Title: Captain America: Civil War
Running Time: 146 min
Directors: Anthony Russo & John Russo
Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johannson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olson, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Paul Rudd, Daniel Brühl, Martin Freeman & Tom Holland
Review:
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Marvel Studios is an absolute juggernaut when it comes to superhero films. With thirteen movies under its belt, nine more announced, and multiple well-received TV Shows, the MCU has surpassed "James Bond", "Harry Potter" and even "Star Wars" as the biggest and most profitable franchise of all time. Sony already threw in the towel, cancelled future projects and struck a deal for the Spider-Man rights. Since "Fant4stic" has crashed and burned, Fox clings to its X-Men franchise, that they constantly try to reinvigorate with new casts and timelines. And just recently, its biggest rival DC failed to fully connect with audiences in their attempt to rocket launch their own shared universe. So is Cap's third installment yet another Marvel movie that puts them ahead of their peers? Or will the Studio finally collapse under its own weight?
As former teen idol Britney Spears would put it: Ooops... they did it again! "Captain America: Civil War" doubles down on everything: Characters, action, emotions, stakes and of course plain awesomeness. The Russo brothers have crafted a film that other comic book movies strive but hardly ever manage to be (including some of Marvel's own outings). But where to begin?
Firstly, there is the way the film is shot: Most of the action and the characters involved can actually be witnessed in the whole frame. In combination with longer takes, this makes the fights not only easier to follow, but also very realitsic and believable. This, of course, needs to be credited not only to the directors, but the amazing stunt team as well, who had quite a lot to do in this film. Yes, it is packed with astonishing and iconic action scenes, and everybody seems to trade blows with everyone at some point. With a variety of superpowered individuals in their toolbox, the film makers were able to get creative with the fighting styles and attack combination, which makes every action set stand out from the other. But action does not engage you if it is not structured around an emotional core, and this film provides quite a strong one. Every single character's motivation seems to be fleshed out enough so that the story could as well be told solely from their perspective. Thus, each action piece seems to serve a purpose for somebody and therefore fits very naturally in the flow of the story. Marvel's Long Game has paid off, and so instead of struggling to juggle with their characters, they can be reintroduced, or leave the scene with just one quick line of dialogue because they are so familiar with audiences.
And then of course there is the introduction of Spider-Man to the MCU, which the film handels perfectly. There is no pompous backstory, just a casual visit by Tony Stark, which not only spares us of seeing the same stuff for the third time (eventhough they couldn't refrain from yet another clumsy rendition of "With great power comes great responsibility."), but also makes our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man really feel like the dorky kid from next door. Additionally, it really helps that Tom Holland simply nails the part, and delivers his cleverly written lines with just the right charisma.
In general, this film feels much more personal. External forces mereley give a little push to uncover the internally existing conflicts of our characters. There is no big bad, no world threat, and no army of aliens, robots or dark-elves threatening to destroy the world. In that sense, the movie is incredibly fresh. It gives the superhero film a little bit of groundedness and unpredictability back. And while there was somewhat of a plot twist which I had called very early on in the film, the rest of the viewers seemed to have not. (I just got 'lucky' I guess.)
So with its groundbreaking action pieces, its fleshed out characters and its engaging story line, "Captain America: Civil War" is a truely great superhero movie. Hitting some much darker notes than its predecessors without losing the light-hearted moments we all know and love, it does not only prove that the MCU hasn't overstayed its welcome yet, but makes you excited for all the projects to come.
For Fans Of:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
The Avengers (2012)
X: First Class (2011)
The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Click Here To Watch Trailer!
Running Time: 146 min
Directors: Anthony Russo & John Russo
Starring: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johannson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olson, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Paul Rudd, Daniel Brühl, Martin Freeman & Tom Holland
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Marvel Studios is an absolute juggernaut when it comes to superhero films. With thirteen movies under its belt, nine more announced, and multiple well-received TV Shows, the MCU has surpassed "James Bond", "Harry Potter" and even "Star Wars" as the biggest and most profitable franchise of all time. Sony already threw in the towel, cancelled future projects and struck a deal for the Spider-Man rights. Since "Fant4stic" has crashed and burned, Fox clings to its X-Men franchise, that they constantly try to reinvigorate with new casts and timelines. And just recently, its biggest rival DC failed to fully connect with audiences in their attempt to rocket launch their own shared universe. So is Cap's third installment yet another Marvel movie that puts them ahead of their peers? Or will the Studio finally collapse under its own weight?As former teen idol Britney Spears would put it: Ooops... they did it again! "Captain America: Civil War" doubles down on everything: Characters, action, emotions, stakes and of course plain awesomeness. The Russo brothers have crafted a film that other comic book movies strive but hardly ever manage to be (including some of Marvel's own outings). But where to begin?
Firstly, there is the way the film is shot: Most of the action and the characters involved can actually be witnessed in the whole frame. In combination with longer takes, this makes the fights not only easier to follow, but also very realitsic and believable. This, of course, needs to be credited not only to the directors, but the amazing stunt team as well, who had quite a lot to do in this film. Yes, it is packed with astonishing and iconic action scenes, and everybody seems to trade blows with everyone at some point. With a variety of superpowered individuals in their toolbox, the film makers were able to get creative with the fighting styles and attack combination, which makes every action set stand out from the other. But action does not engage you if it is not structured around an emotional core, and this film provides quite a strong one. Every single character's motivation seems to be fleshed out enough so that the story could as well be told solely from their perspective. Thus, each action piece seems to serve a purpose for somebody and therefore fits very naturally in the flow of the story. Marvel's Long Game has paid off, and so instead of struggling to juggle with their characters, they can be reintroduced, or leave the scene with just one quick line of dialogue because they are so familiar with audiences.
And then of course there is the introduction of Spider-Man to the MCU, which the film handels perfectly. There is no pompous backstory, just a casual visit by Tony Stark, which not only spares us of seeing the same stuff for the third time (eventhough they couldn't refrain from yet another clumsy rendition of "With great power comes great responsibility."), but also makes our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man really feel like the dorky kid from next door. Additionally, it really helps that Tom Holland simply nails the part, and delivers his cleverly written lines with just the right charisma.
In general, this film feels much more personal. External forces mereley give a little push to uncover the internally existing conflicts of our characters. There is no big bad, no world threat, and no army of aliens, robots or dark-elves threatening to destroy the world. In that sense, the movie is incredibly fresh. It gives the superhero film a little bit of groundedness and unpredictability back. And while there was somewhat of a plot twist which I had called very early on in the film, the rest of the viewers seemed to have not. (I just got 'lucky' I guess.)
So with its groundbreaking action pieces, its fleshed out characters and its engaging story line, "Captain America: Civil War" is a truely great superhero movie. Hitting some much darker notes than its predecessors without losing the light-hearted moments we all know and love, it does not only prove that the MCU hasn't overstayed its welcome yet, but makes you excited for all the projects to come.
For Fans Of:
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
The Avengers (2012)
X: First Class (2011)
The Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Click Here To Watch Trailer!
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