Tag Archives: Captain America: Civil War (2016)

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Captain America: Civil War (2016) a (finally got to it) review

I’ve owned a copy of last summer’s blockbuster Captain America: Civil War (CACW from here on) for many months now and consider the previous Captain America film, The Winter Soldier, which was also directed by the Russo Brothers, one of the best superhero films ever made.

Yet I’ve actively avoided seeing CACW until last night.

Part of the problem lies in the fact that all I’ve read about the film suggests its plot is incredibly similar to that of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, a film that got almost no love at all from critics and even today harshly divides fans.  If you’ve read my blog here for any length of time, you’ll know I love BvS and feel in time it will come to be regarded as one of the better superhero films made. (Just for context, my three favorite superhero films  at this point in time are Superman (1978), Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Batman v Superman.)

The backlash against BvS was so damn strong in some parts that, against my better judgment, I found myself defending the film against its critics in some comment boards.  A silly thing to do, I know, as opinions are just that and can be strong and ingrained and implacable.  Nonetheless I attempted to express my opinions while not slamming others’ yet one thing recurred:  People compared BvS with CACW, with CACW being held as a great feature while BvS being belittled by those who hated it as crap.

So as much as I wanted to see CACW, in time I feared these comments/comparisons threatened to taint my opinions of this movie.  To put it bluntly: I worried that because I enjoyed BvS while others gleefully ripped it apart -and professed such love for CACW– I might take the opposite track and head into CACW with a far more critical eye than I should.

It’s happened before.  I’ve had experiences where “everyone” says a film is great and you go into the theater carrying high expectations only to be disappointed because the film wasn’t as great as you thought/hoped it would be.  On the other hand, I’ve also experienced occasions where “everyone” tells you a film is crap and you wind up being pleasantly surprised by what you’ve seen.

The bottom line is that I I don’t get to see as many films as I want to and when I do, I’m hoping to enjoy myself, not look for defects or carry burdensome expectations both pro and con.  Thus I avoided seeing CACW because I feared the opinions revolving around the movie and its “rivalry” with BvS might impact my own enjoyment of it.

So time passes and yesterday turns out to be really rotten, weather-wise.  It’s rainy and grim and the wife and I ventured out only once earlier in the day and were hunkered down at home for the rest.  Come 7 P.M., we’ve seen some stuff we’d recorded on the DVR and its too early to head to bed and we’re wondering what to do.

I decide its time, finally, to see CACW.

As the movie opens, the inevitable comparisons to BvS start.  Though I already knew this to be the case from so many spoilery blog entries, I’m nonetheless still surprised by how remarkably similar these stories are as they both involve our heroes dealing with the ramifications of the destruction they’ve made and ending in their confrontation.

In the case of BvS, the fight Superman had against General Zod in Man of Steel is witnessed first hand and on street level by Bruce Wayne (Batman), and after seeing this fearsome display, and the many thousands who died due to it, these visions unhinge the man to the point where he decides Superman has to go…something Lex Luthor is more than happy to exploit.

In CACW we have the Avengers being called out for the destruction they’ve caused in the previous films (and the current one) and they are told (not asked) to sign the “Sokovia Accords”, which will place them under a World/UN-type supervision.  Captain America isn’t interested in signing the agreement while Tony Stark (Iron Man) is and this, along with the fact that evidence suggests the Winter Soldier is involved in some terrorist activities, drives a wedge between the superheroes.

What follows is a broad, filled-to-the-brim Superhero spectacle that was very enjoyable to watch, even if it didn’t reach the levels, to me, of Captain America: Winter Soldier or -gasp!- Batman v Superman.

The first problem is that unlike Winter Soldier, I couldn’t help but feel this particular plate was over-filled.  CACW isn’t just a “Captain America” film and is too filled with characters to be an “Avengers” film.  It is perhaps the first “entire Marvel Universe” film.  I suspect that had the movie’s makers the ability to do so, we’d have seen the Fantastic Four and the X-Men in here as well…

…and it wouldn’t change the fact that this film’s plot, when all is said and done, isn’t all that great nor warrants such a large cast.  The two biggest “new” add-on super-characters are The Black Panther and a “new” Spider Man but unlike others who loved seeing them I found their appearance OK at best though it was an interesting choice to have Marisa Tomei play the venerable Aunt May.  Considering her character has always been presented in comics and film as a very old, very gray grandmotherly-looking person, the choice to cast Ms. Tomei is certainly interesting.

William Hurt and Martin Freeman also show up for what amounts to cameo roles and while Mr. Hurt’s Thaddeus Ross finds relevance in the story I felt Mr. Freeman’s Everette K. Ross didn’t need to be there other than to lock up the other half of the Sherlock duo into the Marvel film universe.

Going back to the movie’s plot, it is best not scrutinized too terribly much.  While the villain of the piece has a genuinely good -perhaps even great!- reason to want to break up the Avengers, the way he goes about it involves so many things working out so very well that its impossible a single person, even a gifted intellectual one, could devise and execute this plan.  Worse, am I wrong but I don’t believe his character knows, at least until close to the end of the film, if that one last piece of information (MILD SPOILERS: a video) which he hopes to use to break the “friendship” between Captain America and Iron Man, even still exists?  He has gone through this insanely intricate process to get not only himself but the main heroes to place X to find and play said video without knowing if it is still there or has deteriorated to the point of being un-viewable.  Had that been the case, then what?  Did he have a plan B?!

Despite this, CACW is a fun, if sugary, roller coaster ride whose highlight is an airport fight between the various superhero factions.  Unlike BvS, the movie’s makers never go as “dark” as that film and while the characters fight they did so in such a good-natured way and while issuing wise-cracks that you never took anything too terribly seriously…until the last fight that is, which is presented in a more “serious” manner.  The movie ends on a curiously unresolved note and that, too, bothered me a bit as I wonder if these plot points will be dealt with later on, especially considering the next Avengers films seem to be going in the direction of outer space.

CACW is a good, if not quite outstanding chapter in Marvel’s highly successful movie universe.  It’s not a bad way to spend your time but one can’t help but feel but the Rousso brothers took a step back from what they did the last time around.

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Honest trailers…

The folks at Screen Junkies have just released an “honest trailer” for Captain America: Civil War and it goes like this…

What’s most humorous (or perhaps sad) is the realization I’ve had for a while now: Both Batman v Superman and Captain America: Civil War share a rather …curious… similarity in general plot.

I can’t say when exactly I noted there appeared to be similarities, though I suspect it happened in/around the time the first trailers for both films were released and it became clear each movie used the idea of massive super-hero influenced damage to hang their plot on (in BvS, Bruce Wayne witnessing the carnage of Metropolis from the end of the Man of Steel film pushes him over the edge in wanting to eliminate Superman, whom he feels is a danger to humanity.  In Civil War -which I still haven’t seen but should be getting to it very soon- it appears a similar carnage event causes Captain America and Iron Man to go after each other).

Curiously, I didn’t consider the other similarities.  That Captain America and Superman were essential the “All American” heroes and Batman/Iron Man were both playboy billionaires with plenty of toys at their disposal.  That each film introduced a number of characters for future works.  And, according to the Honest Trailer, both also featured the deaths of the Batman/Iron Man character’s parents as a sub-theme.

Weird how all those similarities found their way into each film.

Regardless and as I stated before, I’ll be getting to Civil War very soon (just picked it up yesterday) and will offer my take on it, for whatever its worth.

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Nerd alert!!!

1 Comment

I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the current Rottentomatoes.com ratings for Captain America: Civil War.  Unlike Batman v Superman, the film is tracking very well and currently sits at 93% positive:

Captain America: Civil War Rottentomatoes.com rating

You’ve got 126 in favor and 10 opposed as of this day (the movie is scheduled to be released this week in the U.S. but was already released in foreign markets and thus there are already a large number of “professional” reviews already out there).

The film is expected to be a box office hit and predictions of a take as large as $190+ million in its debut are not out of the question.

I’ve been following the glowing reviews and the negative ones and it appears that if there are negatives to the film it is that: 1) It is too long and could have been trimmed down some, especially at the beginning (the movie runs two and a half hours), 2) the story is nonsensical, 3) the movies are becoming too “corporate” since Disney took over, ie no big stakes, no startling deaths, and when its all over we’re back to the status quo, and 4) the villain of the piece is bland.

The later complaint, that the villains of these films are usually bland and forgettable, has become (at least to me) an annoying commonality in the Marvel movies of late, even those not under the Disney umbrella.

There is one other thing some have pointed out: The plot of this movie bears some striking similarities to that of Batman v Superman.  Considering filming on BvS began over a year before this film, we’re once again treading into “x ripped off y!” type discussions, and given the way we fanboys are, much gnashing of teeth will surely follow.

I expect plenty of “BvS sucked, CA is great” and vice versa type discussions to also follow for the next year and/or century.

Let the games…begin!

Movies

This IS getting personal…

Yesterday I re-reviewed Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (you can read my review here) and noted there seemed to be a hard edged anger against it out there.  While films often elicit differing reactions, it seems like those who don’t like BvS really, really hate the film and some have gone way out of their way to slam it and those who do like the movie.

Well, the opposite seems to be happening with Captain America: Civil War (CA from now on).

The film, which is due to be released on May 6th, has experienced almost the exact opposite of BvS in terms of expectations.  While many were absolutely certain well before its release that BvS would be “terrible”, a very large number of people expect CA to be nothing less than fantastic.

Early word from advanced screenings seemed to confirm these positive thoughts.  Further, the earliest reviews were quite good.

But not every one of them.

Rottentomatoes.com currently lists 18 reviews for CA and of these, 17 are positive and only 1 is negative.  In my comments yesterday regarding BvS I said things were getting “personal” to those who hated the film.  It now appears things are getting personal the other way regarding CA and fury descends on any who dare to speak negatively about that film.

The below link is to the single negative CA review presented thus far.  It was written by Michael Fairbanks and appears on theyoungfolks.com:

Movie Review: Captain America: Civil War

Frankly, I found this a well reasoned and intelligently written review even though it might wind up, to me, being all wrong (I very much look forward to seeing CA and hope it is at least in the same ballpark as the fantastic Captain America: Winter Soldier).

What is most striking about the review was that the author was clearly going into the film with high expectations and found, in the end, it didn’t quite reach the level he hoped for.  Mr. Fairbanks laments this while presenting very specific reasons why he found the fim disappointing.  In the end, he gives the film a mediocre “C”.  While hardly a devastating grade and only one review from one person, one would think based on the comment section following the review that Mr. Fairbanks just insulted everyone’s mother while simultaneously kicking their brand new puppy.

The negative responses to this review border on the hysterical and were apparently so overwhelming and (I can only imagine) vicious the editors of the site closed the comments section and posted the following:

Due to the overwhelming response to this review, comments are temporarily closed. We take comment moderation seriously and will be going through each comment to ensure it does not violate our Comment Policy.

Sheesh.

I repeat what I said yesterday: Things are getting mighty personal out there regarding superhero films and opinions of the same.  For what its worth, the above review remains as of this day the only negative one CA is drawing and, for all we know, it might be the only one it draws.

It is also quite possible and even more likely there will be other critics and, indeed, common audiences that don’t find CA quite as good as others may.

Opinions vary.  They always do.

Is that such a crime?

Movies

What’s this?!

Good reviews for a big superhero film?  Who’d a thunk it?!

Ain’t It Cool News offered a taste of some reviews of the soon-to-be-released Captain America: Civil War and they are very positive:

The Best Marvel Studios Film Yet?  The Trade and UK Reviews are in For Captain America: Civil War

I hope the film, made by the same people behind Captain America: Winter Soldier (a film that I’ve stated many times before is my second favorite all time superhero film), is indeed as good as their past one.

However…

It occurs to me I’ve seen something like this before.  Early reviews of a film released to the UK and in which the critics loved what they saw.  Now where oh where could I have read about this?

Oh yeah:

Spectre early reviews: Bond is back in solid form

The early preview reviews of Spectre which came from the UK critics were, at first, almost all very positive.  It gave me hope the film would indeed be good.

Not so.

At least IMHO.  I found Spectre to be one of the absolute worst Bond films ever.  So bad was the film, again IMHO, that it could well take the pole position from Moonraker and A View To A Kill, two of my least favorite Bond films of all time.

As for Captain America: Civil War, as the saying goes, we shall see!

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My 2 cents…

1 Comment

Yesterday Disney released a new trailer for Captain America: Civil War and, while the trailer showed us some stuff we’ve seen and other, lengthier takes, we were also treated to some interesting new material.

Of the new material presented, the most intriguing occurs at the tail end of the trailer where we finally get to see a certain web-slinging wise-guy make his first formal appearance in the Disney Marvel Universe films:

And the fanboys go wiiiiillllllldddd!

Seriously,  People went crazy for this.  Over on i09 James Whitbrook offered an entire post dedicated to screen grabs/gifs of Spider-Man’s appearance in the trailer:

Here’s our best look at Spider-Man’s fabulous new costume

And for the most part comments were positive.

For the most part.

Me?  I’m not all that impressed.

In fact, and I hate to say this considering how much I enjoyed the Rousso brother’s previous Captain America film, The Winter Soldier (I consider it one of the best superhero films ever made, second only to Richard Donner’s Superman), but the trailer left me rather cold.

Perhaps to some it’s going to sound like heresy but here goes: I think the above trailer is weak soup compared to the latest/last Batman v. Superman trailer.

To begin, the visuals (we’ll find out soon enough how the stories compare) alone blow Captain America: Civil War away.  The B v S trailer, further, just feels a hell of a lot more exciting.

But let’s get back to Spider-Man and his new costume.  Thanks to Jaren Cole over at Byrne Robotics I can cut-n-paste his handy reference regarding the various Spider-Man costumes presented over the previous few years:

Spider-Man 1-3 (Sam Raimi directed films)
The Amazing Spider-Man 1 & 2

and finally…

Spider-Man from the Captain America: Civil War trailer

If I had to pick which one I liked the most, I’d go with Amazing Spider-Man 2, then the Sam Raimi Spider-Mans, then Amazing Spider-Man 1.

Alas, I feel the Spider-Man presented in the Civil War trailer, while certainly not horrible, is nonetheless the version I like the least, though I will admit I liked the way the whites in his eyes narrowed (this is a cool tip of the hat to the comic books which hasn’t been used in the films -at least to my awareness- until now).

So there you have it.

While people will no doubt soon enough argue the merits (or lack thereof) of the film to come, at least to me the “new” look of Spider-Man -as well as the overall look presented in Captain America: Civil War– isn’t doing all that much for me at this point.

POST-SCRIPT: It suddenly occurs to me that both Batman v Superman and Captain America: Civil War seem to be dealing with roughly the same idea: How does humanity react to super-beings capable of inflicting mass destruction as presented in previous films?

Interesting…