Falcon and Scarlet Witch are Avengers. Bucky is running wild. We've recently met Ant-Man and Vision and now there is trouble brewing between the Avengers. Following the past few years of major destruction across the world due to the superheroes, the UN has created the Sokovia Accords which makes regulation of superheroes lawful. This includes deciding when, where, and how the Avengers act and making their uniforms and weapons government property. Ridden with guilt, Tony Stark wants to sign the Accords while Steve Rogers doesn't think it's an idea that promotes individual liberty and responsibility. The Avengers pick sides, teams begin to form, and soon we have, you guessed it, a civil war.
The Russo brothers have once again made a superhero movie that just stands out, not only in the MCU but in the huge vault of superhero movies in general. The story and technical aspects of Civil War were phenomenal and came together to make a near-perfect movie. And this is coming from someone who has never read a Captain America comic and for a long time didn't really enjoy comic book movies.
Civil War was bigger than Avengers in that it had so many more superheroes and these superheroes were actually fighting each other. With so many characters, this movie could have easily been a chaotic mess with no good focus on each character. Thankfully this was not the case. We delve deeper into characters we already know and love and are introduced to new characters that make us excited for Marvel movies to come. Most people, including myself, loved the new Spider-man and Black Panther. Tom Holland and Chadwick Boseman brought their characters to life and made us all fall in love with them. This is the Peter Parker we've needed and Black Panther is such a unique superhero; we haven't seen anyone quite like him before. Spider-Man: Homecoming and Black Panther are future films that are already met with great anticipation because of the heroes' amazing appearances in Civil War.
The Russo brothers have also created this perfect formula for superhero movies that includes a good balance between action and character moments. With comic book movies, you expect big fight scenes and spectacle. There was plenty of that in Civil War. The stunt team has been praised highly since this film's release and they well deserve it. From Bucky's Legolas-esque motorcycle move to giant Ant-Man being taken down via Spider-Man's Empire Strikes Back suggestion, Civil War has incredible, edge-of-your seat action without being redundant or boring. Superhero movies suffer, in my opinion, when they are bogged down by fights and explosions. Humanizing these heroes is important, and that is another thing that this film does well. We get real moments with each character and learn about their motivations and sympathize with their feelings. I am not an Iron Man fan, but even I felt bad for him in this movie. We get so much more from the Winter Soldier, Scarlet Witch, and Falcon than we have in previous films. For such a complicated comic book film, these moments are important in helping us understand why these great superheroes are fighting each other this time instead of a super-villain.
Like Winter Soldier, Civil War stands out from other superhero movies with cinematography and editing. People loved Winter Soldier because it reminded them of political spy thrillers from the seventies. Civil War also had that same vibe. Each time the movie cut to a different location or year, that place or time would be written in this great font and style that just fit the tone well and felt kind of retro. I also love the history of the Captain America movies and that was done well. We go back from the nineties to the present frequently and I think showing the Soviet Union juxtaposed with the States is important in understanding the story and ideological discussion behind Civil War.
And that brings me to one of my favorite, if not my most favorite, thing about Civil War. Most superhero movies are relatively predictable, with a story that includes hero versus villain and the villains all have pretty similar reasons for becoming villains. There are bigger political and moral issues in Civil War that are presented through this creation of the UN Accords to start regulating superheroes. This film showed both sides of the argument well without tipping towards one or the other and without getting too preachy. It shows the cons and pros to both sides. Tony Stark meets the mother of a son he killed in Sokovia. The Secretary of State reviews the past few years (or past few movies) of mass destruction caused by the Avengers with the heroes themselves. I liked this part, because it finally addressed the trope in comic book movies in which an entire city gets destroyed but no one seems to care and there are no repercussions; that's all I thought about during Ultron. One can understand why Tony and his fellow team members would want a government check on their great and sometimes uncontrollable powers. But then Steve Rogers brings up the fact that the UN, and all governments of the world, are run by people with agendas. To put the Avengers' total fate into the hands of the government could lead to bigger problems and take away their basic freedoms. He states that sometimes property is destroyed and people are killed, and it isn't a good thing, but the Avengers always try to do the right thing in the end. As someone who is not a fan of either Iron Man or communism, I am on Team Cap. And I particularly loved how by the end most of the heroes joined Cap's side. Because he's right, of course. But no matter what side you are on, you have to admit that this film addressed both sides fairly. It's not often you leave the theater after seeing a Marvel movie and you're ready to have a philosophical discussion on morals and political ideology. But that's just the beauty of Civil War.
Captain America: Civil War has set a new bar of excellence for superhero films. It's a great addition to the MCU and the Captain America series, but even on its own, it still works as a great, exciting movie. And it makes me so much more amped for the future Russo-directed Infinity Wars because I know it will be in good hands. If you haven't seen it yet, go and see it! You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll delve deep into your personal moral psyche. Let the good times roll.
#TeamCap
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