Summer has begun. So far, so good.
For someone who has a major issue with comic book movies, I will admit that Captain America: Civil War is the best thing Marvel Studios has ever done. This is a fun, emotion driven, action packed picture that is better then it needs to be. I would have been happy with a film on par with the first two Captain America movies, which were great.
After a botched mission in Africa, the UN decides to reign in the Avengers under a peace accord that will limit their actions to bring justice to the world. Captain America, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) isn’t on board with this while Iron Man, Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr) agrees with it. Pit avenger against avenger and you have a mash up that comic fans have been waiting for.The movie belongs to Captain America of course but it’s the supporting cast that really shines. The standouts are the newcomers to the Marvel cinematic universe, Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Spiderman (Tom Holland). Both characters were greeted with a great round of applause and hopefully what they brought to the table will make their solo films worthwhile. I’m not saying the familiar characters are left in the dust. Ant-Man, Scarlett Witch, Vision, Hawkeye, Black Widow, etc. all pull their weight. Ant-Man will actually steal the show in the end. You won’t soon forget Giant Scott Lang anytime soon.
Credit the Russo brothers for directing this massive film with such skill that these two will be a filmmaking force to be reckoned with down the line. The stunt work, effects, the editing and camera work is all first rate. But the most impressive thing is that this is a movie that the comic geek as well as the average movie going public can enjoy. At no point did I feel like this movie pandered to the audience. I was never confused and the film, which is long, moves at a fast but consistent pace. And – it’s fun. Take that Batman VS Superman.
