"I gotta fever, and the only prescription, is more MCU"
Ok, so that's not exactly how the line goes but I think you get where I'm going with this. For the longest time I held the belief that Marvel and the MCU could do nothing but whet the appetite of the constantly-needing-to-be-entertained masses with action-packed, comedy-laden fight sequences that lacked serious emotional depth. I think this film finally met my expectations.
Below are my thoughts on Civil War's characters, dialogue, action sequences and more:
The Winners
Peter Parker
I'm a huge DC fan, but not a blind fan. I'm not blind enough to have doubts about the introduction of one of the most iconic CBM characters into the MCU and then maintain those doubts even if subdued by the pure genius the actor brought to the character. That would be called bias, otherwise. Put simply, Peter Parker has some of the best on-screen moments in the MCU to date. Period.
Tom Holland's take on Peter Parker was incredible. I walked in with my expectations pretty high. I wasn't satisfied with the trailer version of Spidey so I couldn't possibly be satisfied with the movie version of Peter Parker. However, nothing could be farther from the truth. Tom Holland exceeded my expectations in portraying the subtle smart-assness of an actually young Peter Parker. He was funny, sarcastic, intelligent BUT (and this is the most important) he came across as a naive kid.
Most importantly: Holland portrayed all the right qualities that Parker has in the comics and for that I give his portrayal two thumbs up.
Rating: Excellent
Spider-Man
Peter Parker might be Spider-Man, but most of the scenes with Spider-Man are the CG version which is why I wanted to address Tom Hollands actual acting skills as we see him in the flesh. With that, Spidey was killer (and no, not in the Batman sort of way. You're welcome, MCU trolls). The comedic lines while he took out "the bad guys" (#TeamCap) were intelligently placed. The use of his powers, enhanced by his new suit provided by Tony Stark, were awesome.
Most importantly: Spidey had great chemistry with the rest of the characters and felt at home (see what I did there?)
Rating: Excellent
Black Panther
Tied for first place along with Spidey for best scenes is Black Panther. Not only is his accent on point, but the action scenes were incredible. Panther is unique in that he acts almost as a conscience, which is great considering both Cap and Iron Man can't seem to agree...agree on disagreeing...disagree to agree...take your pick. He killed it, both literally and hypothetically.
One thing I'd like to point out is the post production CG on his suit. He looked incredible from the set picks and but even more complete in the actual film. The best parts for me were the claws and helmet.
Most importantly: His role in this film fit nicely with the plot. It was definitely a great first appearance by the Wakandan King.
Rating: Excellent
Giant-Man
This was pretty much one of the most exciting moments in the entire film. There are scenes with Giant-Man, Iron Man, Warmachine and Spider-Man that are fantastic.
Most importantly: It was cool, so, yeah.
Rating: Great
Action Scenes
The way the action scenes were filmed reminded me a lot of the Bourne Trilogy (which is in my top 3 trilogies). I hate most fight scenes in movies mainly because the filming masks the subpar choreography. In this case, the film techniques used highlight the choreography which has some pretty memorable moments (e.g.: Black Widow taking down a soldier by jumping on top of his shoulders and pulling him down as she flips)
The airport scene is the standout. Absolutely a work of art.
Most importantly: The choreography was superb.
Rating: Excellent
The Losers
Trolls
Everyone is familiar with Martha being the key to finally ending the war Bruce waged on Superman. The reason for this lies in the sub plot that was built up throughout the film. A boy loses his mom (and dad), spends years trying find her killer and with no luck, turns to vigilantism fighting "freaks dressed like clowns". He turns even darker not minding the bodies that piled up along the path to justice, only to realize "men are still good" once Superman mentions the name of his own mother (Martha). This triggered something in him which, cinematically, led to a flashback of his mom's death and how traumatic it was. It made Bruce realize how human Superman was. The end.
But not really the end because in Civil War we actually get the exact same scenario. In a scene where Cap is about to take down Crossbones, Crossbones mentions the name "Bucky", saying "You know, he remembered you. Your pal, your buddy, your Bucky" and causes Cap to shutter stopping him from presumably killing him or at the very least hurting him much more than he had already been hurt.
Later on Cap brings this back up when talking to another Avenger stating that "He said 'Bucky' and suddenly I was that 16-year old boy from Brooklyn again.". He mentions that the mention of Bucky's name triggered something. The exact same scenario from BvS.
Most importantly: The trolls lose.
Rating: Idiots
The Vision
Once again The Vision is underutilized. When Vision shows up to the airport (before the fight but after being incapacitated from Scarlet Witch) he says a few words before the fighting commences but then disappears for about 5 minutes. I'm not sure why but my guess is that he's too powerful to have this fight be realistic. In other words, I don't think the writers really addressed him in the fight because he would have destroyed everyone fairly quickly. I do wish they would have addressed it in a way that shows him observing humankind maybe from afar with a line uttered to himself like "I...I do not understand why this must be the way".
Additionally, there's a point where Scarlet Witch is being held under The Vision's watchful eye, but then incapacitates him when Hawkeye appears and convinces her she needs to escape and join the fight against Stark. She uses her powers against him and he brings up the fear that people have towards her as a result of the bomb she caused to explode on building instead of somewhere devoid of human life. Vision says "If you do this, they will never stop being afraid of you". Unfortunately what seemed to be a deeper sub plot never pans out into something greater.
The Vision in clothes was...different.
Most importantly: The Vision needs to be written in way that showcases his power.
Rating: Ok
Aunt May
This pains me because so far I've loved every cinematic version of Aunt May. To me Aunt May is Peter Parker's conscience. She's there to guide him into greatness, nudge him onto what's right and help him as he grapples with life and the loss of his parents. The very small amount of Aunt May that is in this film, she's objectified by Stark who says "You know, I'm having a hard time believing she's someone's aunt.". This was a funny line, but I think this can sometimes be somewhat problematic for Marvel at least it was for me in this scene. Sure she's gorgeous, but that's not the point of her character in the comics.
Most importantly: Aunt May is a force for good, not for ogling.
Rating: Ok
Villains
There are so many good opportunities for villains, but they either get killed off too soon, aren't menacing enough or are just plain underwhelming. Such is the case with Crossbones and Zemo. Crossbones' run as a villain ends too soon but Civil War also leaves his demise undocumented. Zemo not being in costume was a massive letdown and left quite a bit to be desired. Hoping the days of Loki are not past.
Most importantly: The villains are boring. This, I'm hoping, will change.
Rating: Ok
Overall
The movie was great. Go see it!
Rating