The Movie:
If you read our All-Stars Review of Captain America: Civil War, don’t expect a lot of contradictory opinions in this review. Well, a few, but nothing too terribly major. I felt that Civil War dragged a bit in the middle as it built up to the most spectacular superhero fight scene in movie history, and yeah, the inclusion of Spider-Man wasn’t really necessary for anything beyond world-building, but oh my stars and garters was he amazing! This is the first time I’ve ever given two shits about Spider-Man in the comics or on film and am one of the few people who really don’t think Spider-Man 2 is worth watching. But after five or ten minutes of screen time here, I’m actually super-excited for the upcoming Spider-Man: Homecoming!
But that’s putting the spider before the cart. Back to Civil War!
The rest of the film is about as good as it could possibly be. So much so, in fact, that while it’s hard to even talk about it without taking the rest of the Marvel Studios films into consideration, you really don’t have to have seen the earlier films to enjoy this one. Writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely have crafted a script that not only provides enough emotional context to intuitively grasp the relationships of characters (whether you’re familiar with them or not), but it also accurately captures the individual voices of characters they’ve not written before, like Tony Stark and new Avengers Scarlet Witch and Vision. With a quality skeleton, directors Anthony and Joe Russo have easily made Captain America: Civil War one of the top two or three Marvel Studios films so far, with only the original Iron Man, The Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Guardians of the Galaxy rivaling it in quality.
I wouldn’t doubt that it ends up some fans’ favorite without any hesitation at all (though I’m still partial to Winter Soldier as the best).
The film does a fantastic job of building up the ideological conflict at the story’s heart, taking just enough inspiration from the source materials to establish the basic conflict without becoming obligated to hit some of the dumber plot points and mischaracterizations that plagued the comics. Special attention is given to strengthening both Steve’s (Chris Evans) and Tony’s (Robert Downey Jr.) attitudes towards authority and the imposition of the Sokovia Accords, requiring powered people to either register or retire.
Another strength of the film is the way it seamlessly introduces Prince T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) and almost-seamlessly introduces Peter Parker (Tom Holland) into a film that is already packed with characters. And while the master plan of the film’s villain, Zemo (Daniel Brühl), is a little convoluted and seems to rely on having foreknowledge of events and relationships that can be a little far-fetched, the emotional beats that the character goes through make him a more complex baddie than we usually get with superhero films. There’s actually a reason for him to be doing what he’s doing, and it’s very easy to sympathize with his motivations.
The filmmakers find ways to make nearly every scene shine, whether it’s something as simple as utilizing snappy dialogue, choreographing bone-crunching action sequences that are as practical as possible, or figuring out ways to throw both emotional and plot surprises in that organically expand both the film’s and the Marvel Universe’s scope. Civil War is a film that doesn’t simply rely on spectacle to entertain the audience, but when it goes large it really goes large. The superhero showdown at the airport is an intricately orchestrated battle that expertly moves the story forward while never becoming confusing.
If you love giant, two-page splash panels in your comics, the Russos have given you your dream scene.
And in some films, that would have been your big, climactic moment, but Marvel knows how to balance the large-scale spectacle with the more intimate moments that worm their ways into our cold, jaded hearts. And Civil War ends with an intense emotional brutality that not only shatters the friendship between Steve and Tony, but also disassembles the Avengers themselves. It’s really the first time I can remember a Marvel film ending on a downer, but it’s earned and it hit me like the ending of The Empire Strikes Back did when I was a child.
So while my favorite Marvel movie is still Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Civil War runs a close second (or third, depending on my mood that day), and I can’t wait to see the implications of those final scenes as the MCU moves forward.
The Extras:
Audio Commentaries: Directors Anthony and Joe Russo and writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely talk us through the entire film, providing details about the whole creative process behind making the film, building on everything that’s come before in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and laying groundwork for things to come. The Russos clearly have a firm hand on the tiller and know what they’re doing with Civil War serving as a bridge between the more grounded style of Winter Soldier and the epic cosmic strangeness of Avengers: Infinity War. The discussion is lively and full of behind-the-scenes information, but a little dry at times.
United We Stand, Divided We Fall – The Making of Captain America: Civil War: This is a pretty thorough, two-part look at the making of the film from start to finish, featuring interviews with the entire cast and character profiles. It’s long and entertaining, but don’t expect a lot of insight into the creative process and such. Essentially, this feature is to assure you that everyone involved had fun and takes the work seriously (without getting obnoxious about it). It does a great job of building confidence about the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War.
Captain America: The Road to Civil War: A look back at each of the previous appearances of Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, detailing the character’s progression and development as he becomes more and more disillusioned with the authority structures surrounding him, leading to his anti-registration Civil War position. Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. are featured here and, again, seem to be having a grand old time, making it fun to watch, despite not really adding any new insights (if you’ve been paying attention).
Iron Man: The Road to Civil War: A look back at each of the previous appearances of Iron Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, detailing the character’s progression and development as he becomes more and more disenchanted with his own attempts to make the world a safer place, leading to his pro-registration Civil War position. Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. are featured here and, again, seem to be having a grand old time, making it fun to watch, despite not really adding any new insights (if you’ve been paying attention).
Gag Reel: Short and sweet. If you like watching actors flub lines, swear bleeped swears, and generally act like goofballs, this is for you. As with all the features, it’s a lot of fun and helps to really drive home that the Marvel films, while taking on some heavy themes and featuring some dark moments, are still able to find that sweet spot of fun and entertainment.
Deleted and Extended Scenes:
- Extended Peggy’s Funeral – Nice scene with only minor cuts being made for the theatrical release.
- Zemo Meets Doctor Broussard – Waste of time. Nothing to see here.
- “You Are Not Used to the Truth” – Some nice character dynamics between Black Widow and Black Panther, but wasn’t missed.
- “Gotta Get Me One of Those” – Unfinished scene from the airport fight, where Bucky and Falcon lend a hand with Cap’s shield usage.
Open Your Mind: Marvel’s Doctor Strange – Exclusive Sneak Peek: Promotional feature about Marvel’s upcoming expansion of the Cinematic Universe to include the world of magic and mysticism. Most of the footage is already available in trailers or in separate features you can find online, but there are a few seconds here and there you haven’t seen yet. We also get interview snippets with director Scott Derrickson and the entire cast, along with a few nice peeks at concept art that, if realized, promise imagery far more trippy than the Inception-style kaleidoscope effects we’ve seen in the trailers.