Captain America: Civil War

Score:  ****1/2 out of ***** (A)

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo
Starring Chris Evans, Robert Downey, Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chadwick Boseman, et. al.
Running time:  147 minutes
Rated PG-13

Long Story Short:  Red vs. blue.  Irony vs. earnest.  The team of superheroes introduced in 2012's The Avengers has reached a breaking point in Captain America: Civil War as Chris Evans' Cap and Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man part ways.  Practically a third Avengers movie as nearly the whole team is present (plus new faces beyond the familiar ones), Civil War is also something much different as it focuses on internal turmoil.  Superhero fan or not, the characters, story, action and humor here are top notch and I highly recommend it to all.


A year after the Avengers saved the world from the artificial intelligence Ultron, ordinary people are beginning to wonder whether these powerful heroes are saving them from danger - or just throwing them into more and more of it.  Tony Stark (Downey Jr.), or Iron Man, feels their skeptics may be right; after all, he created Ultron, and now tries to use his wealth on projects like educational grants to assuage his guilt.  Meanwhile, Steve Rogers (Evans), Captain America, leads a team of Avengers in a successful but costly mission in Lagos.  When they return home, the U.S. Secretary of State presents the team with the Sokovia Accords, a United Nations document placing the Avengers under the control of an international security panel.  Stark supports the accords, but Rogers refuses to sign on.

As the historic Accords go into effect, disaster strikes again; Rogers' old friend Bucky (Stan), on the run for the last two years, is spotted in the area and a manhunt begins.  Unable to give up on his friend, Rogers is forced to go directly at odds with Stark, who considers bringing Bucky to justice essential to restoring the world's trust in the Avengers.  The other Avengers must choose sides, and blows are dealt from which the team may not be able to recover.

Civil War has an enormous cast, with a few new faces complementing a host of familiar ones - it's a new Avengers movie except in name.  Leading the way, however, are Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/ Captain America, and Robert Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man.  Poor Evans has much competition for screen time in his own movie, but despite his traditional "good guy" role, he once again turns in a deceptively strong performance.  While sporting an earnest demeanor, Rogers' idealistic outlook is pushed to its limits in Civil War, with Evans showing that struggle well.  Downey Jr. has been my favorite actor in Marvel's movies, and he is great here again.  A more overtly complex character, a hero who is also sarcastic and arrogant, Stark has reached his own breaking point from his accumulated losses and guilt.  Rogers and Stark are good friends, but their clashing philosophies were apparent from their first meeting back in 2012's Avengers.  Now the "bystanders", the world itself, force them to choose, and Stark's and Rogers' opposing decisions form the core of a busy but focused film.

There are many more characters, but to avoid writing a dissertation on them, I'll have to stick to the highlights.  Scarlett Johansson returns as Black Widow, a former spy who is torn between Stark's practicality and Rogers' optimism.  Sneakily the third most important character, Johansson makes the most of her limited screen time with her usual intensity; and when in action, her acrobatics.  Chadwick Boseman plays the most important new character, T'Challa aka Black Panther.  Not just a hero, T'Challa is also the king of a secretive fictional nation.  Boseman captures his character's noble presence, one that is quiet and seemingly serene yet just as intense as Black Widow.  All the rest do fine work as well; the actors chosen to be Avengers don't just suit their own characters well but also have developed good chemistry with each other as their filmography grows.

Captain America: Civil War may be like an Avengers film in its cast size, but it offers a new paradigm that gives a fresh and intriguing take on the superhero genre.  As mentioned, the Stark-Rogers showdown is the focus.  While there is a villain, the evil plot is much more subtle than the usual take over/destroy the world idea (and I won't say more about it here).  The titular Civil War is based on accountability: even though the Avengers intend to do good and usually defeat the bad guys, should they be allowed to engage what they see as threat, when, how and where they choose?  This theme makes a lot of sense not just in the context of an ongoing universe of thirteen films and counting, but also as a mirror to our own world in which Americans in particular struggle with how to deal with malevolent forces like ISIS.  Each supporting character gets his/her say, too, whether it's directly tied to this struggle or not.  Therefore as the sides form up, it's not an arbitrary mix.

Beyond all that seriousness, though, is still great fun in terms of action and humor that we've come to expect from Marvel's films.  There are at least four action sequences which not only push the story forward but also have distinct styles.  The first fight shows a "typical" Avengers mission, the chaos and grit; a chase scene later brings back an old character and introduces a new one, to go with some impressive stunts; the widely-touted Team Cap vs. Team Iron Man on an abandoned air field meets expectations; and a furious, intimate battle concludes the film.  The final two in particular display far different yet perfectly appropriate tones.  And yes, there is good humor spread throughout the film, even with the team splitting up.  Downey Jr.'s Stark alone is enough to bring the laughs, but just about everyone gets a chance.  Paul Rudd's return as Ant-Man is particularly welcome in this regard.

***

Captain America: Civil War challenges the first Avengers film as Marvel's best film yet.  I'm not at all surprised:  bring back the filmmakers from the bravura CA: Winter Soldier, add in the rest of the super team (esp. Downey Jr.), and cap it all off with a fresh approach that results in a lasting change to the whole franchise, and what do you expect?  It almost gets lost in talk of all the different characters and themes and action, but the basic stuff - you know, writing, pacing, filming and so on - all ranges from rock solid to superb, too.  It's worth mentioning the comparison to the other big superhero showdown film this year from DC.  Civil War is the better movie, certainly, but I'll repeat that I think Batman v Superman has been unfairly maligned by critics.  Beyond the similarity in basic premise, the two films are vastly different, each with unique strengths and viewing pleasures (as a reminder, check out Man of Steel first to enhance your enjoyment of BvS).  Back to Civil War, though:  this is an outstanding film, and I recommend it for all audiences.  Of course, if you've been following the Marvel films, this is flat out essential viewing.  Enjoy!



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