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
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