Captain America: Civil War Review

In a year where cinema seems to be dominated by comic book adaptations, the third superhero film of the year after Deadpool and Batman v Superman, you could be forgiven for looking towards the newest release from Marvel with some fatigue. There’s already been one big (and not very good) blockbuster about superheroes lining up to fight each other, surely we don’t need another one? Wrong.

The third solo outing for Captain America focuses on the fallout from the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron as the world finally demands that the group are held responsible for the consequences of their actions – especially with regards to the numerous civilian casualties that occur when the entire city of Sokovia gets destroyed.

While  Civil War could be seen as another Avengers movie, purely due to the reunion of most of that cast, the focus is on Captain America/ Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) as he fights against the demands for accountability in order to protect Bucky who, as the Winter Solider, has committed assassinations and bombings for the past seventy years. While the actual events of the Civil War are entertaining – with one of the best superhero showdowns ever taking place in an airport – it is this plot line where the Russo Brothers manage to keep the film focused on Steve and his motivations, as he tries to get his best friend back.

As the ever expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) begins to take shape, the cast of characters continues to grow and grow, and at times can seem a bit excessive. With the announced solo movie of Black Panther expected in 2018, the addition of T’Challa/Black Panther (the excellent Chadwick Boseman) to the mix in Civil War provides an opportunity to expose the audience to a relatively unknown superhero in preparation. This could be seen as a further diluting of the action to yet another main character, but Chadwick Boseman manages to not only provide enough insight into his character but to also help advance the plot of the film.

One of my main criticisms of the film, which has been picked up by critics, is that it doesn’t end with any particular resolution, acting as more of an episodic film in a series that leads up the climax of the Phrase Three of the MCU, the two part Avengers: Infinity War. 

It is clear though, that with Russo Brothers at the helm for the next Avengers film, the future of the MCU is in safe hands.

Hope you enjoyed my (very, very delayed) first post. Any questions, or want to argue about Civil War? Leave a comment! Thank you!