“Did you know?” | Captain America: Civil War Review


I've been trying to gather my thoughts in a relatively short and cohesive manner regarding the movie, and I think I finally have. :)  I'll try to keep this organized, but may veer into rambling territory. Also, there will be spoilers. Spoilers, everywhere.  

*horror music plays in the background*

Consider this your warning.

General:
On the whole, I enjoyed the movie. It was the right amount of dark but not entirely without hope or humorous moments. There was a great balance between the two sides of storytelling, which I appreciated. Considering some of the story, it could have been much more saddening, but I appreciated that it wasn't a movie without hope. Still, I felt that the best conflict was personal, rather than global (which wasn't necessarily a bad thing, just different than I was expecting).

There were a few things I would have liked to have seen some resolution for, so I hope they are addressed later in the MCU.

Choreography:
As I mentioned in my review of The Winter Soldier, I don't normally have much to say about choreography in movies, but the intricacy of that movie really stood out. The same is true for Civil War. There are some excellently-choreographed fight sequences throughout the movie.
 
This watch is my favorite Tony Stark tech.
(The motorcycle flip is one of the coolest stunts in movie history.)

The Teams:
I chose Team Cap. After seeing the movie, I haven't switched sides. Both sides have valid reasons for their stance in the argument, though no one handled things perfectly.

*cries*
I still love each character. None of our heroes felt like they were supposed to be the villains—which I think is what made the conflict so important. Just because disagreement is there doesn't automatically mean they have to hate each other, because they all know that bigger things are at stake in the end.


I also loved getting to see the newer members of the Avengers working together. We saw glimpses of it in Age of Ultron, but in Civil War we got to see just how much primary team has changed since then. I think Wanda and Sam are great additions to the Avengers and definitely want to see more of them in the future.



New Recruits:
I was very hesitant about Spider-man. One of the big things I'd hoped they would do was avoid yet another origin story and instead make him an active hero already—and they did. I liked Peter/Spidey much more than I thought it would.


T'Challa was a great addition too. I liked how his storyline reflected the movie's, especially the parallels between his story and Tony's. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing more of the character in the MCU. Also, the vibranium suit is so cool.

Other thoughts:

I loved the addition of Bucky's flashbacks. But I also think they took a little bit away from the story. I think if they had cut immediately after he says “Ready to comply,” the suspense around December 16 would have been more intense. As soon as the car came onscreen, I already knew what they were going for, and I think having more mystery around the date would have made the emotional impact of the big reveal that much bigger. (Although Steve keeping it a secret from Tony was quite painful either way.)

I missed seeing Pepper. It almost seemed like she was going to be in the movie because they were trying to make the audience think too much about how she wouldn't be.

Peggy's death didn't have the emotional impact I expected, which was kind of disappointing. I mean, she's PEGGY CARTER. (Although, the moment when Steve disappeared to the stairwell was a great way to show his reaction, even more so than the scenes during the funeral.)



Rhodey didn't die! He wasn't in the movie quite as much as I thought he would be, but I enjoyed seeing what his thoughts were about the conflict and the Accords.

The ending leaves so many questions and I am really eager to see what explanations future installments offer. Plus, I'm wondering how much these events will impact the MCU from this point. 

Have you seen Civil War? What did you think of it? What was your favorite scene?

Comments

  1. *clutches heart* This brought back all the feels! I did so love this movie, even though it utterly destroyed me.

    I agree with everything you said! It was all so well done, and I loved the new additions of Spiderman and T'Challa. Both sides were balanced well, like you said. I was *mostly* on Cap's side, but I also understood Stark's side of things as well. I was mostly on Team Everybody Get Along. XD

    BUT THE MOTORCYCLE FLIP. One of the greatest things my eyeballs have ever witnessed. O_O

    Awesome review, Jameson!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you!

      Where can I sign up for Team Everybody Get Along? Because I like that idea best, hehe. :)

      Delete
  2. I think there's a lot to be said about Civil War... I feel like it was okay? I was pleasantly surprised sometimes, and it really wrecked my emotions... Then, at the same time, when I review how I feel, it didn't really have the same solid punch that I know I've felt watching other Avengers movies, like Age of Ultron or Thor 2.

    I mean, you're certainly right, Steve crying after he hears about Peggy got me right in the feels, and the fight scenes were well choreographed. I liked those bits a whole lot. But then there were other things that just seemed hollow or stereotypical or not well formed? I don't know. Vision disappointed me. I'm withholding judgement on Parker until he gets his own movie, although I like that they used a 19 year old actor SO MUCH. Tony disappointed me. I don't know.

    It's like things are expanding and I love it but I'm also getting to the poing where I feel very uncertain about whether I've signed up for a quality fandom or not...

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    Replies
    1. I agree. The first time I watched it, I was very underwhelemed by the story, but the second viewing was much better, I thought. I think mostly the emotional impact I expected from it was very different than how I actually felt walking out of the theater.

      I think the younger actor is part of why I liked him so much too! Initially, I wasn't very excited about the new Spider-man movie, but I'm interested now to see how the character stands on his own.

      Totally understandable! As much as I love seeing the new stories and characters, it's also bittersweet to see the original ones moving on...

      Delete

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