Captain America: Civil War Review

By: Jeremiah Rivera

Captain America: Civil War is an action packed epic that is pivotal to Marvel Studio’s introduction to its Phase 3. By introducing new characters such as Spider-Man and Black Panther, The Russo Brothers directed film sets up a superhero face-off comic book fans have waited for.

At the beginning of Civil War, The Avengers accidentally cause a building to explode in the nation of Wakanda and civilians are killed. The accident kick starts a global government debate on how to keep Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in check. Before the team is able to do damage control tragedy strikes again. The Winter Soldier has apparently gone on a new killing spree.

Shot within a 146 minute time frame, Civil War is set one year after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron. The film shows the disagreement over international oversight of the Avengers that divides the team into two factions led by Captain America and Iron Man.

The action-packed summer blockbuster is a comic book film where the action is just as exciting as it is entertaining due to the care and respect that moviegoers come to have for the superhero genre.

After fans have spent a total of 11 films with these characters in the Marvel cinematic universe, Directors Anthony & Joe Russo have pulled together a movie that brings as much hard-hitting drama to the table as much as it does astounding action. It’s the perfect model for what serial comic book movies can be.

Captain America: Civil War features the largest ensemble of characters moviegoers have yet to see in a Marvel Studios film. While the narrative isn’t as strong as Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the film makes up for it in character development by understanding who these new pop culture figures are to the core and having them play off one another.

The new players Ant-Man/Giant Man (Paul Rudd), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), and Spider-Man (Tom Holland) stole the show. Black Panther comes into play after an assassination by The Winter Solider. Seeking vengeance, Black Panther joins Team Iron Man so he could face The Winter Solider without apprehension. Ant-Man and Spider-Man’s big break came in the airport fight scene. These two characters face off and the banter between the two was something out of a video game.

Holland’s Spider-Man is the third incarnation of Spider-Man and might be Marvel’s best yet. Sticking to the teenage years of Peter Parker/ Spider-Man, The Russo brothers brought an interesting dynamic to Team Iron Man. Being the only young adult; Spider-Man’s interaction with characters had audiences laughing and eager to get to know the latest variation of the character.

Civil War isn’t just about singular impressive performances. It is an opportunity to see how earth’s mightiest heroes relate to each other and act when they are at odds. The headliner of the film is the key conflict between Captain America and Iron Man, whose emotional battle will tear at the heartstrings of every fan.

It’s easy to respect Captain America: Civil War because of the emotional and thoughtful approach it takes towards its characters instead of just having them battle each other although the action scenes were phenomenal. In terms of action sequences, Marvel features have come a long way since the mediocre final battle in the original Iron Man, and while Joe and Anthony Russo blew us away with battles and set pieces in Captain America: The Winter Solider, their sequel ups the ante in every away.

By the end of the film audiences left their seats intrigued on Marvel’s plans on continuing The Avengers legacy, for the film changes the Marvel Cinematic Universe in a dramatic way.