Call me less of a Kentuckian, but despite The Kentucky Derby being this past weekend it was not number one on my list. Derby was actually third! The second biggest event of this weekend was the birthday of my man One L. You can read all about how he inspired Baltimore Bob to be a successful blog lord here: (The kids haven’t overused this expression yet, have they?) But alas, Sunday came with an Arsenal victory and hours of anticipation before I finally made it to the good ol’ Shelbyville Great Escape 8 to watch AVENGERS 3! … I mean Captain America: Civil War.
Now when the title of “Civil War”was announced, it did not illicit thoughts of The Gettysburg Address, Django being unchained, nor Jefferson Davis. It did make me very giddy when I thought about the epic Marvel storyline that was so divisive, virtually every hero had to pick Tony Stark’s pro-registration camp or Steve Roger’s anti-registration side. This movie’s plot doesn’t quite follow the comics, but there’s several elements incorporated. We’ve had physical clashes between various members of the Avengers in prior films, but this movie brought forth a whole new world of possibilities. The trailers all did a magnificent job of teasing the audience for an epic showdown.
I met my partner in crime, Morgan, in the theatre who barely able to stop salivating over Chris Evans & Sebastian Stan to enjoy the movie! I would never look at Scarlett Johansson in that sleek, form fitting, Black Window outfit in such a shallow matter. One icee (LESLIIIIIIIIIIE!!!) and eight previews later, we were locked and loaded for an awesome cinematic experience.
(Spoiler Alert: If you don’t want the movie ruined, please turn away. Please, resume the review when you do view it from a different computer/mobile device so I can get more unique views and use the traffic as leverage for a raise from Baltimore Bob. I gotta eat)
The movie came with a lot of hype following the successes of The Avengers franchise and the critically acclaimed Captain America movies, and rightfully so. The movie enlisted an ensemble that truly did make it feel more like an Avengers movie. We got all the titular heroes from their own stories plus the introduction of T’Challa of Wakanda (Black Panther), and back for the third time… The AMAZING SPIDERMAN! While having so many characters could lead to a fire dumpster or disaster, the directors were able to spend the primary focus on a handful of characters while reigning in the others with specific roles.
However, with so many characters flying about, I did have a couple minor issues. I joke about this movie actually being Avengers 3, but if you didn’t know better, you’d get the sense this may have been Iron Man 4. Now, if you love Tony Stark or Robert Downey Jr, this is probably a plus. It goes without saying that Robert Downey Jr nails down the role, when he steps away from the Marvel Franchise; they may as well retire Iron Man in live-action adaptations. My issue with The Man of Steel is in the character itself, but that’s a personal bias. Throughout the film, I feel like Iron Man is used beyond the quasi-antagonist of the plot, but arguably the main character. We have Captain America’s quest to rekindle his relationship with the Winter Soldier and clear his name, but Tony’s perpetual fight with ego and doing what he considers right is prevalent the moment he realizes the collateral damage he really causes.
When it was finally revealed that our newest incarnation of Spiderman (Tom Holland) would be making his ‘debut’ in the third installment of Captain America, there were parades in the streets, fireworks set off, and frowns turned upside down worldwide! This ultimately boiled down to the greatest 20 minute promo of all time! (Yes, that was a backhanded compliment). For the brief performance, I thought young Mr. Holland nailed it. He had the classic Spidey annoying comic relief during the most serious of moments during the superb airport showdown and when we are introduced to him as plain ol ’Peter Parker, he seems to capture the best qualities of Toby and Andrew before him. Seeing Spiderman mingling with so many other marvel superheroes was exciting, but it felt like luxury. We didn’t explore much of his characterization, but if someone’s not familiar with his story by now, I guess they’ve been under a rock for
A newcomer who had a prominent role was the Black Panther. I’m haven’t the slightest inkling what they’ll do with his own motion picture in the coming years, but Civil War did a wonderful job of establishing the new hero and giving him a call to action. I suppose, the Black Panther film could introduce the audience to the fictional vibranium-rich Wakanda and elaborate on the history of the Black Panther mantle. This may sound like wrestling booking, but Black Panther got over quickly through strong performances in fight scenes, solid acting, and an integral role to the plot through the conclusion. I won’t lie, I’m a huge fanboy and I can’t describe in word how f*(*#$$ excited I am for more T’Challa!
It almost goes without saying with these Marvel films (Avengers, Thor, Iron Man, Captain America), but the acting is always on point. The Vision became more vulnerable and human throughout his scenes with Scarlet Witch, I could really get behind Iron Man and BP’s quests for vengeance, and per usual Chris Evans was the quintessential Boy Scout as Captain America. One thing that felt short of what it could have been was the relationship between Bucky and Cap. We did see Steve Rogers risk everything to save a friend from yesteryear, but I didn’t get the kind of emotional jerk I expected through their dialogue. Not that it was bad by any means; I just felt there was more to be desired. On the flip side, they were amazing out there fighting together, just ask Iron Man.
In the various conversations I’ve had with friends who also wasted little time in rushing to the theater to get their superhero fix, several of them have lamented the lack of a true, menacing villain in the film. While we’re still waiting on Thanos to take a hands-on approach, we didn’t get a super sinister villain or flamboyant antagonist. We were given Baron Zemo. This adaptation is different from the comics, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t amazing. One could sympathize with the character as he had lost his beloved family during the chaos of The Age of Ultron movie. By Zemo’s own admissions, he didn’t have the power or ability to challenge the Avengers himself, so he crafted a meticulous plan which would have the Avengers implode from within. I think this writing and plot was very effective. There wasn’t a need for there to be the big need adversary as Zemo’s dastardly plan drove the audience to pick a side (Hate to say it, but I kind of was with Iron Man in this one), further understand the plight each of our heroes faces internally, and made for some good old fashion infighting. Zemo was the perfect “bad guy” to pull the strings while the heroes destroyed themselves. Of course, on a personal note, I don’t think I was supposed to so adamantly want Black Panther or Iron Man to absolutely obliterate The Winter Soldier from all existence.
While this movie could’ve been named Iron Man 4, Avengers 3, or The Bromance of Steve and James, it was a fitting end to the Captain America trilogy. While there were some minor gripes, the establishment of Black Panther, teases of death for the Iron Man heroes, and depth of the villain outweighed any negatives. It’s one of my favorite Marvel films thus far (Guardians, Blade 2, Days of Future Past, Deadpool), and is also one of the best. Go see it. ASAP!
Crabicurious Rating: 4 crabs out of 4
Looking for more Bryson? He makes his photographic debut in Back in the Ville
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