(Note: Given my scattered, conflicting thoughts on this film, I've decided to deviate from my traditional review structure and present this review in a pros and cons format.)
Pros:
-Standalone Story: The fallout from the events of Civil War will undoubtedly have a ripple effect on future films in the Marvel universe, but this film's plot is just about completely self-contained.No words can properly express how refreshing it was to watch a Marvel Studios-backed film that has a well-constructed and dense storyline instead of serving as a two-hour prequel for the next installment in the Avengers series
-Refreshingly Dark Tone: Given Marvel's tendency to sugercoat the ever-loving shit out of their movies, it was very surprising to see them release a film that contains so much bleakness and cynicism. Civil War is the first time the consequences of The Avengers' world-saving actions and their heroism has been put into question and the divide in ideology that forms between Steve "Captain America" Rodgers (Chris Evans) and Tony "Iron Man" Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) results in a surprising amount of heavy, emotional moments. Even as the film comes to a close, there's still a sense of serious unease and questions about whether or not The Avengers will ever be seen as flawless heroes ever again. Kudos to the filmmakers (screenwriters Christopher and Stephen McMancus and directors Anthony and Joe Russo) for their willingness to enter previously uncharted territory for Marvel-produced films.
-Quality of action sequences: The title's a bit misleading as there were only two action sequences that really impressed me. That being said, two wildly impressive action sequences is still enough to garner praise in my book. The opening battle in Lagos, Nigeria that jump starts the conflict at the center of the story and the widely-hyped airport duel between Team Captain America and Team Iron Man are two of the most sprawling, exciting and flat-out badass action scenes to ever be staged in a superhero film. It's kind of astonishing that the Russo Brothers- who had only directed comedies before signing to direct the previous Captain America film, The Winter Solider- have developed such a strong feel for staging massive action scenes while some veteran action directors including Zach Snyder (Man of Steel) and Martin Campbell (Green Lantern) have previously failed to deliver on this huge of a stage.
-Black Panther: He may be on screen for less than 45 minutes, but god damn is Black Panther a welcome addition to the Marvel Universe. His backstory is fascinating (he's royalty from the fictional African nation of Wakanda whose father's murder leads to him becoming a vigilante) and Chadwick Boseman (42, Get on Up) flat-out crushes the role with his intense presence and visible passion for the character. I'm honestly kind of pissed that the character's solo movie won't be out until 2018.
-Spider-Man and Ant-Man: The timing of Spider-Man and Ant-Man's entrance into Civil War couldn't have been more perfect. The film was in the middle of an incredibly dull half-hour stretch until the duo of Avengers universe newcomers arrive and inject a much-needed burst of whirlwind energy and humor into the proceedings. Tom Holland puts any fears about to rest about his ability to step into the role of Spider-Man with his spot-on portrayal of the goofy, adolescent nerd Spider-Man is in the comic books and Paul Rudd is much looser and funnier in his second turn as the miniature crime fighter. For all that Marvel does wrong, I have to give them props for almost always perfectly casting their heroes.
Cons:
Never Fully Commits to the Dark Tone: This is a prime example of Marvel watering down their films to please mass audiences. There was so much potential to take this story into a truly dark direction (MINOR SPOILER ALERT ex: kill a primary character, have a hero change sides, etc.) that would've dramatically altered the trajectory of the entire universe, but Marvel is far too consumer-conscious to make a game-changing decision like that. While there is a surprising amount of uncertainty present when the credits roll, all of the issues and unanswered questions can quickly be cleared up in the next film. Batman v. Superman had much deeper flaws than Civil War does, but at least the filmmakers fully embraced the darkness of the story and didn't feel the need to pander to the audience to keep their future box office grosses steady.
Pointless villain: Daniel Bruhl is a gifted actor and he does a solid job as primary antagonist Helmut Zemo, but I firmly believe that the character served zero purpose in this film. His motivations were understandable (although they're strangely not revealed until the last 10 minutes of the film), but with all of the internal conflict going on within The Avengers over the course of Civil War, his character seemed like merely a excuse for The Avengers to squash their beefs with each other and unify against a common enemy in the final act of the film.
The Rest of the Action Scenes: Aside from the aforementioned Lagos and airport sequences, the rest of the action scenes are pretty forgettable.The final fight between Captain America and Iron Man is particularly weak and has very low stakes for the climax of a film that features so much conflict. It would be ridiculous to expect every action scene to be of the same caliber as the Lagos and airport fights, but they also need to be more exciting and creative than the ones that populate a majority of this film.
Not Enough Black Panther: I'm well aware that this is a completely petty complaint, I just really wanted to see more of the character. The film was more enjoyable every moment he was on screen and I would've preferred to see more scenes involving his origins over the dumb Scarlet Witch and rehashed Bucky/Winter Solider subplots the film spends a third or so of its duration on.
Uneven Pacing: The frequent shifts between breakneck and deliberate pacing in Civil War is honestly its most crippling problem. The rapid and often inorganic changes in pace prevented the film from falling into a comfortable flow and subsequently ensured that I never became fully engrossed in the proceedings. Films that regularly teeter between exhilarating and boring are rare, but they always manage to leave me in a torn state after I'm done watching them.
Civil War is the strongest argument to-date as to why Marvel Studios needs to stop dictating the content of their films. If this film was made without studio interference, it very well could've been a landmark for the comic book movie genre instead of merely a solid yet completely unremarkable film. By forcing the filmmakers to adhere to a universal vision and not allowing them to interpret the source material in their own voice, the films Marvel Studios release are starting to becoming more and more one-note and stale. They may generate plenty of revenue every time they stamp their name on a film, but the days of Marvel comic book films (except the 20th Century Fox-produced X-Men and Deadpool films) consistently being grade-A blockbuster entertainment are officially over.
3.5/5 Stars
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