Superhero films run a balance of story and action, and when done well, can open a doorway in the film to messages about the promise of power and the consequences of their actions, leading to not only better films, but better characters and plot lines to make better films. And if the film is a Marvel production, you bet that it will try to balance these.And with a series like Captain America, this can lead to some pretty awesome films.
The current reboot of Captain America has a lot going for it: not only does it play a key part in the much-loved Avengers lore, the three films in the new Cap trilogy work as great and intense standalone films. Most Marvel films are like this. But it's Captain America that really drives home the point of what exactly it is Marvel is capable of in the movie industry.
The iconic Captain America got his start after a young Steve Rogers was chosen as a canidate for a secret project to create the ultimate soldier.The serum given to him drastically raises his physical strength and speedlc A custom-made shield of the unbreakable Vibranium rounds out his ensemble, and his sidekick Bucky joins the fight. For many years, Cap was the proud defender of American rights until the untimely death of Bucky, as well as a plane crash put him in stasis until the present day. Thawed out with everyone he knew aged or gone (his former love is now old and withered), the brave captain fights the enemies of justice while struggling with being torn from history (to put it in perspective, he was frozen in WWII). It's an inspiring story of a character whose sense of right allows him to keep on despite the impossible. The second film took on this and improved it, featuring not only Cap in a struggle to defeat terrorist organizations, but a powerful enemy known as the Winter Soldier. This time, the focus is more on his adopted family (the Avengers)- but Cap still gets his fair share of the action.
After a long chain of destructive events, the United Nations decides to put a strict limit on the power of the Avengers. Called the Spokovia Accords, these papers allow the government complete control of the superhero team (except Thor and Hulk, who apparently had better things to do). But they have bigger problems than who's going to sign it and who's not. Zemo, a maniacal assassin with nothing to lose, wants revenge against the Avengers for taking everything from him. The Winter Soldier is back, and beginning a chain of terror that spreads even to the most enigmatic nations. But when the mysterious enemy has a clandestine meeting with Cap professing innocence, who's going to take what side? And will the relationship between Cap and his good friend Iron Man be severed by a simple signing of paper?
This film is a tour de force of superhero tropes: The big fights, the meaningful words, the genuine friendships formed between characters, and the masterful plots by the baddie of the week. Zemo himself is a cunning and resourceful villain with a devious plan, and the heroes who do sign the Accords are as delightful as always (Robert Downey Jr. Is the best Iron Man ever). But we all want to know: who are the contenders in the film's climactic showdown?
On one side, we've got Cappy, his winged friend Falcon, the miniscule Ant-Man, Scarlet Witch, the retired Hawkeye and the Winter Soldier himself. Iron Man's team consists of him and War Machine (his armored buddy), the android Vision, the very attractive Black Widow, the masked Black Panther making his film debut and a certain red-suited web slinger. So pick your side, see the film and let the battle begin.
OVERALL RATING: 8/10
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Civil War takes a hard look at the consequences of collateral damage that the heroes always do to save the world, and what a man can become if he allows himself to be consumed by them. It's got a much darker tone than the rest of the Captain America films, but it really works. The only thing is...it's not a Captain America film. True, most attention is on him, but it's more of an Avengers thing with the giant hero fights and arguments. Regardless, it's a suspenseful and powerful superhero film with a balance of action and inaction.
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