transcript:
Captain America Civil War opens too wide release this weekend. Have we finally reached superhero saturation or will civil War directors the Russo Brothers keep audiences Crazy and clamoring for more? Cinema Siren has the answer for you!
Let me start with not so much a warning, as a tease. CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR is not really a Captain America movie, It’s an Avengers movie standing behind a starred shield. While Cap is the central figure, he is so only by small margin. It’s a story comic book fans know and love, and its interpretation for the screen has been much anticipated.
As the name implies, the central storyline of CIVIL WAR, is that our favorite costumed characters, once friends, are now at odds. Being asked to allow oversight by the powers-that-be, has lead to a rift. Captain America leads one side, and Iron Man leads the other. They enlist a whopping 10 other superheroes to their teams. Colossal clashes ensue. There are battles. Who is on what team and why?
Does the idea of two major comic book creations tussling while politicians cry for more control sound somewhat familiar? Indeed, in that way, Captain America: Civil War shares more than just a passing similarity to Batman v Superman. So what? Any comic book fan knows there are many shared themes and stories. With that in mind, why can’t Marvel and DC coexist, and even, dare I say, intermingle in the hearts of fans?
That being said, Captain America: Civil War benefits greatly and keeps their audiences in thrall leveraging the basic Marvel trait shared by most of its characters: a snarky sense of humor. Or perhaps we should say, a stark-y one. There is no shortage of darkness, death, and destruction in this film, but comedic touches offer welcome shifts in mood. In that, directors Anthony and Joe Russo create a nearly perfect balance. Kudos, also, to the screenwriters who somehow divvy up just the right amount of screen time to heroes we know, such as Cap, Iron Man, and Black Widow, those we want to know better, like War Machine, Vision, Scarlet Witch, and Ant-Man, and those we meet for the first time. With cheers often erupting when onscreen, Black Panther, as played by Chadwick Boseman and Spider-Man, ably embodied by Tom Holland nearly steal the entire film, and both beg for their own features.
There are some strong, surprising character arcs, especially for Steve Rogers, which is as it should be. Chris Evans has made the character so his own it’s hard to imagine any other actor donning his shield. Downey Jr. himself is quite a standout in the film. We learn a great deal about Stark’s backstory and the personal demons that plague him, and as usual the actor is up to the challenge.
With this many characters and aspects to story, it’s possibly inevitable that things get a bit unnecessarily convoluted, especially with regards to the villain’s and even several of the heroes’ motivations. These are forgivable trifles in the face of such entertainment and spectacle.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR has thrown down the gauntlet for any other would-be blockbuster released in 2016. I pity any film, regardless of genre, opening in the next four weeks.
It would be easy to nitpick about confusing plot lines and an over abundance of characters. That would mean unfairly discrediting the colossal job of successfully integrating so many superheroes while maintaining distinct personalities and points of view. Ultimately Captain America Civil War is fun & exciting, and will make even more fans, if that’s even possible, for the Avengers franchise.
B+
