Civil War is what Batman v Superman is, only done right. Now granted, I didn't exactly see Batman v Superman (Superman isn't exactly one of my favorite heroes out there), but I think I can take the word of some of my respected critic colleagues out there on the consensus that it could have been better. A lot better. Personally with me, superheroes aren't exactly on top of my world. I don't know if they ever really were. They can be fun to follow, but every now and then, I'll come across that movie that will peak my curiosity. Guardians of the Galaxy did that, and I had a lot of fun with that. And that was the first marvel movie I'd seen since Iron Man. Well here I am, watching Captain America, haven't even seen Avengers, and I'm sitting here. Now I can hear some of you yelling at me that I should have seen the other movies, and I'll just say....continue reading.
Going into this, I had a basic idea of what has happened in the Marvel universe. Decently, and the movie was kind enough to give me a rough outline of peak events that had happened before this movie. Climactic events from the Avengers movies and whatnot. And despite my lack of knowledge at to the origins of characters like James Barnes (who o thought was literally James Bond at first...I mean come on that last name is too similar), I followed the story will enough to thoroughly enjoy myself. I said up above that this is likely what BvS should have been like. From what I've heard, the writing of that movie was atrocious, and the reasons for fighting were ridiculous. Thankfully, this film presents a clear, understandable, and genuinely good conflict of interest. The resulting conflicts make this one of the darkest films that Marvel has ever done, or likely ever will do. Coming from a studio that's never too sure whether or not to take their product seriously, or goofy, it's quite refreshing to me.
Now that's not a bad thing to say. Civil War may be dark, but the goofy moments are still there. Tony Stark's smartass persona hasn't gone anywhere, and there are a few lines that legitly had me chuckling. From characters all over the place. I honestly wish there was more of that, because the middle third of this film...drags. Maybe it's my fault for drinking too much coke, but in the middle of this film, the setup is painfully slow. I understand that you need buildup, and you don't just show fists, but there were times I felt things could have been sped up a little faster. Because there were times all I could do was ask myself how long I'd been sitting there.
When the action gets going though, everything just goes smoothly, and at a piece that will keep your attention fully.i must commemorate the studio for giving some of the coolest action I've seen in theaters. Watching two teams of heroes on both sides collide was easily one of the coolest things I've seen on the big screen this year. It's the climactic, over-the-top, brawl fest that the fans could wish for, with some of the most iconic characters of the universe, and even some of the newer ones. And yeah, looks like Marvel's got their hands on Spiderman now. Because the tease at the end of the movie might as well read "Sony is our bitch." So there's something for the fans to look forward to.
The story was easy to follow, and the conflicts of interest I will say kept my interest. There were a few times I scratched my head wondering why certain things were as they were when there were these other factors to take into consideration. Without spoiling too much, the condemning of the Avengers seemed out of place. And I do feel that the vengeance side of Iron man seems just a bit off character, but then again, maybe I just need to rediscover the character. My biggest problem with this movie however....ironically is the title. I can't help but feel that marketing manipulated this movie ever so slightly. The concept of a Civil War is a nation divided amongst itself. The thing is, not once is America, or any other nation divided, Civil War is just one big metaphor for the turmoil that the central characters face. But...with trailer lines that don't even appear in the movie such as "You just started a war!" Or "You chose the wrong side." (Though to the film's credit, that last one is at least part of a sentence), I can't help but feel that the conflict we were supposed to believe happened, never happened. Or maybe it's to setup the next Avengers movie? If that's the case, save it for the next damn movie. I'm not saying I didn't like the film, far from it. But I will call marketing out for their BS moves...and I think I smell one.
All in all, Civil War has succeeded in something I didn't think possible. Not only has my interest in Marvel been rekindled a bit somewhat, but after the movie, I found myself going to Target to check out prices of the Captain America, and Avengers movies. Why? Because I realized that I wanted to get invested in this universe more than I had before. I don't think I'll find myself buying the Thor movies anytime soon, but I found myself at least wanting to look into Captain America, because though Iron Man seems to be the fan loved character, I think Captain America has a better background and is the more interesting character, It's making me want to look into his movies...and the Avengers. These are movies I honestly didn't see myself watching in the near future, and now I'm looking for a decent price. When your movie makes me want to look into more of your universe, you've done something right, and Civil War did more than hit on target there. Despite it's flaws that I did find, I had a lovely time,, and perhaps, I may just get more into Marvel than I thought I would.
Captain America: Civil War earns a three and a half star rating out of four. Dark, gritty, and full of risks not often seen in most Marvel movies, it was a ride I fully enjoyed from beginning to end, even if it dragged itself out a bit. The action was stellar, the acting, spot on, the characters, fun, and though the clichés that were used now and then made to some predictable circumstances, and the musical score was nothing special, I won't lie that it's fun to watch the captain and Iron Man during it out. DC should be taking notes on these movies, especially since the most anticipated comic book film of the year was such a letdown. But all I can or will say is this. If you were disappointed by Batman v Superman...Civil War will give you what you want, and may just erase that movie from your mind.
Please feel free to request any movie you'd like me to review. Leave a comment down below telling me what your thoughts on the movie were, and as always, thanks for reading.
Final Verdict: 3.5/4
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