Why I'm watchingMarvel’s been knocking these out of the park. The first Captain America was alright I guess (Hugo Weaving was massively underused) but Captain America: Winter Soldier was great (and not just great for a superhero movie).
Where I watched the movie
Local theater with just Alan (usually we do these superhero movies with a big group…)
Expectations
Something along the lines of Captain America: Winter Soldier in plot and feel, but with all the A
vengers getting cranky at each other and failing to communicate. I won’t lie, I’m expecting the infighting to be annoying (come on guys, just sit down and talk it out, it’s all a misunderstanding)
So how was it?
Uhhhh…. Really good. Really, really good. I don’t know how they got that many characters together (including two entirely new introductions) and built that complex of a plot without getting confusing, convoluted, bloated, or boring. Are you taking notes, DC? Because the latest Superman reboot managed all four and an insanely bland story.
There’s a lot going on in this one, but the central issue is (I’m not kidding) paperwork. After the disaster in Sokovia, the UN wants control over the Avengers, and the Avengers initially take sides over signing a treaty -- Iron Man is for, Captain America against. The actual “civil war” comes when a bomb goes off and Bucky Barnes (Rogers’ old frenemy, the Winter Soldier) is implicated.
And guess what? It wasn’t all just a misunderstanding. There’s lots of people feeling all sorts of feels, having all sorts of opinions and perspectives, and no one is entirely wrong. (Okay, well, in terms of priorities, Cap’s team is right to go after the bad guy that Stark’s team doesn’t quite know about; there could have been better communication there).
Best villain yet, I think.
Recommendation
Oh, just go see it.
Feels
It had exciting action scenes and a reasonable amount of humor (much less than the Avengers movies) -- but you’re gonna feel some feels. Lots of good people hurting each other because they’re doing what they believe is right. While it avoids pointless grittiness, this isn’t a lighthearted superhero movie.
Favorites
It’s all about the pacing. We get action scenes that are dynamic and interesting (and don’t drag on as characters repetitively bash each other into buildings), slower scenes with some humor (that’s actually funny and appropriate to the situation), glimpses of humanity (without bleeding hearts and dramatic speeches), side characters who actually matter (and aren’t just plot devices)... basically my favorite part is the whole movie.
Part of that good pacing includes just chucking two new superheros into the mix with minimal backstory (especially Spiderman, oh god) or explanation of powers (still not 100% on what Black Panther is or how he does what he does).
Okay, I lied: my favorite part is the central fight, team Cap vs. team Stark -- more specifically, the constant undertone of "Imma beat your face in, but we’re still cool, right? Right."
Least favorites
There were a few things I was iffy about, but ultimately liked. Black Panther’s character was a little weird for the first, oh, third of the movie, because I didn’t have context for him -- but in the end, I love the way they did it.
So what did I really think?
Click "read more"... massive spoilers ahead!
Some movie critic was wondering (despite his good review of the movie) whether the Avengers were going to run out of powerful bad guys to fight, and I’m like… did you see this movie? Because they almost got taken down by some nobody from Sokovia. With that said, Zemo goes to prison convinced that he’s won, that he’s sown the seeds to tear the Avengers apart, but Cap’s letter and Tony’s reaction say otherwise. No matter how much they disagree, even to the point of literally/figuratively tearing each others hearts out, they’re always going to back each other up.
Okay, all the characters.
I’m 110% Team Tony Stark, because I’m apparently all about maladjusted smartass asshole characters who try to do the right thing only to get shit on by people with black-and-white worldviews and crack jokes while they’re falling apart at the seams. Wow, yeah, that actually sums up most of my favorite characters.
Robert Downy Jr. gave an incredible performance in this one; we saw the cracks in the Iron Man and Avengers movies, but here he’s quietly falling apart. Desperation, frustration, guilt, alcoholism -- and everyone assumes it’s just Tony being a selfish brat again.
I totally understand where Steve Rogers coming from, and I don’t entirely blame him for basically (almost literally) ripping Stark’s heart out and stomping all over it. His priority is Bucky, and stopping Zemo. Emotionally I’m all aboard Team Stark, but logistically I’m leaning Team Cap.
Well... okay, no, I take it back...
- It’s absolutely true that the Avengers will just get slapped with something worse if that treaty doesn’t get signed; it's not like you can't just secretly disobey the treaty.
- Cap, come on, you did a terrible job telling people about the super dangerous villain situation -- I don’t care if they won’t believe you, tell them anyway!
- And stop hitting Tony; sure, you want to protect your bf(f), but you know he just saw the guy violently murder his parents.
- The only thing you were right about was going after the bad guy, and you could’ve done that a lot faster if Team Stark knew all the details; you didn’t even try to avoid splitting up the team.
- And you didn’t need Bucky in order to go after the bad guy; clearly your friend’s immediate safety was your priority, not Zemo.
- While we're at it... literally nothing would have happened if you just let Zemo go. You played right into his hands.
Natasha continues to be more interesting than her backstory and powers (or lack thereof) should allow. She’s instrumental because she puts herself in the right place at the right time to make certain decisions herself. Also, her fight scenes were brutal.
This was the best Spiderman yet, and I love that they handwaved the backstory. Not only have we heard it a million times, but it gave the (correct) impression that this is just a cool side adventure in a main character’s plot line (like it is for everyone).
Hawkeye randomly appears out of nowhere to bring the whole team together, and somehow this is not jarring in the least... because he’s being doing that for several movies now. He is team dad. He is also a whiny bro when locked up.
We probably won't be seeing much of Rhodes after this, but good on them for not killing the guy off.
- It would be a cheap pull on the heartstrings;
- It's always good to see disabled people (disabled veterans) represented in the media;
- At least Tony has someone on his side, emotionally.
Vision. Sweatervest. That is all.
I liked how youthful Wanda Maximoff's perspective is -- still trying to master her powers, still uncomfortable with other people, handling failure in a very simple way, trying to suss out right and wrong. They’re also clearly setting her up as a power on par with Vision, which will have interesting implications against Thanos.
Ant Man made for fantastic comic relief without becoming cheesy or jarring. He's new, with powers that are still unfamiliar and experimental; he doesn't have any chips in the game; he's got a sillier superhero theme; and he's ‘lower’ class of superhero who isn’t as famous (in the movie or in real life). Similar to Spidey, actually.
Black Panther gets a great quick intro/backstory in the background, parallel to what’s going on in the main plot -- it helps that he’s inheriting the identity, rather than building it like most new superheros. I love love love that they made him fueled by revenge, but once he gets the full story he’s totally rational and level-headed. He doesn’t cling to a mistaken grudge, and his revenge isn’t something as cheap as murder.
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