Phase Three

Rating: 8/10 (21 June 2016)

After the disappointment that was 'Batman vs Superman', Marvel had a lot riding on 'Civil War' and thankfully, this was a better film. However, that doesn't mean it wasn't without its problems. The opening was a neat way to showcase our new Avengers, flaunting their powers and flashy new gadgetry. However, this action sequence suffered most by having our heroes go up against Crossbones - Brock Rumlow from 'The Winter Soldier'. When Crossbones was foreshadowed in the prior film, it seemed his vengeance would result in a lot more pain and consequence for Cap, yet within five minutes he had been reduced to a pile of ashes. When you cast Frank Grillo it makes sense to make him more than just a throwaway villain. The Lagos sequence didn't deserve Crossbones as the antagonist; it could've been one of hundreds of minor criminals from the Marvel comics. Rumlow's character was built up so nicely in 'The Winter Soldier', it's such a shame to see him wasted as an average 'villain of the week'. I would, however, like to mention how impressive the calibre of action is in this movie and the previous Russo Brothers directed Cap film. The opening sequence on the ship in 'The Winter Soldier' is one of my favourite action set pieces in all of film and it made me so happy to see them bring this kind of action over into the next film. It makes me giddy to think what they'll do with the Hulk and Thor in 'Infinity War'. After Lagos, we are subjected to quite a bit of exposition and plot building (Hello, Thaddeus Ross). While it all feels important and necessary to lead our heroes to eventually come to blows, a lot of it does seem to drag on. However, things spice up with the introduction of T'Challa aka Black Panther. If I had to compare T'Challa and Black Panther as two separate characters, I would say T'Challa would be my favourite. Of course, they are the same person but the emotion and expression Chadwick Boseman puts into the face of the Wakandan left me in awe and I'm glad he took of his Panther helmet in his scene with Zemo. Even though this is his debut, already I feel T'Challa is one of the most rounded off characters in the MCU, imbued with nobility and a sense of righteousness we haven't felt with any other heroes thus far. Even though Black Panther came close, for me my new favourite superhero leaving the cinema is now Ant-Man. I loved the 'Ant-Man' movie; it was funny, it was quirky and it was feel-good. But it left me wondering how on earth Scott Lang would fit into the world of the Avengers. 'Civil War' gave me that answer and now I just want Paul Rudd to be in every Marvel movie. Please. Lang's introduction to Cap was hilarious and things only got funnier when the airport sequence kicked off. To see Ant-Man pretty much take out Iron Man showcased just how powerful and useful a hero he could actually be, which is something that didn't shine through in his standalone movie. His team up with Hawkeye, or 'arrow guy' as Scott calls him, was a perfect homage to the comics. But nothing beat the moment when he became Giant Man, lumbering around the airport in a slow, clumsy manner, taking on anyone he could catch up with. Now, the airport sequence. Easily the best superhero set piece in the entirety of cinema. Hawkeye has a staff, not just arrows. Scarlet Witch is not someone you wanna get on the wrong side of. The Falcon actually becomes cool. And, of course, everything about Ant- Man. Every hero got to strut their stuff in this sequence and even though there are clearly some Avengers stronger than others, they all have their advantages and powers against each other. The only thing that let it down was the fact we knew nobody would die. Even the Rhodey scare was quickly dealt with. Most of these people are friends and don't actually want to hurt each other; something Scarlet Witch points out to Hawkeye after his scuffle with Black Widow. One things most critics agree on is that Marvel consistently provides us with weak villains. Crossbones fall into that category, but for me Helmut Zemo, played by Daniel Bruhl, was actually one of my favourite villains. He wasn't the typical villain; he had no powers and, for the most part, he stayed out of our heroes way as he conducted his own mission, tracking down the other Winter Soldiers. He ended up being the mastermind of the final skirmish as he revealed to Tony that Bucky killed his parents. The reasoning behind this was probably the weakest part of Zemo's character, but it resulted in a brutal fight between Iron Man, Cap and Bucky. A fight that will assumedly change everything for our heroes. Thankfully, T'Challa stopped Zemo from killing himself in the Russian snow and instead sent him off in handcuffs to Martin Freeman, meaning we will get to see Freeman (nice, although it was a brief appearance) and Bruhl again. All in all, 'Civil War' was a good movie. It had its flaws and it wasn't the best MCU movie, but it was thoroughly entertaining for the majority and sets up a lot to look forward to in the upcoming movies. One thing that worries me, however, is the number of characters. Everyone got their moment in this film but with Marvel adding more and more heroes, yet being too afraid to kill any off, one can't help but wonder how long it will take before the MCU becomes too oversaturated with these characters. Hopefully, 'Infinity War' will be the solution.