Director Anthony Russo, Joe Russo
Genre Action | Sci-Fi | Thriller
Cast Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan
Rating PG-13
Release Date May 6th, 2016
“Political interference in the Avengers’ activities causes a rift between former allies Captain America and Iron Man.”
Captain America: Civil War is a follow-up to 2014's successful film Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Civil War and The Winter Soldier share the same directors, brothers Joe Russo and Anthony Russo. Prior to directing The Winter Solider, they had an interesting directorial resume and it seems they worked on the majority, if not all, of their projects as a two man team. Together they directed the 2006 comedy You, Me, and Dupree, but aside from that they focused almost primarily on directing episodes for TV, namely Arrested Development, Happy Endings, and Community. They also worked on the little known sitcom Carpoolers, which ran from 2007-2008, and helped give actor T.J. Miller (Silicon Valley, Deadpool) his start as his first comedic role. Captain America: Civil War stars Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr, Anthony Mackie, Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Paul Rudd, and many others.
Captain America: Civil War is a triumphant achievement in filmmaking, and one of the more entertaining movies to release in the past decade. This is the most excited I have been about the stars and stripes since 2011, when Seal Team 6 took out Bin Laden. Seriously, I was pumped up. I felt like I was at a concert because of how often the audience clapped after some of the more epic scenes. Captain America: Civil War executes the rare balance between non-stop superhero action and the humanistic aspect of war that takes into account collateral damage. In a sense it felt similar to the issues raised in the recent modern-day war film, Eye in the Sky. It actually makes you think beyond the surface of a movie pumped full of action. This is a feat Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice attempted to achieve but failed miserably. Perhaps Zack Snyder lacks the vision the Russo brothers seem to possess. Or maybe as far as actors with emotional complexities, Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr are on a level Ben Affleck and Henry Cavill simply are not. Either way, this is a clear and decisive victory for Marvel in 2016. I realize I am getting off topic so let me just reiterate the one point that needs to be made, which is the fact that Captain America: Civil War is an incredibly entertaining film with a balance rarely achieved this day and age. My only complaint is the unfortunate realization that a vast majority of the remaining 2016 movie releases will fall short of what this film achieved. That is a fact.
It almost feels silly to touch on the quality of the acting in Captain America: Civil War, I mean honestly, where do I start? I have been racking my brain and for the life of me I cannot think of another film that includes this amount of A-list acting talent. Obviously the closest to compare would be the Avengers films but this is still a step up. The addition of Paul Rudd (Ant-Man) made a huge impact on the film. He was absolutely fantastic and took the comedic dynamic to another level. It was great to have Sebastian Stan (The Winter Soldier) on screen with the rest of the crew thanks to the undeniable chemistry he has with Chris Evans. I was blown away by Chadwick Boseman in his role as the Black Panther, I mean that guy is a badass. He nailed the character perfectly right down to the accent, and even though I was initially disappointed that Michael B. Jordan didn’t get the nod as Black Panther, I am very pleased with who they chose. I am definitely looking forward to Marvel’s Black Panther releasing in 2018. Another pleasant surprise was 19-year old UK born actor Tom Holland, in his role as Spider-Man. As far as overall entertainment value is concerned, he may just be my favorite addition to the film in terms of the direct impact his character had. Captain America: Civil War reinforces one age old saying, which is the fact that you simply cannot have too much of a good thing, and amen to that!
Captain America: Civil War is a film that begs to be seen in IMAX 3D, and it isn’t so much the 3D aspect, which is still great and comparable to The Winter Soldier. It is the incredible action scenes that deserve to be experienced on a huge screen accompanied by speakers that will rattle your brain (in a good way of course). Writing this review has proved to be very difficult for me because I want so badly to talk in detail about this movie. I want to mention the many surprises, plot twists, and memorable action scenes that I continue to replay over and over in my head. Or just the many perfectly timed jokes that had me chuckling like a child. But rest assured, as I will not allow my journalistic integrity to waiver, and I will allow you the viewer to enjoy this masterpiece for yourself. Just be sure to see Captain America: Civil War soon because my guess is before too long someone will start force-feeding you spoilers. So go now, and enjoy!!
