Captain America: Civil War

The Marvel train continues rolling with the latest popcorn action blockbuster; “Captain America: Civil War”. It is less about Captain America (Chris Evans) and more a vehicle to introduce some new characters (Spider-Man, Black Panther), develop some lesser known ones more strategically (Winter Soldier, Ant-Man, Falcon, Scarlet Witch, Vision), and have some fun with our old friends Iron Man, War Machine, Black Widow, and Hawkeye. That’s a lot of characters. Not quite as many as the rumored 67 who will be in the two “Avengers: Infinity Wars”, but it presents a challenge for even the most experienced film makers to wrangle the ensemble and give them adequate screen time without making the film seem disingenuous. More on that later.

The film divides the Avengers into two camps in the wake of another calamitous event which causes possibly preventable civilian collateral damage: Team Iron Man, who support a United Nations oversight committee in all matters that might call for the use of super powers. Team Captain America on the other side, doesn’t feel that they should answer to anyone because they know what is best for the people of the world and their judgment is pure and noble. Sounds like super delegates, not superheroes. I digress. I’m team Iron Man by the way.

A nefarious subplot, hatched by the mysterious Zemo (Daniel Bruhl) keeps the audience wondering what is driving the film besides big names with big muscles in lycra, spandex, face paint, tight pants, short skirts, or CGI, but in reality, it doesn’t matter. The hostile interactions of good guys and other good guys is the brilliance in itself. I was thinking midway through the film that there wouldn’t even need to be a bad guy. This film is just that much fun, and the directors nail the tone with sharp dialogue, fast-paced action, and great humor.

I have to admit, I had some doubts as to the success of such an ambitious venture, especially after the last “Avengers: Age of Ultron” as well as the recent disappointment, “Batman vs Superman”. It seems like superhero films are getting too big, too fast, with too many moving parts. This couldn’t be further from the truth. I commend Marvel for their long-range planning and the cogs that are fitting together nicely leading up to what is surely going to be the cinematic event of the decade (“Avengers: Infinity War”) This is assuming of course that James Cameron’s “Avatar” sequel takes another couple of decades to come to fruition.

Directors Joe and Anthony Russo (“Captain America: Winter Soldier”) have adroitly taken on the challenge of amassing such a mixed bag of personalities. Particularly well done is the reimagining of Spider-Man, played by Tom Holland. His wit, agility, and especially humor is welcome as a Yang to Tony Stark’s Yin. Less wry and more awestruck and awkward. I genuinely look forward to the new and improved version of this character. Even Ant-Man’s Paul Rudd is a welcome sight as the excitement reaches a fever pitch and the royal rumble begins. Kudos to the Russo brothers for choreographing and moderating the chaos, which turns out like a well-orchestrated masterpiece.

“Civil War” is essentially Avengers part 3, but more importantly, it’s a farewell of sorts to the old regime, and a glimpse into the next generation. With so many simultaneous stories, it is difficult to keep track, so let this be your guide. “Doctor Strange” fills the Thanksgiving slot this year, while “Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2” comes out next year along with “Spider-Man: Homecoming”. Then we see “Thor: Ragnarok” in November of 2017, followed by “Black Panther” and “Infinity Wars Part One” in 2018. Also in 2018, we see “Ant-Man and the WASP” as well as another Spider-Man animated film (unconfirmed). Finally, we get to “Avengers: Infinity Wars part 2” in 2019 followed by speculation of a Captain Marvel and Inhumans franchise. Throw in the Netflix television universe contributions of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Punisher, and Luke Cage, and there are more than enough characters to keep this train rolling indefinitely.

You know you’ll see “Civil War”. You’ve seen all the others, and if we’re being honest, you’ll see the rest of them too, probably even “Doctor Strange”. This may well be the best of the lot if you can forgive Captain’s undying loyalty to Bucky Barnes. He even gets to kiss a girl this time around. Nice work, Cap. 9/10.