MOVIE REVIEW: CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

Shane | 7 May 2016 | Reply

MOVIE REVIEW: CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR
Directed by Anthony & Joe Russo
Starring Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson
Reviewed by Shane Pinnegar
8 ½ /10

Marvel have played a very clever card with the third instalment in their Captain America franchise: superhero movies routinely depict enormous violence and unbridled collateral damage before the good guys slap each other on the backs at a job well done, but the fallout from that action is rarely explored, especially in the depth it is here.

The movie title refers to the internal rift between members of The Avengers when the U.N. tries to impose restrictions on what the heroes can and can’t do.

Naturally not all the Avengers are thrilled with these proposed restrictions, and in another canny move, goody two shoes Captain America is the one who rebels the most, finding himself on the wrong side of international law by defending his best friend Bucky (aka The Winter Soldier) who is wrongfully accused of a devastating bombing.

The stage is all set for a showdown between Cap and Robert Downey Jr’s Iron Man, and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Ant Man (Paul Rudd), Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), Vision (Paul Bettany) and more (including a teenage Spiderman) go head to head over this philosophical disagreement.

Marvel are on fire at the moment, excelling at delivering clever stories that have modern relevance whilst remaining true to their comic book roots, but more than that, their movies are tremendously entertaining, with arguably the very best action scenes ever committed to film in all their shoot ‘em up, blow ‘em up, smash ‘em up glory.

Civil War’s plot is quite detailed, meaning there are some in depth info dump scenes, but mostly these provide a welcome respite from the larger-than-life action and are peppered with clever humour, as well as providing plenty of food for thought about the consequences of our actions and the responsibilities of great power.

Rest assured that the Avengers unite for a common cause before the nearly two-and-a-half hours are up, and you’re left wondering how Marvel will manage to top this instalment, and how they can afford the paycheques of such a star-studded epic in the first place!