Everyone Needs to See Captain America: Civil War
I was hesitant to see Captain America: Civil War. I don’t usually make it a point to see Captain America movies in the theaters. The first two Captain America movies were good but they weren’t the kind of the movies that required venturing out to the theater and risking the annoyance of other people. I feel the same way about the Iron Man movies; they are all pretty good but not movies that need to be seen in the theater. Avengers? Yes, I’d listen to the loudest children and most opinionated fanboy’s running commentary to watch an Avengers movies in the theater. But for all of the movies for each of the individual Avengers (Hulk and Thor included), I’d usually rather wait for Red Box.
But then you see a movie like Captain America: Civil War and the whole formula changes.
I would totally watch a buddy comedy starring Ant Man and Hawkeye. I think that movie would rock.
Everyone needs to see Captain America: Civil War right now. It’s not just that it’s a great movie (perhaps even the greatest Marvel movie to date); it’s that this is the movie we need right now. It’s a terrific, thoughtful, funny, dramatic, wildly broad but deeply intimate superhero movie. In a nutshell, it does everything right that Batman V Superman did wrong. This is the movie that is going to restore your faith in superhero movies, and if you just sat through the painfully bleak BVS movie, you probably need this movie right now. Here are three things that Civil War does right that make it a must-see.
Doesn’t Tony Stark’s heart power his suit? Then what power War Machine’s suit? Don Cheadle’s awesomeness?
It Gives the Heroes a Reason to Fight
To be clear, it’s probably impossible for both heroes to be equally right (and this is Captain America’s movie), but it does make sense to the viewer why these two groups are fighting. Captain America disagrees generally with Iron Man’s belief in government oversight and specifically in his support for incarcerating his friend. They can talk about it, but ultimately they simply don’t agree about it. Batman fighting Superman, on the other hand, was ridiculous because Batman seemed to blame Superman for an incident that wasn’t his fault and Superman was fighting because his mom was taken hostage, which, again, a thirty second conversation could have cleared up. The great thing about Civil War is that there is no talking through these issues, there’s no amount of conversation that will persuade either side. They more or less just have to fight and the winners get to have their way.
Yeah they bunch each other a lot. But if Batman can just about kill Superman and then let all that go just because their moms have the same name, then these guys can forgive each other too.
It Elevates Other Superheroes
Probably the greatest thing about this movie is how well the After the messy melodrama of Batman Vs Superman, Civil War is a great reminder of how superhero movies can successfully expand their universes to include other heroes. Civil War, in one movie, instantly made Black Panther and Antman 2 must watch movies by elevating those heroes to top-tier In one movie, Civil War has wiped away the painful memory of those last two Spiderman movies and made Spiderman: Homecoming a must-see movie for me (whereas I wouldn’t watch Amazing Spiderman 2 on a 20 hour flight). Rather than tantalize us with glimpses, the movie successfully integrates these characters into the ongoing narrative and the result elevates both Civil War and the additional movies to come.
This guy pretty much steals the show. Heck if the Amazing Spiderman 2 couldn’t kill this franchise, nothing will.
It Downplays the Villain
Civil War seems to recognize that the supervillain here is largely secondary to the action at hand and wisely keeps his role somewhat understated. The biggest problem we had with Avengers 2 was probably the missed potential of James Spader’s Ultron, who had strange motives and quirky mannerisms. The villain here has very specific motives that are clearly understood. It also helps that he’s not a blabbering idiot with a ridiculous wig. The best part, though, is how the movie turns our expectations about this villain against us. Specifically, we anticipate that the feuding heroes will battle each other and then join forces to battle their true shared enemy (e.g., Doomsday) but that’s not what happens. What happens instead is much more impactful and devastating.
Captain America: Civil War makes me excited to see any movie with any of the Marvel characters appearing in it. Heck, Civil War even makes me more excited about the upcoming Justice League movies. I think fans of superhero movies are always willing to forgive previous mistakes when new movies come along, even the overly dramatic misstep that was Batman Vs Superman. But Civil War suggests the way forward is to let go of the brooding melancholy that worked so well for Christopher Nolan movies and get back to heroes being heroes. These movies can be both morally complex and fun to watch. Here’s hoping the next time we see Superman and Batman, they find time to crack a joke between pummeling each other senseless.
