Civil War Buff!

Here (as if anyone cared) is my much belated Captain America: Civil War review. I finally got around to seeing this blockbuster Marvel superhero movie installment with my daughter a few days ago and generally speaking I loved it. Lots and lots and lots of superheroes, and for a longtime Avengers fanboy like myself that's a good thing indeed.

Spoilers reside beyond this point and at this late date in the proceedings I'm not all that worried since you've likely seen it already yourself.

Captain America looks great as Chris Evans just keeps improving in the role from film to film. Anthony Mackie as The Falcon was wonderful and he is neatly showcased in the battles here with some real attention to making him an impactful player. His role as Cap's number one is established neatly despite the assembly of many great fighters. Sebastian Stan as Winter Soldier/ Bucky was very good, in fact I can safely say all the actors did a dandy job. The new Spider-Man is very true to the character though the CG costume annoys me more than a bit. To be honest I actually forgot Spidey was in this, so caught up in the abundant heroes and plot points that I didn't even get who Stark was talking about when he referenced him, that is until he showed up at the apartment. (Loved Marisa Tomei as sexy Aunt May.)

Lots of grand details for a long suffering fanboy to savor - the budding of a romance between the Vision and Wanda, Ant-Man taking a ride on Hawkeye's shaft (that doesn't sound right), the debut of Zemo, Giant-Man, and on and on. Black Widow was great, but this was the first one of these movies she hasn't stolen.

I was disappointed that the elite super-soldier attack squad was dispatched so quickly after pretty much the whole movie had been set up to establish their existence. I, for one, was certain this killers elite were going to become a movie version of Zemo's Masters of Evil. That the villain turned the tables was surprising but frankly disappointing. I was really geared up for an awesome slug fest. The battle between Cap and Shellhead was pretty dang good, but not what I was anticipating. Did love Crossbones! Great villain, blown up before his time.

As for the world governments trying to control the Avengers, I get the effort, but I was disappointed that some distinction was not made between the NYC battle against alien invaders which the Avengers had zero responsibility for and Sokovia which was arguably their fault in many respects given that Stark and Banner created Ultron. I don't think the effort to control them was necessarily misguided but the blend of events seemed to undermine the argument. Ross as a guy in the know should've known better. Nick Fury's absence was felt in this sequence.

The Black Panther was outstanding and the battles with him had a distinctive quality all their own. With the addition of the Panther, most of Cap's partners have been given the movie treatment. Bucky, Falcon, and Panther were all seen as special Cap allies. As a fanboy, I'm quickly running out of things to wish to see on screen. 

But it was a complicated movie with a lot of parts and frankly these films are beginning to fall victim to the maze of continuity which at once makes the Marvel Universe so appealing but forms a barrier of sorts for beginners.  My daughter is a great barometer, not a fan but someone who has seen many of the movies but has read none of the comics. She told me it was confusing but eventually she figured it out. That's good enough I guess, but does suggest things are beginning to get exceedingly deep.

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