Review of Captain America: Civil War (2016) by Pseudolus2015 — 15 May 2016

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!!! PLEASE READ THIS DISCLAIMER BEFORE STARTING REVIEW!!!

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Great. Now that you're past the buffer, let's talk about this movie. Captain America: Civil War is the ultimate movie in a trilogy of Cap movies in Marvel's Cinematic Universe. Many people are labeling it Avengers 2.5, but I see it as the future of Marvel movies to come.

Before I rave about this movie, let's talk about some downsides. There were a few moments where I was thrown out of the action (and I don't mean the Jason Bourne-type action you may be thinking about, I mean the plot, the general action of the movie). One was near the end of the airport scene (which will be discussed) where Scott Lang is taken down and gives a crummy quip. This is pretty nitpicky though. Second was the moment where Cap and Sharon Carter share a kiss. Cap says it was a long time coming, but this moment had little setup. Their relationship started in the last movie with them being neighbors and did not range farther than that. In this movie, Sharon is an ally to Cap. I believe that had they strengthened the relationship in the previous movie or simply laid more groundwork in this one for a connection, the moment might have been more believable. NITPICKING! Lastly, the camera movements regarding the action sequences at the mission in Lagos is dizzying, and not in the good, filmmaker way. I've seen Cap 3 twice and both times I got nauseous just trying to follow Black Widow with my eyes. But again, nitpicking.

Now I've heard the argument from some people that it is unfair to have such connected movies in this Cinematic Universe because the emotional and storytelling heavy lifting has already been done in previous movies that have come out years before. I think that argument is utter bulls**t. It is. Let's get a reality check: people go and see these movies. Not just some, not just comic book fans, but a LOT. OF. PEOPLE. This movie as of now worldwide is on the verge of a billion dollars and is only on its third week of release. Both Avengers movies grossed over a billion dollars and the previous Captain America movies have made bank, not to mention every other MCU film. No film in the franchise has been a flop, not one. And in this culture we live in today, infused with fame and pop culture, there are enough people out there willing to help those who can't see the movies prior.

Think of it like this. You're reading Harry Potter. All the books in the Harry Potter series are part of a shared universe, you gotta read them in order to understand the emotional weight of the story, not to mention the bare bones logic. You wouldn't read Order of the Phoenix without reading Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire. You would be lost, seeing two years go by of story.

And so it is with the MCU. While Marvel has done a stellar job with making great movies that standalone, the cohesion of the universe only ever adds to the power of the story and Captain America: Civil War is a testament to that. First spoiler of the day: The "twist" at the end of the movie that gets us our final fight in Siberia was actually shown to us very subtly in Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Had you not seen that movie, then you still weren't left out to dry because Civil War had enough setup to understand Tony's relationship to his parents and Bucky's involvement in the Winter Soldier brainwashing program. Having watched the previous movies only adds to involvement of the audience.

Let me say this of the MCU before I move on. I heard some people I knew who watched the movie say that it was very confusing (they hadn't watched anything but Avengers movies) and what they were confused by was where characters were at in their story. I say that this is not an issue of the filmmakers but rather the audience. When you walked into the theater to go watch The Hateful Eight and you see a snowy mountain and Tarantino doesn't outright tell you where the carriage is that's traveling on this mountain, you don't get to complain about not understanding what's happening. It's all in the discovery. I'm gonna leave it at that.

Now time for praise. If you'll sit back and relax, you will get so much out of this movie. If you are on the edge of your seat, the same will happen. There are so many moment that are just eye-popping. The soft moments are tender, sweet, and necessary for the wonderful pacing. The actors are stellar, especially RDJ in what is my favorite performance from him yet. Seriously guys, that **** killed his mom. Root for RDJ once in a while. Zemo is a bit confusing on the first watch, but is so much better on the second. GUYS!!! Watch movies more than once. You're supposed to. You can't get everything out of one watch.

Now for the highest praise out of the whole movie: Three characters. Spiderman. Black Panther. And Giant Man. You heard me. I won't say more because you just have to experience the dedication these characters add to this movie.