Review of 'Captain America: Civil War'

civil_war.jpg With the events of previous movies having devastated large portions of the planet the UN expresses concern about the lack of regulation for the heroes that have saved the planet. Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) sides with the UN in wanting to create an oversight group that would control any engagements but Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) believes that this would inhibit their ability to act quickly. When the UN is attacked the situation comes to a head when Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), previously brainwashed to become the Winter Soldier (see my review of this film here), is accused of the crime forcing Captain America to step in to defend his friend against the forces lead by the UN and Iron Man.

It is “Team Iron Man” comprised of Iron Man, Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Vision (Paul Bettany), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), War Machine (Don Cheadle), and the wet-behind-his-ears Spider-Man (Tom Holland) drafted into the fight by Stark, against “Team Captain America” comprised of Captain America, Bucky Barnes, Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), and the ever-amusing Ant Man (Paul Rudd) as they fight for the right way to protect our planet. But, things are not as they seem as the Winter Soldier, the ultimate weapon, has a deep, dark secret…

Surprisingly there are only a few action scenes and only one that really features the two groups squaring off against one another in an airport. It is interesting to see some new, unfamiliar faces such as the new Spider-Man and Black Panther thrown into the mix with the Marvel movie universe getting that much larger. This is quite a dark film with our heros that should be working together are pit against each other by the people they are meant to be helping. The issues discussed are quite serious in nature and do raise a lot of questions for the characters. The pitting of one group against the other is presented in a very real and believable way. There is a lot of talking and soul-searching throughout but the finale is quite a simple affair with the bad guys and good guys far more obvious. It is a shame as there is no real conclusion to the fundamental issue at hand so it will be interesting to see where things go from here. Who is right, who is wrong?

More action hero big-screen mayhem with a touch of social responsibility thrown in.

Rating: “Really good but I have some issues”

Review Date: 2018-01-20


Directed by: Russo Brothers

Studio: Marvel Studios

Year: 2016

Length: 147 minutes

Genre: Action/Adventure

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3498820/


Other reviewed films by Russo Brothers: