Captain America: Civil War Review (Riddled with Spoilers)

I saw Captain America: Civil War opening night and despite popular opinion, I was a bit disappointed.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s leaps and bounds better than the majority of other Marvel Cinematic Universe films, but I think the hype got to me and I left a little underwhelmed. So, if you loved it (and you probably did), don’t yell at me, I loved it too, my disappointment couldn’t outweigh my enjoyment. But I do have a few things I’d like to address…

To begin, I actually didn’t have extremely high hopes for the movie based on the premise. I loved what the Russo brothers did with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, so I had faith it would be well done, but this whole family feud thing really doesn’t do much for me. The reason being is; I don’t want to watch a fight when I already know they’re going to make up. With the rest of the Phase 3 installments already scheduled, it’s hard not to come to the realization that this beef will eventually get resolved, which makes me find the plot somewhat stagnant. This was similar, but not equal to my trepidations about Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. All this aside, I do understand the need for the conflict. The Sokovia Accords (superhero registration) seemed like a well-justified thing to fight over.

Now, let’s start with the positives.

There were definitely some things that I went into the movie excited for, and they really did pull through for me. Spider-Man was awesome. I know some people complained about his suit, but I really think Tom Holland gave a convincing, and hilarious performance as Peter Parker. [Side note: his voice strangely sounds like Justin Bieber and once you hear it it’s hard to unhear, but I think a lot of teenage boys sound like that.] I also really like the relationship he developed with Tony Stark. However, I was REALLY not a fan of young Aunt May and I am not excited to see her in the Spider-Man solo film.

[Ed. Note – Official GB stance has always been, and will always be that Marisa Tomei should be in every movie.]

Scarlett Witch was another plus for me. She got to show off her powers, and we saw the emotional toll it took on her, dealing with what it means to be a hero and the sacrifices that come with that. Be that lesson taught through a death toll or in a reputation, she really was a pivotal piece in defining exactly what the conflict between the two sides was. I also really loved her relationship with Vision and how that is developing. One thing I did read about was how her powers were interesting because they seem to be able to control the mind gem, one of the infinity stones. As we saw in Guardians of the Galaxy, they are extremely powerful and relatively impossible to control without extreme power. Elizabeth Olsen (our favorite Olsen) did a great job developing the character, and while I think she’s got to work on that inconsistent accent, my hope is that Wanda plays an even larger role moving forward.

Black Panther is also someone I have to talk about. His character arc was probably the most convincing, and the most relatable in a way. The desire for vengeance exists in everyone, but his ability to overcome in the end is really noble and shows his true worth as King. His costume and fight sequences were also BADASS, and Chadwick Boseman did an incredible job bringing this character to the big screen. His impending solo feature has become one of the MCU’s most anticipate projects.

Now, as to why I was disappointed, I know it doesn’t sound like I was, but I was. One major disappointment (speaking of vengeance) was the villain. While I understand that Zemo (Inglorious Basterd’s Daniel Bruhl) was little more than a catalyst to further justify Stark’s stance, thus advancing the real conflict was between our heroes, he was so minor that he almost didn’t need to exist. His grand plan was awesome. The “I can’t beat them on my own so I’m going to let them beat each other” attitude was a great strategy for a villain! But I would have liked to see a more dynamic character pull it off, not just another grieving parent/husband. I thought I was going to find the lack of a major villain (one that ties into the rest of the MCU) refreshing, but really it was just underwhelming.

The final and major reason why I was disappointed was that no one died. I know what you’re thinking; “Tia, why do you want any of your precious babies to die?!” – Well, because a death, even a relatively minor one, would have really upped the fallout from this movie. While I didn’t expect a major death, like Cap (even though he does die in the comic), I did expect a death. ANY death, if only to give some substance to the conflict and set an emotional backdrop for future films, prolonging this feud to something much more impactful. Instead, I got a super sibling brawl at an airport (which was fantastic to watch), but that likely resulted in no permanent consequences (War Machine will likely fly again). This movie was based on the premise of consequences, and then to not really have any in the end was a letdown. The lack of a death was really what took this movie away from being my favorite. Perhaps they’re saving it for Avengers: Infinity War.

Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan doing press for the movie.

All in all, I did like the movie. I’ll probably go watch it again. The comic relief was great, and I really enjoyed the quippy battle of the best friends between Falcon and Bucky. The movie was exceptionally paced, as I expected from the Russo Brothers, and obviously was amazing to look at. I definitely still recommend it, and like I said it is still far better than most of the MCU.

What did you guys think? Let us know in the comments!

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Images: Marvel Studios