First Thoughts: “Captain America: Civil War”
Tonight, I attended the box office premiere of the latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Civil War had a lot of responsibility on its hands. It not only had to follow up a run of phenomenal films, but deal with the fallout from the plots of Winter Soldier and Age of Ultron, all while introducing Black Panther, as well as a brand new Spider-Man. Not only did it accomplish all of this, but it did so while delivering a genuinely compelling and emotional story at the same time.
That emotional punch is delivered through the vehicle of the “Sokovia Accords,” a UN agreement by more than one-hundred countries to place superheroes under the purview of a governing authority (this replaces the SRA in the original Civil War comic line, and functions much better within the context of the MCU). For the sake of omitting spoilers, I will not go into too much detail regarding the plot. Suffice it to say that this may be the most intellectually stimulating Marvel movie outside of the X-Men franchise.
The Sokovia Accords are, of course, the result of the carnage left in the wake of third-act battles from both Avengers films, and Winter Soldier. But despite the crowded cast, Civil War manages to keep the emotional focus on its title hero, and on Steven’s complicated relationships with the rest of the Avengers, as well as his best-friend-turned-Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes.
These emotional beats underscore what might have otherwise been a droll plot, elevating the film into much more than a dutiful episode in the middle of a franchise that is — let’s face it — beginning to strain under its own colossal ambitions. After Age of Ultron, I left the theater with a migraine, overwhelmed by the countless plot threads the MCU had begun to develop. Civil War left me far more satisfied.
Those plot threads are very much in place here, but they are not as overly wrought. Black Panther shows up, explains his character, gets some development, and is now ready for his own feature film. Other less important characters stay similarly out of the way when they’re not causing explosions. Oh, and Spider-Man is here too.
Let’s talk about Spidey. Marvel’s most popular hero has not had a good run on the silver screen. Though 2002’s Spider-Man and its 2004 follow-up were widely well received, most fans agree that Spider-Man 3 shat the bed, colloquially speaking. The Amazing Spider Man debuted to mixed reception in 2012, and its sequel was a flailing mess of a film that currently has a 53% rating on Rottentomatoes.com.
This time, I’m calling it now: Tom Holland will be the definitive Spider-Man of the big screen. From his entrance on screen, the audience could not get enough. His every remark generated oohs, aahs, laughs, and gasps. Peter Parker is a hard character to do justice to, because he is so remarkable complex. Though driven by the death of his uncle and imbued with extraordinary powers, Peter is also a regular teenager. In the renditions of Spider-Man we have seen in past films, this dichotomy has never come across quite right. In every scene, Spidey is either the awkward teenager, or the daring hero. He has never been both at once — until now. Even while holding his own alongside the Avengers, Tom Holland captures the insecurity Peter feels, and his genuine excitement at being included in their world was absolutely delightful.
If you are wavering, unsure whether to see Civil War, deliberate no longer. This film is a must-see. But let’s face it: if you’ve come this far in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you were going to see it regardless.
