A Flawed but Entertaining Time at the Movies

Rating: 7/10 (15 May 2016)

The inaugural summer blockbuster of 2016 is Marvel's Captain America: Civil War, the third film in the Captain America franchise and the umpteenth in the Marvel cinematic universe. Being as I'm not particularly well-versed in the universe and have only seen a handful of the films that comprise it, I'm going to be writing this review from the perspective of a guy with slight knowledge of the characters and action taking place. Despite the plethora of heroes that are found in Civil War, I'd consider it a fairly friendly place for a beginner to watch. The references to past events are easily discerned without extra explanation and even a person who isn't into comic book movies will know the archetypes and arcs of some of the heroes.
In this film, the Avengers are being made to sign an agreement to be under the supervision of the UN after their actions result in the death of innocents. While some agree with the bill, others don't. Furthering the divisions is the resurgence of Bucky, who has been connected to a bombing of the UN. While Captain America works to clear Bucky's name and find the real villain, Tony Stark believes Cap to be a criminal and wants to stop him to prevent heroes from falling further from grace.
While the film works on a thematic level (more on that later) it doesn't feel organic in how it assembles its heroes. Of course, if you've seen the trailer, then you know that there's a big epic showdown among the heroes. It's why you came to the movie. But some of the assembling was not very natural. Antman is therejust because. Spiderman makes an appearance, though he feels shoehorned in. Some of the allegiances make sense but the scope of the action may be larger than it should have been.
But who the hell cares? Boom! Pow! Damn this is fun! The action of Civil War is stellar. An early chase sequence and the airport melee come to mind especially. It's a celebration of superhero excess that works because it throws aside the deeper themes and gives us what we want: fun. It's like playing with action figures, only with more explosions and better quips.
The theme of the movie may be the most commendable part about it. It seems to play off the complaints that have come with the superhero genre; perhaps the biggest flaw of all these films. The final giant action sequences have buildings exploding, heroes crashing into everythingcivilians are dying. Civil War addresses this in a way that isn't too heavy but still feels thoughtful. At least for the first hour, then the heroes destroy a suspiciously abandoned airport and I'm left wondering if these guys are really proving themselves.
A final commendation: the introduction of Black Panther is perfectly executed and his motivations are much easier to follow than those of the other heroes. I really look forward to seeing more of him in the future.
And now let's get my biggest complaint out of the way. This film is way too freaking long. Despite being peppered with enough action sequences to keep you glued, it's a film that stretches itself almost to an unwelcome degree. The airport fight sequence felt like it should have been the finale, but no, it continues for a good thirty minutes more. And in that final thirty minutes we get some of the biggest problems of the movie.
The revelation and battle at the end are emotional and heavy, as they should be. It's a smaller scale fight with a lot more heft. But the bad guys motivations, while nailing the theme home, are pretty lame and impossibly mundane for a guy who has caused as much of a ruckus as he has. It made the whole movie feel kind of ridiculous and stupid. "You guys are fighting because of THIS GUY?" Then again, it may also be showing how weak heroes actually are, even compared to a normal human. Nonetheless, a meh reveal.
Captain America: Civil War's enjoyability will boil down to how familiar you are with the universe, how much you like the Avengers, and the action scenes. I wouldn't go so far as to say this is the crowning achievement of Marvel's cinematic endeavors (I still prefer Guardians) but it's an entertaining romp with enough humor, heart, and action to make a general movie going audience satisfied. It's not a film I, personally, would watch again. As a one-and-done popcorn flick it works. But I don't think it has enough of what I look for in a film to warrant watching a second time. Thus, I award it: