As a shameless fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, both as a business model and a narrative matrix, I had high expectations for what could be considered the studio’s most ambitious effort to date. My concerns with the movie mostly revolved around the ideological conflict between Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans) and Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), and whether the filmmakers would re-frame the latter as an unambiguous villain with convenient motivations. However, in an organic extension of the plot threads established in earlier films, specifically the two Avengers films and in Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Stark’s guilt over collateral damage allows us to sympathize with him and with Rogers as well.
At times it felt like an Avengers film, mostly due to all the characters included in the story, but it really centres on the thematic and narrative threads introduced in the first two Captain America films. It asks questions that directly stem from Rogers’ experiences with corrupt administrations and large-scale destruction. How can he justify leading a team of superhuman and exceptionally talented individuals when their interventions are seen as unchecked and dangerous in the eyes of the world? The term “civil war” perfectly frames the opposing perspectives on the issue of ratifying the governmental management of the Avengers. The film’s directors—Joe and Anthony Russo—know this well and take advantage of its connotations. This is especially evident in the fight scenes, one of which takes place in an airport and serves as an excellent showcase of individuated powers and hilarious physical and verbal comedy.
To be talking about comedy in a film that has “Civil War” in the title may be bizarre, but moments of levity are needed to avoid an unnecessary descent into pessimism. These moments of comic relief are well-integrated into the film, especially during scenes involving a naive yet infectiously optimistic Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland).
The overarching story of the film is appropriately serious; there is an incident early on that fast-tracks the Sokovia Accords, and new addition T’Challa/Black Panther (played with regal grace by Chadwick Boseman) becomes involved in the proceedings for compelling personal reasons. In addition, the central conflict between Rogers and Stark cuts deep as the former struggles with the crimes of his childhood friend, The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), and the latter deals with his own personal history.
It’s not a perfect movie. Certain action sequences seemed haphazardly filmed, inducing the ‘shaky-cam’ effect that made it difficult to follow the trajectory of the fights. The drama involving the villain, Zemo, was poignant at times but felt superfluous as a unique threat next to the struggle between Rogers and Stark. The confidence to feature a de-powered, human villain, a type introduced by Obadiah Stane (Jeff Bridges) in the equally excellent first Iron Man is admirable, but new characters and other narrative threads clearly demand more audience interest and attention.
As mentioned before, Spider-Man and Black Panther are standouts—cleverly inciting interest in their upcoming solo films—but Civil War never forgets the central figures of the previous Captain America films, especially the captivating personal mythology of the Winter Soldier. If this attention to character development and mostly incredible action continues with the Infinity War films, the Marvel Cinematic Universe should be in for a spectacular conclusion to Phase 3.
