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Captain America: Civil War Becomes a Belabored Dispute
By Sandra Olmsted
The latest installment in the Marvel Studio’s Avenger franchise toys with the theme of acting within the law vs. behaving in an ethically manner, and directors Anthony and Joe Russo beat the audience over the head with the theme as often the characters engage in fisticuffs. Predictability also plagues the film; however, a few surprises pop up as the two sides recruit new team members.
A new person with super powers, Black Panther/T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman), appears, and Spider-man/Peter Parker (Tom Holland) gets recruited. After a battle between the Avengers and some bad guys results in another catastrophe and civilians’ deaths, the United Nations committee labels the Avengers vigilant and draws up a treaty for bringing the Avengers under the jurisdiction of a United Nations committee.
If the Avengers don’t sign the treaty, the US government will impose sanctions against the Avengers. Despite the inherent problems and consistencies in this plot twist, the Avengers must choose between taking orders as international “soldiers” or operating autonomously. Being presented with two bad options splits the team into two factions: those who agree to the oversights and those who see signing as an ethical capitulation.
Tony Stark aka Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.) sees the treaty’s regulations as the best choice and leads the signers of the treaty. Captain America aka Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) can’t bring himself to sign because he understands that, as soldiers of the UN, the Avengers could be ordered to fight for bad guys or prevented from helping the good guys. Add bad guy Colonel Zemo (Daniel Brühl) and a grudge. Frame Winter Soldier Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). Shake, stir, and battle at predictable intervals, and it’s a recipe for a fairly entertaining, but forgettable summer blockbuster.
Fans will enjoy the appears of so many of the Avengers and their sworn enemies. Also on the plus side, easy-on-the-eyes Evans and his muscles, old Soviet experiments, moments of comedy, and exciting battles delight.
Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Sam Wilson aka Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Lieutenant James Rhodes aka War Machine (Don Cheadle), Clint Barton aka Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Vision (Paul Bettany), Wanda Maximoff aka Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Scott Lang aka Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), Brock Rumlow aka Crossbones (Frank Grillo), among others, make appearances.
Additional plot twists complicate the story without any real point and only serve to stretch the film to 2 1/2 hours. After the needless exposition that beats around and around the bush of legal vs ethical, the fight scenes escalate to a mammoth battle royal pitting the Avengers on the side of the law against the Avengers on the side of ethics. The big finale is an auspicious beginning to the popcorn-spilling thrills of the summer movie season even though the film lacks any real surprises even for those who don’t know all the details of Avenger “history.”
While the first two Captain America films were delightful, this subpar installment disappoints by comparison. The Russo brothers don’t use the 3D technology to much effect or point, so the extra cost of the 3D is only warranted for technology fans. Captain America: Civil War, a Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures release, is rated PG-13 for extended sequences of violence, action and mayhem and runs a lengthy 147 minutes.
