Languishes without a moral center

Rating: 4/10 (12 May 2016)

As a long-time fan of Marvel it pains me to deliver such a review. I cannot fault the special effects, the production, the integrity of the story-line in spring-boarding off of past stories/events. The introduction of some new faces and powers is good, including a truly twitchy, nerdy, genuine-teen SpiderMan. But this movie very quickly succumbs to a kind of Americana propaganda where "freedom" means nothing more noble than a lack of accountability for one's actions; and what is "truly American" is defined by the person with the biggest "gun". Captain American apparently has that gun, in the power to do "what he thinks is right" even unto becoming a criminal in the eyes of the nation he alleges to represent. Because he has the power, he gets to decide what is right and "American" over everyone else; and one ends up with a person or a group of people causing terrific damage to property and life because they feel their cause is noble. In any arena other than "Americana entertainus" this would be called terrorism. Especially when Cap's "justification" for even more loss of property and life . . . turns out to simply be the machinations of one man imprisoned by a need for revenge and willing to go to terrorist ends to sate it. So the movie ends with even those allegedly championing "freedom", all being "imprisoned". To vengeance; to terrorism; to even a propagandacized interpretation of "freedom". A good mindless story, no doubt . . . and well-done in this regard. But not the usual caliber one has come to expect from the franchise of Stan Lee. His "flagship" creations usual have just as much if not more to do with moral fiber as with action and destruction. I reserve my highest ratings and reviews for movies that leave you with something beneficial to chew on. Captain America: Civil War lacks this.