One thing overlooked about Joss Whedon’s legendary The Avengers is the fact that the story pivots on over the top, and the fighting personalities of its characters. Half the dialogue is the good guys clashing, and the problems that this mounts for the characters. That’s almost the whole reason why the movie worked. However, after that one “AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!” shot (you know the one I’m talking about) and the battle for Sokovia and New York, none of that could still be the case...right? Captain America: Civil War is here to show us that ultimately the Avengers are a team of people that don’t get along, It also proves that Marvel is so intelligent as a whole that they’ve technically created an excuse for the changing tone of the universe they’ve spent so much time crafting a certain way. That’s getting a little ahead of ourselves though. The story here, due to undisclosed events, Iron Man and Captain America are forced to fight each other, each forming teams that support their own ideologies. The background stuff is pretty easy to figure out once the movie gets going and really isn’t necessary to prove why the film works so well and hits so hard, but it’s an interesting story that addresses and enriches the previous mythology that the universe had built. The Avengers/Age of Ultron both left large body counts and terrors behind, even with the implications that the Avengers were saving people, and those deaths have to mean something. And, they do, but that’s the least of the real gut punches that Civil War has to hook you in. For that, you need to look at the Marvel Universe as a whole. By this point, it’s trivial to put it in any other context. There has now been 13 films in the Marvel extended universe each relating to each other, but Civil War is the first to use the ever-shifting tone of the universe to its benefit. The reason why The Winter Soldier ultimately didn’t work when related to the other Marvel films (even though it was a pretty good movie) was because of the ever-darkening and straightforward tone. Up until then, the universe had been more fun with The First Avenger and Thor representing the pulpy roots of the universe. The grounded sense of Winter Soldier seemed to take it down a level, but soon into Civil War you can see that this is only in the interest of the universes thematic arching. This movie wants you, as a member of the audience, to wish for the days when the Avengers were buddies. That can’t happen though...because now is the time for Civil War. This undertone makes the entire movie work, even when the pacing seems slightly off or the story takes yet another preposterous turn. Yet, Civil War is armed with a strong thematic backbone that, much like The Avengers, makes up for anything seeming slightly off. That said, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t fun to be had in the film. The normal snappy dialogue is present and mostly intact, as the comedic characters bolster the film. The newcomer that everyone has been waiting for (Tom Holland as Spider Man) is absolutely perfect. Holland perfectly portrays the “boy from Queens” attitude that Spider Man needs to show, while also creating an excellent sketch of a lonely and secluded Peter Parker. The promise of better days for the Marvel Universe are practically riding on Holland’s shoulders, and he carries the weight in an unbelievable way. When the triumphant moment of the Avengers coming together for a second time somewhere near the middle act of Infinity War finally comes, it’ll all have been building from how well Holland has sold the fact that the darker and more realistic tone of Civil War will not last. Even better, the incredible fun and milage the Russo’s and Marvel get out of him are astounding. The Russo’s also seem to be ones who are also doing their homework. The action in Civil War seems to evolve rather than stay the same as in Winter Soldier. The obvious jumping off point for it is last years Mad Max: Fury Road. For a moment, consider the lasting impact that film is seemingly going to have. It’s so revolutionary that even the directors of a Marvel movie adopted the action style of it. And, much like with Fury Road, the action in Civil War strikes down with a furious anger, providing a nice balance to the cartoonish characters and making you believe that they exist in the real world. It is inspired work. The actors though might be more inspired. Most of these guys have been playing these characters for over 9 or 10 films (Downey Jr. has been there for about all 13) and as the story gets darker, the characterization does too. The motivations of all the characters are not explicitly carved out in Civil War and it seems like a full-on acid test to check if these actors really have what it takes to make the film still work without the obviously carved out exposition. They all pass with flying colors. The darker tone of Civil War may be less fun compared to other Marvel films, but it means much more in the bigger picture than any of those ever could. This is the Marvel Cinematic Universe evolving to the next level of well-placed audience manipulation and the results both are and will be glorious. I give Captain America: Civil War a 9 out of 10.
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December 2017
CategoriesAuthorHello welcome to FilmAnalyst. My name is Stephen Tronicek, and I really like movies. This is a way to get my opinions out to people. Thank you for visiting. |