When the Avengers first came together as a team, it felt like the ultimate Marvel superhero event. Each individual character uniting as one against a huge planetary threat in an epic battle. Well I’m pleased to say, the ultimate event has finally met its match.
Unlike previous Marvel titles, Civil War does not have one overriding enemy that our heroes are trying to destroy. Instead, we see conflict between characters after Tony Stark decides that heroes need to have some form of control to keep them in check. This is following the previous catastrophic events seen in films such as The Avengers and Captain America: The Winter Soldier. This split decision divides the team in two leading to friendships being broken and open war commencing.
One of the things that I found particularly clever is the way the film doesn’t portray any of the characters in a more negative light than the others. This forces the audience to pick a favouring side – Team Cap or Team Iron Man. There could have been so many flaws that made one team look ‘better’ than the other, but it just did not happen! This shows the amount of thought that has gone into creating this divide, and that is something that should be really appreciated.
There was also the introduction of some new faces – Black Panther and the pleasantly surprising trailer boy, Spiderman. Black Panther has a great introduction to the film. He plays a far more vital role than I anticipated and his character really develops as the film goes on. Spiderman on the other hand plays a far less serious role, but that suited his character so well. The young, naive boy of 15 seems more interested in talking to the heroes than getting the job done. Not to mention his spectacular Star Wars reference during a fight scene that certainly put a huge smile on my face.
Another impressive feature of the film was the screen time of each hero. With films like this, usually I would come out of it feeling like I wish I’d have seen more of one hero and less of another. But with Civil War, I felt everyone got the right amount of screen time. Sure, some characters had more than others but I felt this was the right choice. Some people may be disappointed at the amount of time Spiderman had on screen after the reveal in the trailer, but personally I felt that anymore from him would have been irrelevant.
It’s strange really because when someone asks me what kind of film it is, I usually recall the funny scenes and say it’s very humorous. Some of the comedic exchanges between heroes are faultless, whether they’re friend or foe. But then the film also has many dark scenes within it. It is in essence showing the downfall of heroes as we know them. The story has very serious aspects, and I would be lying if I said I there were not upsetting scenes amongst the action. This balance between the seriousness and the comedy had me captivated throughout and I feel they executed this technique well.
I only really felt that there was one problem with the film, and that was a certain realism to it. Yes, I realise they’re superheroes with immense powers. But when Captain America jumps off a tall building and lands on the road below him, I do expect some sort of dent to be made whether that be on the road or on himself. Sometimes I felt that the heroes were just a little to strong and it was a noticeable error for me which is not usually something I pick up on. This only happened occasionally though and was therefore a minor flaw to what was an all-round fantastic film.
The ending to film was not as expected. I have to admit my predictions were all wrong and the outcome may come as a shock to some fans. It will be very interesting to see where Marvel are going to go next with the films, considering the stages that each character is at right now. It was, however, conclusive. It wasn’t an ending that I was disappointed in, just one that I did not expect.
Captain America: Civil War is my favourite Marvel film of all time. There, I’ve said it. I was blown away by the way it was made as I went in there thinking that this film has so many possible flaws, particularly in the narrative alongside screen time. I was so wrong. This is a highly respectable film with a gripping narrative alongside it’s other great qualities as mentioned before. It is certainly something I will be watching again. I feel that it is only fitting to finish on my thoughts when exiting the cinema – the Avengers will never be the same again.
9.5/10
Best Marvel film yet.
Joshua Stokes 