Approaching Perfection

Rating: 9/10 (21 May 2016)

Is Captain America: Civil War perfect?
Approaching perfection, but not perfection is how I will describe Captain America: Civil War upon second viewing. It is a film that is humorous, exhilarating, fun but still full of emotional weight. It is a film that has impeccable action sequences and beautiful CGI, a film that outruns The Avengers: Age of Ultron by far and is just as awesome as the second installment of the Captain America trilogy - The Winter Soldier.
Hey, but what about the plot conveniences?
True, there are indeed plot conveniences and traces of the film makers 'making things happen', instead of dragging out plot points logically. This was indeed a flaw, because truly good movies are often based on real-life 'sense'. However, the difference between a movie and real life is that, in a movie, the unreasonable components of the plot can be tucked away in a well paced, well cut film. This is exactly what happened in Captain America, Civil War. The Russo brothers knew how to cut the film so that tension is maintained throughout and the story never breaks. All the pieces of the plot are strung together and played out step by step, joining together like a jigsaw puzzle to form a big picture. By making the big picture well constructed and well paced, the existence of plot conveniences didn't bring the whole film down. Though more logical links and less plot convenience will certainly make this a better movie.
You've got to admit the villain is bad though, right?
Certainly, just like the majority of other MCU villains, Zemo was a mediocre villain at best, and a huge plot convenience at worst. His plans to turn the heroes against each other was a clever one, but his methods of succeeding in such a convoluted plan was never explained. Maybe the film did not need the villain, and the Civil War could happen because of Iron Man and Captain America's difference in opinions. That worked int he comics, that should also work here. However, I do think having the villain in the movie added to certain aspects of the 'Civil War', putting the heavy fact of Tony's parents' death into the last fight, giving it emotional weight and higher stakes.
And the 'no stakes' Civil War?
Many people believe that Disney owned projects are trying too hard to appeal to the family and put no real stakes into their movies in case it upsets the eight year old boys who is a die-hard Captain America fan. People accuse Marvel for not having enough 'guts' to kill off, or even disable characters permanently. However, I would argue that Marvel films so far has struck a good balance between 'family friendly' and 'high stakes'. Comic book fans will know that no hero stays dead, whole runs are often dedicated to superheroes coming back to life. Nobody ever says there are no stakes in all comic books every, right? Why? Because comic books don't need reversible deaths to have stakes, the stakes lies in the emotional connection between friends, lovers and family. As 'Disney' movies need to be family friendly and superheroes shouldn't die, Marvel films worked on making the emotional stakes high. In Civil War, the emotional stakes are very high as the ideological differences build to a peak, only to encounter a personal matter that completely derails Tony Stark. The pain constant in Tony's eyes was portrayed perfectly by Robert Downey Jr., other characters such as Black Panther were given great personal arcs too. These character moments are what gives Marvel movie emotional weight, as well as fun. For a person who is invested in the MCU, this movie's stakes is incredibly high due to my value in the friendship between the Avengers.
Isn't it just poor film making, like every other Superhero film?
A defiant no. Superhero movies are not Godfather or Citizen Kane, they won't push all the frontiers of great film making or open new doors to creative processes. However, this does not prevent them from being a good movie. What does a good movie need? Interesting plot, strong characters, good visuals. By these elements I don't mean they have to be outstanding and noticeable. It means that the plot is interesting enough to hold the audience's attention throughout the movie, the characters are strong enough to warrant an emotional connection, and the visuals are great enough to allow audiences to suspend disbelief. Having these elements do not guarantee an Oscar, but having them means that the movie will be an enjoyable one. Civil War was an enjoyable movie with all three elements above, with added emotional finesse that can be fully understood by those who have watched previous films. It was also a humorous film, with most jokes landing perfectly and inspiring laughs all over the place. Furthermore, it was a film that was really satisfying to watch, as it is full of awesome, kick-ass action scenes that didn't feel unnecessary. Yes, the airport scene may lack some 'reality', but no one can deny it was 18 minutes of none stop fun and eye candy. Yes, the score may be forgettable, but it served its purpose as a atmosphere building block that made moments better.
All in all, Civil War is a film that holds up to a second viewing in the cinemas. It has a very engaging story to tell with some very engaging characters and talented actors. It managed to bring Black Panther and Spiderman into the MCU perfectly, with two great actors who fit the role perfectly. And though it is an imperfect movie, it is still one that's worth your time.