After the events all around the World showcased in "The Avengers" movies and "Winter Soldier", there is a rising concern that the "Enhanced" people in this Super Group are not held responsible for the fallout to innocent people who are hurt and killed while they are saving the Earth. The UN initiates a panel to oversee the actions of the Avengers. This causes a rift within the organization as some of the Avengers are opposed to the idea. A fact that is highlighted mostly between Captain America and Iron Man. All the while, a new threat has risen silently that may just destroy the Avengers for good.
Cast
- Chris Evans as Steve Rogers / Captain America
- Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark / Iron Man
- Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow
- Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier
- Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson / Falcon
- Don Cheadle as James "Rhodey" Rhodes / War Machine
- Jeremy Renner as Clint Barton / Hawkeye
- Chadwick Boseman as T'Challa / Black Panther
- Paul Bettany as Vision
- Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch
- Paul Rudd as Scott Lang / Ant-Man
- Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter
- Tom Holland as Peter Parker / Spider-Man
- Frank Grillo as Brock Rumlow / Crossbones
- William Hurt as Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross
- Daniel Brühl as Helmut Zemo
Who will like this
Unlike many of the other Marvel movies which can stand on their own, I believe this to be geared more toward the fan of those movies and have watched at least the last few years releases. Obviously, with the action, explosions and fight scenes, the target is male dominated, starting in the older tweeners. But with strong female leads and just a touch of romance, the female demographic will have a slight interest as well.
Phantom Thoughts
Would it be too cliché to say "Marvel has done it again"? Well if it is, I don't care. They have. And in a big way....and in fact, a few DIFFERENT ways. Here's what I mean:
As the Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown, they have implemented more and more characters in their movies. This may be a Captain America movie, but it could very easily be labeled "Avengers 2.5" due to all the "cameos". And yet, they have not fallen into the most common issue when a movie has so many characters, which is conflicting plot lines, scattered focus and confusing character development. Civil War follows the bar set with the first "Avengers" movie where everyone helps move the plot along, while still being individuals. I can't explain it. I've always been a fan of the less-is-more school of movie casts, but somehow....Marvel makes it work.
And unlike the OTHER comic book movie which pitted Superheroes against each other, this one has a crux that is believable and relatable to it's viewers. How much liberty should one be willing to give up in the name of freedom? Both sides are viable and there is no clear cut right or wrong. Which makes it that much more compelling.
Ok. Let's talk about some secrets....the worst kept secret of Civil War is the appearance of the new Spiderman. Marvel went to not-so-great lengths to keep him out of most of the trailers, but everyone knew he would make an appearance even before the last trailer aired. But that was not always the case. Actually, the Black Panther was slated to have a much smaller role than he ended up having. But when negotiations between Sony and Marvel seemed to be going nowhere, they expanded the Panther's role to fill in if they could not get the rights to use Spiderman. By the time they got those rights, The Black Panther was too intricate to the plot to scale him back again, so they left it in.
Speaking of Spiderman, that is another thing they got right! I have been a long time fan of the comics and all the movies of him thus far have had some lacking in one way or another. But Tom Holland not only nailed the shy, bookworm of Peter Parker, but also the wise-cracking playfulness of Spiderman. And even though the suit was not exactly as I would have liked it to be, it was a GREAT improvement over the first Andrew Garfield incarnation. Oh.....and Spiderman referencing "The Empire Strikes Back"? Can you say NERDGASM?!! The only thing I didn't like about it was the casting of Marisa Tomei. While a great actress (and still a hottie even at the age of 51. A fact that even Tony Stark himself remarks about in the movie) she just doesn't fit the description of frail, old Aunt May.
If I can say one other negative point about the movie, it would be that the fight scenes, although plentiful, had a shaky cam effect that I found distracting. It may have been done to give a more real feeling, cinematic effect and a trick to put the viewer into the middle of the action, but it didn't do that for me. Maybe I'm in the minority on that one.
But these are minor flaws in a 2.5 hour extravaganza. It gave a powerful message, while delivering some of it's famous comedic one liners. Truly entertaining on so many levels. Even including the iconic scene of Iron Man blasting Captain America against his shield from the cover art of the original Civil War Comic Book. As the start of Phase 3 to the MCU, I'm hopeful that this is an indication of great things to come. While many believe the comic book movie genre may be slowing down and the bubble could burst, Marvel looks to be just getting started. And that is exciting to anticipate.
Until next time, see you in the center seat!
