Well, new Marvel movie out and I saw it recently so you know what that means. An opinion on:
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Captain America: Civil War for those who need to validate the picture borrowed from Wikipedia. I will say that this is a pretty good film and while it does have some of the Marvel formula, it does its best and can earn a solid grade on its report card. Not an A+ but a solid B- at least.
What makes it:
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Spider-Man. This is probably the best Spider-Man action on the cinema screen to date. The action involving Spider-Man is a highlight to the film as we finally see a Spider-Man who fights like his comic book self, combining his super-strength, agility, web-swinging, wall crawling and heightened reflexes in a single combat style that confuses typical opponents. He still does the whole talking in battle like the comic version does which does distract opponents in the main fight he is in. Despite his young age, this particular Spider-Man is able to go toe to toe with his opponents (and even beat some of them) in the film as he utilizes his abilities and intellect to their fullest though he loses some fights due to his lack of experience against seasoned fighters and their tech (though not without putting them in a situation necessitating different tactics). The fact that this Peter actually made his own web-shooters like in the comics is also a nice touch I appreciated since it does remind the viewer that Peter is an intelligent person (though not wise if One More Day is to be considered). As Peter Parker, there is enough subtle emotion in the actor's voice that shows the pent-up regret in letting Uncle Ben die (again) though there was not enough scenes with Tom Holland for me to make a judgement call on Peter Parker. So I will approach the new Spider-Man film with more cautious optimism than I usually have with superhero films.
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The actual conflict and the extent it is explored. In this film, the Civil War is due to the events of previous Marvel films and the recent mishap in this film that results in the implementation of oversight by the United Nations over the independent Avengers. Two factions form in the group with Tony Stark along with James Rhodes, Vision, Natasha Romanov and guest character T'Challa on one side supporting the oversight while Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Clint Barton, Wanda Maximoff, Scott Lang and guest character James Barnes on the other opposing the oversight....[I'll wait for the reader all to finish googling all those names].............................................................................................................................
Initially I came in with leanings towards Captain America's side on how too much oversight can be dangerous (and obtrusive in their line of work) but as Iron Man's side began to highlight the problems of having no oversight, I began to lean back and forth between the two sides as the film showcases the arguments put forth by both side. The fact that the film show the inability for a middle ground due to outcry against the Avengers makes the conflict justified and grounded. Both sides of the coins are shown with Tony's side being able to showcase the problems of Captain America's side but later on, the problems with Tony's side begin to appear (though not enough in my opinion to really convince people of Steve's position). The film does not lose itself in too many branching plot threads that go nowhere but instead, maintains focus on the main conflict even in the more lighthearted scenes which is appreciated since the tension between the two sides builds as the film goes on. Due to personal stakes and differing opinions, the tension builds up to a peak for the characters (with a few in particular continuing to build up even after the big fight ends). The tension created from the conflict eventually builds up to a point which has severe consequences for the Avengers when the tension finally reaches its peak at the film's climax which is rather intense and exciting to watch.
The action. The highlight of the film is the airport terminal battle that has appeared in the trailers which is probably where the viewer will get their money's worth. Black Panther and Spider-Man were highlights in terms of action with Black Panther being skilled enough to go up against the likes of Bucky and Steve with martial arts (and his vibranium-weave suit) while Spider-Man needs no explanation (since I already did so before). Even before the fight, Black Panther already leaves a strong impression with fast-paced combat that establishes Black Panther as a dangerous adversary against his adversaries. The action looks good for the most part without feeling too exaggerated and the characters do use their abilities creatively (with one being quite the pleasant surprise).
SPOILER WARNING! THERE WILL BE SPOILERS! SCROLL PAST "SPOILER END" TO READ MORE
The impact of the story on the status quo. One thing I hate about comics is the fear that the executives have in changing the status quo whereby characters grow up, develop or change (for better or worse, depending on the circumstances). This is why I swore off Marvel and DC comics as a whole with One More Day (a piece of shit comic that should never have been made) and the New 52 reboot (which basically tried to be more 'dark' but with less depth). This film however does shake up the status quo of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on Earth whereby the Avengers are no longer a group anymore. The conflict, the hostilities and the emotions riled up throughout the film along with a certain revelation winds up breaking up the group. While the Avengers will inevitably reunite for Avengers: Infinity War, the reunion will probably be a tense one (as long as Joss Wheadon can resist using his usual style of writing with the characters). One thing I did not really like about Avengers: Age of Ultron was how easily the group got back together despite the hostilities they showed towards each other in the film, making it seem that the status quo was unbreakable. Now this film has come and it has finally shaken up the status quo of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. This, I feel, is a good way to break the formulaic approach Marvel has taken with its films which can already be observed since Age of Ultron (and several movies back) since it presents new premises and relationships future films will have to keep in mind.
"SPOILER END"
Another token romance. I have got to start keeping score of the number of token romances that Marvel films has. It's like every single main character in the film needs to have a romance that comes out of the blue (unless there is some tie-in comic I am not reading). In this film, the viewer is reminded that Peggy Carter has a niece (first seen in Captain America: The Winter Soldier) named Sharon Carter. Within the span of the film, the two start out as friendly acquaintances to being able to kiss each other while ignoring how quickly they have moved into such territories a short time after Peggy's funeral. At least it does set up a rather amusing gag and it does not overstay its welcome (unlike Kili and Tauriel from The Hobbit trilogy which I recall soured my opinion of the films immensely when the films attempt to set up this romance). Still, token romances should be avoided by future films lest these romances prove the existence of the Marvel film concept cheat sheet that their films appear to be using. A quote by Yahtzee of Zero Punctuation sums up the flaw of a token romance nicely:
"The trademark sense of isolation is another point the game misses like a champ when you're given a spunky female sidekick. This is another peculiarly American habit that seems to always go unchallenged: why does a love interest subplot have to be shoehorned into everything? Imagine if there was some kind of parallel universe where every game and movie, regardless of genre, was required to incorporate at least one line dancing competition. We'd think they were all raving lunatics!"
"The trademark sense of isolation is another point the game misses like a champ when you're given a spunky female sidekick. This is another peculiarly American habit that seems to always go unchallenged: why does a love interest subplot have to be shoehorned into everything? Imagine if there was some kind of parallel universe where every game and movie, regardless of genre, was required to incorporate at least one line dancing competition. We'd think they were all raving lunatics!"
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The antagonist. Spoiler alert: Zemo is nothing like the Zemo of the comics. In fact,he could even be an entirely original character for the sake of the film. I actually do not know a lot about Zemo but from what I have read, he has a lot of significance. Here, he's simply someone who did not attend proper anger management classes and relies on a lot of contrived coincidences to move his plan forward. It was a shame since even though I did not read the comics, I am aware of Zemo's infamous reputation from the comics and his significance. In my opinion, it may have been better to make an original antagonist (indirectly based on some antagonist from the comics) since Zemo in Civil War is only Zemo in name. The background of this Zemo could apply to anyone else who fits in that role which I will not spoil here even if I spoiled his resemblance to the comic Zemo. While Zemo is not quite the intimidating villain like he appears to be in the comics, he is not horrible (like Iron Man 3's villains) because he does actual damage to the Marvel Cinematic Universe which may carry over into future films.
Summary:
While there are probably more elements to the film that could make or break it, I doubt I would be able to articulate all of them with my sleep-deprived mind. I am sure that more seasoned reviewers will be able to pick apart the flaws in this film or explain the good elements better. I will say that Civil War feels like what Age of Ultron should have been with better writing, better build-up to the fights and a better ending to change the status quo. The entertaining parts of a Marvel superhero is still there with its action, characters and lighthearted jokes but this time, there are instances of decent writing in the film and better decisions being made in production to result in a decent movie. Overall, I can give it a recommendation for having enough substance to warrant the ticket price. The fact that I am going to re-watch the film again soon does mean that the film is either doing something right or that I am a master of procrastination.
Summary:
While there are probably more elements to the film that could make or break it, I doubt I would be able to articulate all of them with my sleep-deprived mind. I am sure that more seasoned reviewers will be able to pick apart the flaws in this film or explain the good elements better. I will say that Civil War feels like what Age of Ultron should have been with better writing, better build-up to the fights and a better ending to change the status quo. The entertaining parts of a Marvel superhero is still there with its action, characters and lighthearted jokes but this time, there are instances of decent writing in the film and better decisions being made in production to result in a decent movie. Overall, I can give it a recommendation for having enough substance to warrant the ticket price. The fact that I am going to re-watch the film again soon does mean that the film is either doing something right or that I am a master of procrastination.
What makes it:
Spider-Man
The actual conflict and the extent it is explored
The action
The impact of the story on the status quo
What breaks it:
Another token romance
The antagonist
P.S: Is it just me or is Aunt May rather young in this film? The actual actress is apparently 50 years old and all but....
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Yeah... I'll be waiting for the memes to flood in soon. At least it kinda makes sense in-universe since Peter Parker is still a teenager in high-school and all.
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