Team Iron Man [MCU] [CIVIL WAR] [GROUP]

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Captain America: Civil War I went to see it with my son and my review will come in 2 parts. The 1st part will be spoiler-free. The 2nd part (which will be well marked) will include spoilers.

 

PART 1: Spoiler Free Review:

 

1) IMO this is not only the best MCU film to date, it's probably the best Superhero film to date (though I may need a 2nd viewing as this 1st viewing hasn't fully baked in yet)

 

2) Do you like action? Get your popcorn ready. This is a thrilling ride from start to finish and gives you way more than your money's worth. Buckle in and enjoy the ride.

 

3) The story was very well done. I won't get into specific plot details (my full spoiler review will come in Pt. 2 below), so I will say that I was pleasantly surprised at how well laid out both sides were. Whether you are Pro-Team Cap or Pro-Team Iron Man, you will walk away with a compelling viewpoint from either side -- and the tough choices each side must make.

 

4) At its core (despite its offering of eye candy and action packed sequences) this film / story is about universally relatable human values: friendship, family, loyalty -- things that transcend the super hero genre -- which is why I think this movie connects.

 

In sum, this is an amazing film and while DC's offering BvS left me feeling empty, CW left me with the complete opposite emotion, full -- very full -- on multiple levels. I will def. be seeing this again.

 

For those who will be seeing this when it opens (wherever you are) -- you are in for a treat.

 

☆☆☆☆☆ stars out of 5.

 

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*** PT. 2: FULL SPOILER REVIEW // YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!! ***

 

Wow. Where to even begin, this film knocked my socks off. I mean, I knew I was in for a ride, but boy it was even better than my expectations. That is probably the most succinct and best praise I could give it -- because I had pretty high expectations. The audience was clapping at the end. When was the last time you went to a film that had the audiences clapping? That to me is a very quick and dirty litmus test whether a movie hit it out of the park. I left the theater beaming.

 

Some general thoughts:

 

1) Marvel may have won this before they even shot a single frame when they made the smart decision to bring back the writer / directing team of the Russo brothers / Markus / McFeely from CA: Winter Soldier. The tone, look, feel of that previous film (which along with IM1 / IM3 were the best MCU films to date) seamlessly continues over to this film and then they take it to another level.

 

2) With so many new characters to bring into the fold, I was worried that something would get missed. Don't worry. Spidey was freaking AMAZING!!! One of the real highlights of the film -- I am pumped to see the upcoming film. He knocks the role of Peter Parker out of the ballpark -- best version of the role to date. Black Panther? Another amazing casting and performance. The interplay of Falcon, Ant-Man, Black Widow were also well done. On the short end of the editing room were Hawkeye, Vision (more on that later).

 

3) The action sequences are incredible. I don't want to delve too deeply into this, but there are a lot of wow moments. Spidey mixing up, Black Panther throwing down... it was awesome.

 

4) Despite all of the eye candy, this film is at its core about extremely relatable human values: friendship (Steve / Bucky, Tony / Rhodey, Steve / Tony, Natasha / Clint, Natasha / Steve, Steve / Sam), family (Tony / Father, T'Challa / Father) and loyalty (to friends, to country, to duty). The film does a sublime job weaving all of those complex issues and ends up creating a rich cinematic tapestry that is Marvel's most thoughtful and mature film to date.

 

Highlights: Major Spoilers Ahead!!!

- Spidey. I am so happy they did this right. The action sequences, the suit, the snarky comments while he is mixing it up -- Tom Holland does an amazing job. I can't wait for the coming Spidey flick.

 

- Black Panther. Another home run. The demeanor, the physical skill, the mystery. All good. The film sets up a very intriguing segue to his upcoming involvement in the MCU. Can't wait for more.

 

- Agent 13 / Sharon Carter's reveal that she is Peggy's niece was well done. Her inspirational eulogy at Peggy's funeral incorporating Cap's iconic "No, you move" line was not only a nice nod, it added weight and affirmation to Steve's decision to stand firm and stick to his guns. It was actually more powerful for Steve to hear it rather than him delivering it, very emotional scene.

 

- Ant-Man. So great to see him show up and add the right balance of comedic elements. Giant-Man was sweet!

 

- Vision / Scarlet Witch. I love the fact they are setting the groundwork for closer interaction between these two and the foreshadowing of the Mind Gem / Infinity War was nice.

 

- Tony and Steve. Man, I went into the film thinking the one problem might be that each side was going to take their positions too rigidly, but the film does a great job exploring the hard choices that need to be made -- the conflict that weighs on their minds and the consequences of those actions. It lays down both arguments fairly and I saw the merits of both sides. In the end, the message is clear: some things are worth fighting for be it friends, family, loyalty -- not a bad message huh? Well done.

 

Cons:

 

- Hawkeye. Not that he was bad, in fact he was great and Renner is one of my favs -- just that he didn't get enough screentime (as usual). I know they had to juggle so many storylines that some things had to suffer, but still it kind of a shame that he always gets the short end of the arrows.

 

- Winter Soldier. I love the character, and he was fantastic in it. Action sequences were superb. The issue I had with this part of the storyline is that Cap goes out on such a limb -- multiple times for Bucky -- that at some point, Bucky probably should have sacrificed himself knowing how much collateral damage is being created. He kind of ends up doing this in the end, but by that time the damage is effectively done. I guess this is the counterweight plot point which forces Cap to take his stand (friendship, loyalty) but still it did make me question if he was really worth it all, and moreover if Bucky was too selfish in that regard.

 

- The Villians. Crossbones (very short screen time) and Zemo. This if anything was the weakest parts of the film (and is a criticism that can fairly be made across most Superhero films and MCU films in particular). It's hard to compete with the larger than life personalities from the Avengers side I suppose, but nonetheless, could have been better fleshed out and executed.

 

So that's it. I will probably have more takeaways / observations upon a 2nd viewing, but the conclusion is clear. This is a runaway hit. One of the best films I have seen in a long time. A feast for both the senses and for thought -- a hard trick to pull off. I entered the theater hungry, and left the theater full and yet wanting seconds. Bravo.

Done