"Better a fallen rocket than never a burst of light."
~ Tom Stoppard, The Invention of Love

Saturday, May 7, 2016

Captain America: Civil War (2016, PG-13)

Fair warning – I just saw this movie a few hours ago and I’m still riding my nerd high.  The objectiveness of this review is up for debate, but its sincerity is unimpeachable (premise spoilers.)

Things have been building in the Marvelverse for a while, on both the macro-level – the public (and the UN) are calling for accountability over collateral damage on Avengers missions – and the micro – Steve and Tony’s ideological differences as to what the team is for and how it should be run are quickly approaching irreconcilable.  When the Sokovia Accords, an agreement for a UN taskforce to handle oversight of the Avengers, is presented, Tony leads the charge to fall in line, while Steve is wary about placing their kind of power in someone else’s hands (especially, presumably, after the events of The Winter Soldier.)  Then, Bucky suddenly becomes a lightning rod at the center of the tempest, and for Steve, the stakes are too high and personal not to dig in.

As (ridiculously) excited as I’ve been about this movie forever, I was wary about it feeling more like The Avengers 2.5 than Captain America, plus I know Age of Ultron struggled a little to balance its massive cast.  For me, though, both of these concerns were completely unfounded.  Even with all that’s going on, particularly the large shadow that Tony inevitably casts, it still feels like Cap’s story.  Steve is given definite central focus, and his relationships with Bucky, Tony, and other team members take pride of place.  And honestly, I’m shocked by how well everyone is incorporated (while maintaining the aforementioned Cap focus, no less!)  Maybe it actually helps that it is a Cap movie rather than a team movie.  It’s easy to feel like, say, Thor, is shortchanged in Age of Ultron, but when it’s Cap’s story and the other characters are woven into it, it’s more palatable to see someone like Hawkeye used sparingly but well.  People are brought in as the story needs them, integrated organically, and given logical/emotionally-consistent motivations, and when the focus needs to go down to just Steve and Bucky or Steve and Tony, that’s what the film gives us.

I like the central conflict, because the arguments on both sides make sense and feel true to the characters making them.  Neither side is fully right or wrong, and, rather than using the plot simply as an excuse for “OMG superheroes fighting!” moments, it’s clear throughout that these people don’t truly want to fight each other.  The crisis builds slowly, with numerous entreaties to make those on the other side see reason, and when it does come to blows, it feels earned.

It’s no secret that I love virtually everyone in the MCU, and I easily could rave about the whole cast, all of whom do bang-up jobs here.  For now, though, I’ll just single out the newcomers to the Marvel fold.  Chadwick Boseman is fantastic as T’Challa/Black Panther:  he feels every inch a king, and I’m currently in denial about having to wait another two years for his movie.  Tom Holland is so perfect as Spidey, super-fun and a total scene-stealer without being overused.  I’m still annoyed about Spider-Man:  Homecoming pushing Black Panther and Captain Marvel further down the schedule, but I can’t say I’m not psyched to see more of him in action.

Warnings

Comic book violence, language, and thematic elements.

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