[four-star-rating]Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Sebastian Stan, Scarlett Johansson, Daniel Brühl, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Chadwick Boseman, Jeremy Renner, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Tom Holland, William Hurt, Viola Davis[/four-star-rating]
Captain America: Civil War recognizes human loss. That’s a wonderful thing. Now we don’t just see empty cities crumble and cars explode. We know there is death – real and painful human collateral – as these heroes fight to save the Earth. This moral conundrum launches a war among The Avengers. It’s a painful a battle that pits onetime friends and compatriots against each other.
The Russo brothers – the directors behind Captain America: Winter Soldier – have the fighting, explosions, and entertainment. Yet much of Civil War isn’t repeated special effects. Mixed in are actually dialogue-heavy scenes. In fact, these are well written, clever scenes of a good length that help embellish character. Somehow, the Russos built on the convoluted mess of Age of Ultron. From that, they made a film that’s actually worth discussing.
Sure, Civil War is a comic book flick. Yet, it is entertainment with plot, character, and theme. In short, Civil War does a damn good job!
Our heroes are in a fictional African country called Wakanda. They are trying to stop terrorists from obtaining a viral weapon. When innocents die, the United Nations call for The Avengers to stop acting independently. Our heroes are asked to sign a treaty putting them be under the control of the U.N.
Captain America (Evans) knows this is a dangerous proposition. He has found that these entities can be controlled by evil. He says, “The safest hands are still our own.”
Iron Man Tony Stark (Downey Jr.) disagrees. He’s faced his own loss. Citizens wracked by grief have confronted him. Stark believes it’s a time for diplomacy.
Their polar opposition sets up an internal struggle. Avengers take sides. It gets messy when Captain America’s one-time friend, the Winter Soldier (Stan), is implicated in terrorist attacks. Captain America is positive his friend is innocent. Everyone else is not so sure.
Already, audiences can sense that the Russos shoot for depth. They don’t quite reach the level of moral complexity of The Dark Knight; perhaps no comic book film may ever accomplish that. Yet, this is an entertaining flick that’s got hidden intensity. Civil War also has a couple whiz-bang plot twists. Finally, there’s a beautiful theme of people torn apart, both physically and mentally
That being said there are still problems. Famous Avengers and other characters are still missing with little or no explanation. New characters are introduced in sloppy ways. Also, Captain America shows some late personality inconsistencies. When he once called for strategy, he ends up punch happy. He calls for transparency, when he fails to be so himself.
[rating-key]
Still, Civil War is very entertaining and heartfelt. Superheroes clash in a Battle Royale. Their strengths are well explored. More importantly, long, well established scenes allow us to become intrigued. We care. That alone is the biggest superhero victory audiences have had in a while.
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