Captain America: Civil War (2016)

Despite my advantage to see Captain America: Civil War before America, it has taken me ages to just get myself focused enough to sit down for its review. After seeing it, and after seeing it for the second time, I have collected so many emotions and thoughts, that it has proven to be difficult to focus my head around the idea of writing them all down. But here’s to attempting the impossible!

First up, yes, I loved it! I loved how it flowed, I loved how well some of the characters shined, and I loved the humor. Sure, there are some moments I could criticize and there are scenes that felt a little dragged, but it delivered everything it was supposed to deliver as a Marvel comic book movie! So no, you won’t be reading the negatives in this one, because even though there are some, I’m stating with pride that Civil War is by far my favorite Marvel movie as of now, and it’s perfect and Bucky is my bae!

Following the aftermath of Avengers 2, most of the team, lead by Captain America (Chris Evans) is still fighting bad guys, one of whom is Brock Rumlow (Frank Grillo). The movie starts with a mission, a quick and fast showcase how good they are, and how well their team works together – and how dangerous one of them is. That sparks a great deal of political problems at their way, which is the underlying problem the team of our Avengers faces in Civil War. Some have said there wasn’t enough politics, I think there was enough, because it would have been a bit dull with more of it. Maybe in a series, but for a movie that is aimed towards action, too much politics could shatter the thrill.

While the political intrigue takes place, the main plot of Civil War emerges – first, we have Zemo (Daniel Brühl) hunting down a book, and then we have Bucky (Sebastian Stan), supposedly planting a bomb that kills the king of Wakanda. And if the political intrigue isn’t enough to cause a rift between the Avengers, saving Bucky becomes another cause of their splitting up. With all these matters set on the plate, there’s nothing else left than to watch the superheros battle it out and root for either side.

In case you have been living under a rock, here are the teams:

TEAM CAP

Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Sam Wilson, Wanda Maximoff, Clint Barton, Scott Lang, Sharon Carter

TEAM IRON

Tony Stark, Natasha Romanoff, James Rhodes, T’Challa, Vision, Peter Parker

From the start I knew, no matter who won, I was Team Cap all the way. After watching the film, it was not just because Captain America happens to be my favorite superhero, and Bucky Barnes my bae, but because for me, choosing Cap made sense politically as well. Sure, Tony Stark made great arguments and his side was just as appealing, but there’s just something about being in control of your own decisions, that seemed a much better way to go. But in a way, both sides were right and wrong at the same time, and eventually, the fighting became about something else completely.

Tony Stark, and Robert Downey Jr, have been much darker these past few films but I like this side to Iron Man. Besides, if I’d would break down the acting, Downey Jr is by far the strongest of the bunch, closely followed by Sebastian Stan and Chris Evans. All three have added so much dimension to their characters, especially Downey Jr, that it’s a joy to watch them on screen. It all makes the action movie a lot more rewarding in the end, because it’s not just about giving the punches, but having the emotion behind the punch to deliver maximum effect for the viewer.

As you can see, my thoughts are all over the place but I just wanted to dedicate a paragraph to Bucky as well. For me, having Sebastian Stan on Team Cap was so amazing, and just everything about his character is appealing to me. I don’t know why, I just think I love the vulnerability he has as a superhero, and the fact that he has done many bad things that haunt him even while he is completely himself. Plus, Stan’s chemistry with Anthony Mackie is just brilliant because even being on the same team, they are like two kids bickering because they both want to be the Captain’s favorite son.

With so much going on, and with my focus being on Team Cap, it was still impossible to miss the diamond in the rough among the Iron Man’s team – Peter Parker. After years of revamping Spiderman, and with the rains now in the hands of Marvel, I think Peter Parker is finally the perfect version of himself. Tom Holland, who’s the youngest actor to wear the Spidey suit, is the perfect fit in so many ways. Not just is he a great actor (The Impossible being a brilliant example), but he is also funny and cute, which is exactly what Spiderman is supposed to be. And honestly, I have never really liked Spider-Man, but I changed my mind after Civil War, and that’s saying a lot!

Alright, let’s go over the ending real quickly because it brought up many questions. Captain America, Bucky and Iron Man battle it out because Bucky did something really bad, and Iron Man is pissed. Captain wins, because he is amazing, but what will happen in the future? Firstly, are Iron Man and Captain America now enemies? Having not read the comic books, but knowing that Captain America’s shield was supposedly in different hands after Civil War, who knows what’s going to happen between them now? And having Bucky in deep sleep again seems odd considering Stan has signed a contract with Marvel for many many years. And it seems Captain America has still time to focus on romance, which brings up a question: will Sharon be the lucky girl to marry this almost a 100 year old superhero? And how the hell am I going to survive not seeing Bucky for god knows how long?! And can you imagine the next Captain America movie being even better than this one because everyone knows that the Cap’s franchise has been constantly improving!?

QUICK THOUGHTS

1. Natasha Romanoff has been utterly disappointing now for two movies – she deserves better!
2. Bucky and Cap on those stairs, oh boy!
3. Bucky with that bike grab *drops panties*
4. That airport scene was cool but something bothers me about it.
5. Paul Rudd was underused but everything he did was great.
6. We didn’t need that kiss, but we needed that bro-nod!
7. Black Panther probably likes cats.
8. I kind of liked that Zemo was a human-villain, and still caused shitloads of problems.
9. But Zemo could have been better.
10. The second vieweing raised more questions.
11. But brought out the strengths as well.
12. I WANT TO SEE THE NEXT ONE!