on having Stark, the one admittedly responsible for most of the damage (especially in “Age of Ulton”), siding with the government after being on the defensive against them for so long. The Russos touch on this nicely, highlighting the remorse that Tony’s been feeling since “Iron Man 3.” It makes complete sense that Stark would see the error of his ways and fear that, if he and the rest of the Avengers aren’t reined in now, they never will be and things will only get worse from here on out. The character of Tony has been growing since the events of his first film eight years ago, admittedly more so than Captain America. While Steve’s nobleness is commendable, his actions are directly caused by his stubborn pride and inability to separate his feelings for Bucky from the bigger picture at hand. This is actually something Tony is dealing with better, as he and Pepper Potts are taking a break due to his inability to cope with his demons. This comes into play in Stark’s introduction to the film, as he’s showcasing his latest creation, a virtual reality simulator that can recreate ones memories and play them out differently. For Tony, he’s imagining his final encounter with his parents going much smoother before their ultimate demise in 1991. Following this presentation at MIT, Tony donates enough money to fund every student’s project as a way of coping with his guilt.
How does all of this tie into the big superhero brawl that everyone came to see? With Captain American on the run with the Winter Soldier, Iron Man is tasked by the government to bring the two into custody within a few days or else he too will be held responsible. This will be no easy task, as the Sokovia Accords have been dividing the Avengers, with Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) siding with the Captain and the Winter Soldier. Tony assembles his own team, with War Machine (Don Cheadle), Vision (Paul Bettany), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), and Spider-Man (Tom Holland, not the director of “Child’s Play”) being recruited.
I was afraid that, with this many superheroes on display, that some would get lost in the shuffle. Thankfully, this is not the case, as each superhero gets their own time to shine. Sure, some act as supporting characters, including heavyweights such as Spider-Man, but that’s fine this time around. Their recruitment even makes sense, as opposed to it coming off as them just being thrown to a side to fill out numbers. Spider-Man sides with Iron Man as Tony essentially blackmails and buys him out at the same time, threatening to reveal his identity to his precious Aunt May (Marisa Tomei) whilst also promising him an upgrade. Take that away and you’d still have Peter Parker side with Tony simply due to the sixteen year-old being starstruck. The same goes for Ant-Man, who’s so enamored to be working alongside Captain America that he awkwardly praises his physique in one of the film’s funniest moments. Even then, Ant-Man has always been labeled a criminal by the government, so of course he’d side with Steve Rogers in this case. As for the Black Panther, his father is killed in the U.N. explosion, causing him to seek out the Winter Soldier for vengeance. It may seem as if the Russos give him little to work with, but they slyly reveal more about T’Challa the longer the film goes, while leaving enough to be told in the upcoming Black Panther film. It’s a brilliant way of giving the audience a little and leaving them wanting more!
Even the big battle between the two sides is well thought out. What’s the issue that’s dividing them on the surface? Endangering humanity. How do they go about curbing this? By having their confrontation take place in an abandoned airport. This not only prevents civilians from being caught in the crossfire, but allows the Russos to still deliver an explosive action sequence. Action aficionados still get their wanton destruction, but not at the discredit of the story being told. And man, does this battle deliver! Everyone gets their licks in, with Ant-Man cleverly introducing his ability to make himself big as well as small and Spider-Man showcasing his webslinging skills.
I have failed to mention the inclusion of the film’s overarching villain, Zemo (Daniel Brühl), but that’s not because the film doesn’t do much with him. I simply don’t want to spoil any twists and he plays a big part in them. Same goes for Crossbones (Frank Grillo). What I can praise without spoiling anything is in how the Russos utilize Zemo. Much like Lex Luthor in “Batman v Superman,” Zemo is manipulating our heroes into fighting one another, though his isn’t quite as intentional. Whereas Lex just wanted to watch the world burn, Zemo is after vengeance due to his family being casualties in the Avengers’ war against Ultron. It may seem ridiculous that vengeance is the driving factor of so many people in “Civil War,” but it’s handled splendidly, with all of the stories being tied together in a neat little bow! Why Zemo works better than Lex is because he didn’t feel the need to create a monster ala Doomsday to immediately be vanquished by the heroes. The true fight here is between inner demons, not outer ones. The final fight, essentially, is between the heroes as promised.
Marvel has a tremendous track record with their cinematic universe and “Captain America: Civil War” is their best film to date! It never once cluttered or overcrowded, with the two-and-a-half hour runtime breezing by. This is a blockbuster that deserves its length and hype!
Final Rating: A