Very solid fun if not quite the spectacular extravaganza expected

Rating: 8/10 (29 May 2016)

The first Captain America film was a lot of fun, and 'Winter Soldier', taking a bigger, bolder and darker approach while not forgetting the entertainment value, was even better.
'Civil War' is not quite as good as 'Winter Soldier' but it's a little better than the first film, in my opinion. It may not be quite the spectacular extravaganza that this reviewer was expecting from reading the critics' reviews, but it is very solid fun still, great entertainment and in the top end of Marvel's output even with its faults.
Granted, 'Civil War' is not perfect, so the detractors can think again before accusing me of being someone paid to write a positive review. This is actually somebody who saw the film, enjoyed it thoroughly but realises that it has flaws. Is anybody going to point out to Marvel detractors that people can enjoy Marvel's films without feeling like it's a criminal offence to and have been giving good reasons for doing so, so parroting out ridiculous and easily disproven conspiracy theories that have often come close to violating terms and conditions is only making them look like the idiots and the ignoramuses? Sorry to point out that irrelevant note, but this attitude keeps cropping up in the increasing user and critical condescension wave that IMDb is facing, and IMDb who seem shockingly oblivious to it should come down harder on it.
As with what was not quite right with 'Civil War', there is an over-stuffed and occasionally under-cooked feel at times. 'Civil War' has many subplots and characters, and while actually it deals with a vast majority of the subplots and characters are dealt with incredibly well there are a few subplots that appear (a couple of them abruptly introduced as well) and not enough is done with them, as far as being completely forgotten about after ten minutes or being rushed through to get to the next one. Zemo's story is lost within everything else and would have fared better within a film all on its own, because the potential was there. A vast majority of the characters are all interesting with engaging, in-depth personalities, but War Machine is somewhat side-lined, while one appreciates the complexity given to Zemo there was the sense that he wasn't as completely crucial to the main story as he could have been and while Spiderman really grows on you his entrance is a bit clumsily done and makes one think does he really belong?
However, 'Civil War' also does a huge amount right. It looks amazing for a start, the gritty but audacious look of 'Winter Soldier' makes a welcome return while the cinematography is stylish, the editing crisp (if slightly and occasionally confused in the airport action sequence) and the special effects as extravagant as they should, helped by thunderously authentic sound. Despite really not being a fan of shaky cam usually, it is not abused here, doesn't cause visual discomfort and gave certain scenes even more raw tension than they already had. The music again has much rousing excitement and haunting intensity while being no less memorable than the music in the previous two outings.
The action sequences in 'Civil War' are strong too. The opening sequence starts the film with a bang, with its tragic consequences being genuinely affecting, while the airport scene is tense, enormous fun and thrilling (though because with so much going on, the camera/editing does at times struggle to keep up). Best of all is the climax, which had much more intensity and was surprisingly rich in conflict and emotion. The direction is astute and deftly balances all the different conflicts and tone shifts, while the script is very smartly written with the light-hearted moments like with Spiderman and Ant-Man being witty and hilarious while not once being at odds with the more thought-provoking and serious elements (which never get bogged down in too much talk). The story, while a bit over-stuffed and under-cooked in places, is never dull, never feels too stretched or thin, always makes sense (even with parts that needed more development) and is endlessly riveting right up to the end, which is an achievement for a two and a half hour film with this much going on. Likewise, while some characters are more interesting than others (which is standard for any film with a cast as large as this), the characters are very intriguingly and engagingly written with distinct personalities and realism.
There are great performances across the board, with the one oddity being Marisa Tomei as Aunt May, not a big role but not small enough to give the impression that Tomei in age and manner did not fit the character. Much of the film however is dominated by Robert Downey Jnr and Chris Evans, both of whom are note-perfect as Iron Man and Captain America. Elizabeth Olsen is flawed but sympathetic, Scarlett Johansson is wonderfully fearless, Paul Rudd is a breath of fresh air with his introduction actually feeling like a character who belongs, Tom Holland brings endearing enthusiasm to Spiderman, Paul Bettany and Sebastian Stan are authoritative presences, Daniel Bruhl has the right degree of arrogance and is able to convey menace while only doing as little as a whisper and Chadwick Boseman characterises Black Panther's wounded pride with dignity and gravitas.
Overall, very solid fun if just missing out on being the spectacular extravaganza expected. 8/10 Bethany Cox