Civil War is not your average extension to a franchise that worked wonders with its origin movie and seemed to take a nosedive with its hurried sequel. Oh wait..we are not talking about the Avengers..this is supposed to be Captain America..right?...Right??
Whatever you call it finally, Civil War is the new direction for this universe. Marvel is treading dangerous new ground and I'd applaud the effort. Its not just about superheroes taking potshots at each other and coming together to overcome a formidable enemy. Nor is it the struggle to find the next big thing the Avengers can assemble for again, to save the universe.
Don't go expecting another Avengers - its not. In some ways, its something more and in many others, it falls really short as well. In parts, Civil War is a more mature and refined Marvel with a director duo who knows how to set up their action pieces and a philosophical premise with equal panache. On the other hand, they spend much time in conversations and build up - so much so that it affects the pacing of what is otherwise a very good movie. Hats off to the franchise to at least address the central premise of the film, something another recent superhero movie made an absolute meal of (am looking at you Mr. Snyder). The name Civil War is not just to pique interest - it represents a clash of ideology that needs to be and is well explored through the course of the film. To be fair though, while the movie stays true to its theme and the 'Civil War' as well as the reasons for it seem to fit, it would fall apart if you questioned it beyond a point.
While termed as 'Civil War' the scale is anything but local. Over the course of its run time you'll traverse on a global scale at a pace that could give Phileas Fogg a run for his money. So much so, that you reach a point, where you'd wish they could all just stay in one place and fight it out - whatever the outcome. What continues to work to Marvel's advantage though - is their focus on keeping things fun and light, despite the heaviness that surrounds its theme. Tom Holland and Paul Rudd and their characters are a big part of this.
As for the performances, pretty much the entire cast are in good form. Scarlett Johansson probably finds her best raison d'etre with this one, if you'd been wondering what she was doing still hanging on to this franchise. Iron Man is in a very different avatar than you'd expect him to be and while Robert Downey Jr. does justice again, he is not as much the life of the party that he's been so far. Chris Evans is doing more and more with Cap and as a close friend of Iron Man, its finally beginning to work. There are a score of superheroes who make an appearance and while its a difficult act to maneuver, not one of them feels out of place. Especially, their coming together in any of the action pieces, are a treat to watch. Full credit to the directors for that.
The climax is what you'd find the most controversial - some would argue that its much too tame after the excitement at the airport. We would like nothing more than the airport set piece like fun n games to continue in Avengers'esque fashion - but Marvel clearly shows more perspective with where they are taking the story.
Civil War is easily the strongest film of the Captain America franchise though that's not saying much. Compared to Avengers, it does feel a much closer parallel to the splendid origin film which is a wonderful compliment. With a little more action, better pacing and an explosive climax, it would've been close to the ideal stand alone movie. However, that would've not done as much for the franchise. To adapt a line from one of my favorite movies - Civil War is the movie this franchise deserves, but not necessarily the one we need right now. All said and done, I am excited about where the Marvel universe moves next and that is proof that Civil War delivers.
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