Another year, another Marvel release. It would be fair by this point to be fatigued by these outings by now. However, Captain America: Civil War is a genuinely great film by its own merits. For one, it deters from to the usual formula of ‘beat up some aliens/supervillains/ancient evil (delete as applicable) and give each other a pat on the back’. The film is more centred on human relationships and repercussions for past actions. Which makes for some genuinely intense scenes. Unfortunately some rather poorly executed plot devices come in later segments.
It should stand as testament to the Russo brothers directorial abilities, that these don’t derail the entire film. Scenes such as the opening chase through a Nigerian slum stand out. With quick cuts and incredible sound design creating unbelievably immersive destruction. Thus comes the most interesting aspect of the plot. As the title would suggest, Civil War is all about internal conflict. This internal conflict is driven by the high levels of collateral damage caused by the Avengers.
AvengersAfter a particularly explosive incident, a government bill is proposed to make superheroes essentially government property. This divides the into two teams. It’s a great premise. Although it’s one that is mildly underutilized. However, this doesn’t stop some genuinely exciting moments. The most notable of which coming in the form of a full team showdown at an airport.
This scene is fluid, fun and genuinely intense. There is an unprecedented level of chaos, creating one of the most unpredictable action sequences in a blockbuster in a long time. This segment also allows for the best dialogue present in the film. This is all due to one thing: Tom Holland as the new Spider-Man. Holland is simply superb, and creates a sense of innocent joy in a film that could have easily strayed into bleak territories.
It is a shame that Holland is used so sparingly. He gets maybe twenty minutes of a two-and-a-half-hour film. The overall length of which does become problematic. A handful of scenes come across as rather bloated or unnecessary. Thankfully though these are far and few between with the film, for the most part, exuding charm and good nature.
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