Marvel Mania 2: MCU Phase 3- Captain America: Civil War Review

Captain America: Civil War (2016)
Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson
Directed by: Anthony and Joe Russo


There I was, sitting in the movie theater waiting for all the hype to be over. I was beyond nervous. The MCU has been around since 2008 and we've arrived at the 13th installment. Adapting a big comic book like Civil War could result in something utterly disappointing. Having groups of superheroes fight each other could come off as underwhelming. Trying to get so many things in one film could have been catastrophic. Insert your own joke about Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Anyways, I knew heading in that Captain America: Civil War had a lot to live up to. It needs to be a good adaptation of the Civil War comic, be a successful sequel to Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and needs to get Phase 3 of the MCU off to a good start with the introductions of new characters in Black Panther and Spider-Man. The deck was stacked against them and they didn't flinch for a second. I sat there for 2 1/2 hours absolutely mesmerized by their efforts. By the end of it, I wanted to see it again right away. It's the same kind of feeling I had with Iron Man, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Ant-Man. Marvel had done it again for this comic book fan, and I'd argue that with repeat viewings this could go down as the best movie the MCU has given us thus far. But for now, let's look at my first impressions for Captain America: Civil War.

Let's start with the Civil War aspect. The two sides are very split and it was very easy for fans to be split heading in. But I found that I was constantly changing sides as the narrative was unfolding. You can see the ideologies of both sides. See where they're in the right and when they're in the wrong. You can see how the others are able to pick a side and stick to it. This doesn't feel like a minor squabble. Stakes feel real, political, and physical. And then when they got to the big fight at the airport, I'll say that there's probably no other scene that'll keep me THAT entertained this year and maybe for a few years. As a comic book fan, seeing Iron Man, Captain America, Ant-Man, Hawkeye, Vision, Scarlet Witch, and Spider-Man all fighting at one time was a dream come true.

But, if people are going in expecting this to be another Avengers movie, I think they'll have the wrong idea. This should be, first and foremost, a sequel to Captain America: The Winter Soldier. A good focus in the plot has to do with progressing the storyline between Captain America and Bucky. And one of the highlight performances in the film is Sebastian Stan as Bucky Barnes. You can see the amount of torment and grief he is putting himself through during all of this. You feel the pain he feels and you want to see him overcome all this. The best friendship that he has with Steve Rogers is something that most audience members can identify with and serves as a building block that'll help cement what initial side of this battle you're on. For me, it was really easy to be on Team Captain America thanks to the story that was being told.

Gravitating over to Team Iron Man is a bit more on the surface and materialist. It's the unveiling of new characters that brought a lot of intrigue for Civil War. The first is Black Panther, played by Chadwick Boseman. I'm a tad unfamiliar with the folklore of Black Panther, but this movie did a great job of giving me the general idea. I had no idea how vengeful Panther could be and I loved seeing his motivations play out on the side of rage and revenge. It's a different side to a mainstream Marvel character that I've seen in the MCU and I hope that carries over into his own movie. If the Panther we saw in Civil War is the same we'll see in the Black Panther movie, I'll be a happy customer. But the thing I think most comic book fans were anxious to see was Tom Holland portray Spider-Man in the MCU. While not in the film entirely too long, I got the impression for Spider-Man that I was hoping for. He had that wit to him when he was in the suit, but had that braininess to him when he was playing Peter Parker. This left a permanent smile on my face, as I had seen the best version of my favorite superhero come to life on the big screen in as little as a half hour. The fact that they were able to do all that in that short of time, I'm beyond excited for him to get his own full-length movie franchise.

With how much they put in this film, you'd think it would end up like all the other messy comic book movies we've had in the past. Yet, Captain America: Civil War feels like the exception to that rule. For 2 1/2 hours, it's nothing but quality. We're seeing our favorite characters faithfully adapted for film. We're given fantastic writing, as well as a captivating and thought provoking plot. The action is off the charts for the amount of choreography and fun that goes into it. All I can say is that if you even remotely value comic book movies, this is a necessity for you to see in theaters. It's THAT good. The Russo Brothers continue to show me why they're a pair of directors I trust most to adapt comic books to film. This film validated to me that if they can tackle Civil War and succeed, then Infinity War will be in good hands.

And now I'm going to flash the word *SPOILERS* so I can talk about the post-credits scenes. In the mid-credits, we see that Bucky has chosen to be frozen again. Interestingly, it is T'Challa who has chosen to keep him protected. We get a small glimpse at Wakanda, which is sure to make any fans anticipating the Black Panther movie very happy. In the post-credits scene, Peter is at home nursing a black eye he received in the fight, when he tampers with his web-shooter and the Spider-Signal flashes on the wall. Not much, but it guarantees Spider-Man will be back, and that made me really look forward to seeing him again in Spider-Man: Homecoming.


Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Marvel continues to amaze me with how many great movies are constantly being churned out by them. Captain America: Civil War is a phenomenal endeavor for Marvel that works as both a sequel to Winter Soldier and an adaptation of the Civil War comic. It might take me one or two more viewings to say for sure whether this is my favorite film in the MCU, but I can safely say the bar has been set very high for Phase 3. Let's hope they can keep it going.

Captain America: Civil War and movie images are copyrighted by Marvel Studios