by Eric Furth
Calendar Editor
The newest chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) lives up to all expectations with the breathtaking, action-packed Captain America: Civil War.
With an even blend of both practical and special effects, a thought-provoking conflict;\, and both new and returning faces, Civil War is one of the greatest entries to the MCU. Viewers will find themselves on the edge of their seats for a massive portion of the film, in equal parts laughing and awestruck by Marvel Studio’s perfect balance of comedy and action.
Set six months after the events of 2015’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, the Avengers find themselves as targets of the United Nations. Because of the destructive nature of their adventures, several governmental bodies want them to be regulated instead of acting of their own accord.
Captain Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) feels that the Avengers should continue fighting without supervision, while Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) – after feeling the guilt of the destruction and body counts in the cities of Sokovia and New York from Ultron and 2012’s Avengers, respectively – demands that oversight should exist if they’re to continue fighting crime.
Unlike some of the previous films in the MCU, the primary conflict of Civil War stems from differing schools of thought rather than a uniform antagonist. While villain Helmut Zemo (Daniel Bruhl) serves as the movie’s villain, his role is rightfully diminished because of the intriguing clashes and disagreements between Iron Man and Captain America.
One of the strongest parts of Civil War is its introduction of two newcomers to the MCU scene: Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland). Rather than dedicate time towards exposition of the origin stories of recurring heroes, which have been heard far too many times, the film phenomenally introduces characters in a brief, succinct way as to not distract from the overall battle and initiate amazingly choreographed fight scenes.
Returning villain-turned-superhero Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) was definitely a welcome surprise in this movie after his departure in 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Barnes’ backstory since his kidnapping and brainwashing by the evil organization HYDRA serves as an engrossing opening scene, and his subsequent battles as a part of Captain America’s team are thrilling and will keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
Conversely, Tony Stark/Iron Man’s progressive change in ideologies sparked by the revelation that he may be hurting those he intended to help makes for one of the most mature and dark aspects of what would ordinarily be a guns-blazing, mindless action flick. This psychological facet of the movie is something that hasn’t been often touched upon, and was definitely welcome in Civil War.
Captain America: Civil War is a dazzling inclusion to not only the MCU, but the superhero film genre as a whole. Anthony and Joe Russo have one again demonstrated their aptitude for allowing Captain America and company to spring to life and become valuable assets to the Avengers.
The movie Captain America: Civil War is rated PG-13. It was released on May 6th, and can be seen at all local movie theaters.
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