Many actors get attracted to play role of a villain in a superhero film because they often prove to be the deeper and more rewarding character to portray (not to mention getting to have more fun) but they come with a catch: in almost all cases, they have to lose. Maybe that’s why we’re so attracted to the idea of hero Vs hero stories? Because removing the villain removes the certainty of victor and can deliver a more shocking result. That is if you do it right though. 2016 has already given as a firm example of how not to make a versus movie in Batman Vs Superman but thankfully, Marvel is here less than 2 months later to show them how it should be done.... and my God, have they done it well! Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the MCU’s best film to date and one of the greatest superhero films of all time.
After a serious case of mission collateral damage for Steve Roger’s/Captain America’s (Chris Evans – Sunshine, Snowpiercer) new Avengers team, they are told they must be regulated and controlled by the UN. Measures that are supported by their financier Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jnr – Sherlock Holmes, The Judge) and when Rogers resists, it splits a rift right down the superhero community pitting friend against friend in a Civil War.
The Russo Brothers have previously admitted to being big fans of Honest Trailers and actually used such critical YouTube videos as constructive tools when refining the logic and plot of Winter Soldier. It’s a great example of the pair listening to fan/audience reactions in their filmmaking and here, they seem to have taken that to the next level by actively addressing many commonly voiced criticisms of Marvel/superhero movies yet without sacrificing anything in the process. The biggest is the idea of such films being too silly because Civil War takes itself extremely seriously over the gravity of its subject matter to marvelous effect. Themes of accountability, politics, causality and many more are suitably addressed because despite the film’s name, it does not rush towards a hero on hero burley brawl. In fact, Civil War spends over half its runtime focusing on explaining and relating the emotions and motivations of everyone involved, which makes the resulting conflict all the more meaningful.
Even if many Marvel films are still on your “do view” list, you’ll have no trouble seeing why the lines are drawn because for they show the state of minds of the key players rather than show them. Even amongst the smaller characters, the screenplay by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely gives each face a moment and believable reason for agreeing or disagreeing with the Sokovia Accords. Rhodes/War Machine respects order and authority with his military background; Vision fears that their unchecked strength provokes conflict etc. The clear and vastly defined character motivations are what make the story work and keep in feeling like a highly personal affair regardless of the scale. Yet despite all that seriousness, this an incredibly fun and funny film. In fact, because many jokes and lighter moments come out of a more serious time, they become more effective and all the best are character-driven. Sam/Falcon and Bucky get an odd couple double act working, Scott/Ant Man plants a dollop of his own film’s humour into proceedings, and even the likes of Vision get some utterly hilarious moments.... and that’s before we even mention Spider-Man.
Spider-Man and Black Panther are the film’s two major new MCU editions. Launching even one such character in an already densely populated film was a gamble, let alone doubling up, but this is a firm two thumbs up. They don’t just make great debuts. For most fans, they’ll be their favorite characters by the time the credits role. Starting with the webhead, despite Spider-Man's third recasting inside a decade causing much frustration, Tom Holland (The Impossible) has delivered the best version of the character yet (both as Peter and Spidey). He’s a sweet geeky kid, and it feels so unquestionably natural from Holland. Then when in costume, he finally delivers the wise-cracking comical Spider-Man many have been waiting to see. In fact, he spends almost his entire action sequences geeking out about everyone and everything around him. Although this isn’t Spider-Man’s comic story Civil War role, it does feel in the spirit of it as in some ways, he’s still the kid being manipulated by older figures.
As for Chadwick Boseman (Get On Up) as T’Challa/Black Panther, he is unquestionable cool, with his slow-controlled vocals and rigid body language commanding dignity and respect. No back story is required; from his first scene, he is immediately believable as the nobility of a proud African nation. It only gets better when he suits up as Panther as he becomes a lethal blend of toughness and agility with more acrobatic martial arts insanities than Bruce Lee pumped full of adrenaline. If the Russos can successfully juggle this many characters in Civil War ,then all concerns and speculation over Infinity War being over-stuffed officially ends here. Pack ‘em in.... the boys can take it.
Again referring back to the Russo’s Winter Solider efforts, the action in that film was a fantastic offering of close and brutal hand-to-hand fighting. If you ever meet anyone from Civil War’s stunt team, buy them a beer and a chiropractor because the stunt work here is phenomenal and most akin to the Daredevil Netflix show. Yes, of course, there is CG but everything that can happen in person and on-camera does so with bodies flying and smashing everywhere like plates in a Greek restaurant. Right from the start, as Cap’s new Avengers line-up take on Crossbones (Frank Grillo – Kingdom) and his men, everything is fast, hard hitting and frequently jaw-dropping. Then of course, there is the big hero-on-hero Berlin airport sequence, which is nothing short of awesome. Now first, please take a moment to consider Marvel’s big action films of recent years because from Age of Ultron, to Guardians and even back to Winter Soldier, the CG-fest (usually airborne) big battle sequence was actually the film’s biggest weakness and at times even felt unnecessary. Things here could not be more different because this 20-minute pushing affair is nothing but fun and gorgeous spectacle from start to finish because it never loses any of the character personalities amongst the action. There are still jokes and riffing aplenty as the unlikely combinations square off or Spider-Man science geeks out about someone’s shiny toys. It must also be said that it also ends without doing itself any discredit. Please rest assured that at no moment does anyone bro down over their relatives sharing names in this film.
There are too many big cast names to rate everyone so let’s just stick to the honours list. With Holland and Boseman already covered, I really felt that this was Robert Downey Jr’s best Marvel performance yet. Rather than presenting forced personal conflict in Iron Man 3, he absolutely nails the dramatic material to make us feel like even Tony Stark hates the position he ends up in but still believes it’s the right thing to do. Evans is also utterly solid at the centre as the man in the difficult position of being caught within conflicting friendships. Paul Rudd brings the right touches of humor. Daniel Bruhl’s (Rush) impresses as Zemo despite being more of a plot device than a character and definitely feels like he should have a future in the MCU.
Civil War is a well-made, perfectly paced film that manages the fun and hijinks associated with Marvel films alongside grounded personal journeys and relatable world issues. It will have odd moments you could fault but in the end, they’ll feel insignificant to the thrilling feast of high quality entertainment you’ve just digested. It’s the kind of superhero film that 10 years ago would have seemed an impossibility only to become a face melting reality. In Civil War, there is only one winner: us.
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