Captain America: Civil War - Movie Review

Apr 27, 2016
captain america civil war movie review marvel philippines

A fight between Tony Stark/ Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Steve Rogers/ Captain America (Chris Evans) has been established all the way since the first ‘Avengers’ movie in 2012. Many would presume at the time that it’s something used as a play on the character’s conflicting ideologies, and not a central theme for the third instalment of the ‘Captain America’ films. ‘Captain America: Civil War’, despite the big duel it is being advertised, chose to focus on the personal effects of the two’s beliefs, and the tragedy that ensues.

The film is inspired by the events of the popular ‘Civil War’ comic run written by Mark Millar. It doesn’t follow the same path of its source material, but like its predecessor ‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’, only takes cues from the comics to support a different, new narrative. The Superhero Registration Act is replaced by the Sokovia Accords, an act that puts superheroes under government control to prevent the same kind of damages and fatalities caused by the Avengers from the events of the previous Marvel films. Steve Rogers rejects his participation on passing it, which Tony Stark didn’t allow. But things got messier when Rogers’ best friend, Bucky Barnes, came into the picture to cause more mayhem, pitting him on a test to choose what others think is good and what he thinks would be the right decision. 


captain america civil war movie review marvel philippines

The film focuses on the moral conflict of the picture rather than the chaos surrounding it. What’s fascinating about it is that it repeatedly tries to get rid of the idea of a hero versus hero battle because the characters knew that it isn’t the right path to step on. Sure, there were several mano-y-mano battle between Captain America and Iron Man in this movie, but deep inside they are allies forced to duke it all out because of something they couldn’t agree upon. For a brief moment, these men are not superheroes at all, but fragmented individuals damaged by their own principles. And this made the brawl on its characters feel more brutal and emotional, since all of them are right all along that choosing a preferred side is wrong.


captain america civil war movie review marvel philippines

The action sequences here are a wonder to look at. A scene in particular that took place in an airport goes on for 15-20 minutes is breathtaking. It’s rare for a film to keep such momentum for that time in a set piece, but directors Joe and Anthony Russo got it work. Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. are still great on their roles, as well as reoccurring actors in the Marvel Cinematic Universe like Scarlett Johansson, Paul Rudd, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Elizabeth Olsen, and Jeremy Renner to name a few. But the scene-stealer here are the new characters joining this world, Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) are a fresh sight and a welcome presence. 

Captain America: Civil War’, beneath all its big, exciting moments, largely works because of its smaller conflicts. It runs for 2 ½ hours, but the running time felt like it passed by because you are physically and emotionally invested and tormented throughout. This is the best Marvel has yet to offer, and I can’t wait to see how the story will progress on the studio’s future outings.


The geek rates it 10/10!


captain america civil war movie review marvel philippines

'Captain America: Civil War' is now showing in cinemas (2D, 3D, IMAX 3D, 4DX, Dolby Atmos) nationwide from Walt Disney Pictures Philippines. Rated PG by the MTRCB.

captain america civil war movie review marvel philippines







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