When we last saw the Avengers in last summer’s The Avengers: Age of Ultron, we saw Captain America in charge of a new group of Avengers. Captain America: Civil War picks up soon after, with Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) leading Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) on a mission in Lagos, Nigeria. Just like the events that took place in New York (The Avengers), Washington D.C (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and Sokovia (Avengers: Age of Ultron) destruction is always left behind in the heroes wake and innocent lives are lost, leading many to not consider the Avengers as heroes.
The person who fully realizes the damage they cause is Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), who knows that if they don’t get their act together, the government will force them to. This brings about the Sokovia Accords, which state that they will be supervised and only allowed to act when deemed necessary. The subtle tension that has been building ever since Tony and Steve met begins to come to a head and soon the Avengers are taking sides. For Steve, everything is even more complicated when his closest friend Bucky (Sebastian Stan), who was brainwashed and used as the Winter Solider for many years, is once again accused of a horrific crime.
As the positions form between Captain America and Iron Man, a villain emerges named Zemo (Daniel Brühl), who works so well amongst everything going on in the film because he is such a simple and subtle character. Captain America begins to figure out what he believes Zemo is planning, and uses his team to try to stop him, knowing that they may be punished for their actions.
The third Captain America film really is enjoyable from start to finish. The cast meshes so well, and all of the actors are exciting to watch as their characters continue to develop. This film introduces two major new characters; Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and, the one and only, Spiderman (Tom Holland). Both have fantastic moments in their limited time on-screen, making me excited to see their upcoming solo films.
All the characters come to a head during a huge battle at an airport. Also joining the mix are Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Rhodey (Don Cheadle) and Vision, (Paul Bettany). Considering that the film is packed full of characters, I was worried the story could feel like a lot of little moments put together, but I never felt like it got too busy or frustrating to follow.
The biggest and most impacting scenes come after the airport battle though, when Steve and Bucky take on Tony. This film is especially interesting because not only do you understand Steve’s side, but you also understand Tony’s. You feel for both of them and there is no right choice. There is ultimately no winner in this war.
If you are a big Captain America fan, you may leave a bit disappointed that his screen time is shared and cut down with so many other characters involved. For me, this was a bit of a shame because I think the trio of Captain America, Falcon, and Bucky/Winter Soldier are three of the strongest characters in the Marvel world right now. I would have enjoyed a little more focus or time on Captain America and his primary allies. The relationship between Steve and Bucky is so important in the Captain America films, and ultimately is at the core of what side Captain America chooses in this film, that I would have liked a few more down moments between these two old friends. It would have been nice to see them take a second to check in with how each other are doing after all these years. My only other complaint would be the tacked-on relationship between Steve and Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp). I understand how the connection to Steve’s lost love Peggy Carter (Sharon’s aunt) is a special aspect to his story, but it just did not fit in this film at all. Steve deserves a more well-rounded relationship than what they gave him here.
While there were a few downsides to such a superhero-filled film, ultimately Civil War rounds out the trilogy of Captain America films on a very strong note. Directors Anthony and Joe Russo did such a solid job with both Captain America sequels that I can’t wait to see what they do with the next Avengers films. Out of all the solo character Marvel films so far, the Captain America films have been the best from start to finish. The team is unbeatable, and I truly hope that this is not the the final Captain America film we get.
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