Movie: Civil War
For a while, I struggled with how I would write this review (I struggled through every word of this, honestly). When I review, I try my best to see things from both sides and substantiate opinions based on what happened in the film itself. But in trying to make sense of my thoughts about this film, I've realized that there's really no point in trying to separate my feelings with the objective events of the film. At this point, I am way too deep into the fandom to try and separate myself from my feelings and emotional investment. I did try to substantiate as much as I could, but at some points, I just kind of shout my feelings.
So, for the record, I am and always have been on Team Iron Man, both ideologically and because I love Tony Stark. Proceed with this in mind!
Civil War, in the comics and to an extent, the movie, is the story of Steve and Tony, and all the dynamics at play in their relationship - Tony as Steve's primary link to his past (before Peggy/Bucky), Steve as the impossible standard from whence Tony's daddy issues sprung, them as the antithesis of each other (Man Out of Time vs Futurist, Boy Scout vs Genius Playboy, Soldier vs "We are not soldiers," and it goes on). Their bond/friendship with each other is something that is constant in every version of the Marvel Universe, something that brings about change, whether good or bad. Some of the best decisions either character has made stemmed from their friendship, and some of the biggest mistakes came from it too. In the context of the MCU, while it is arguable that this relationship is underdeveloped, there has never been any doubt in anyone's minds that the two have always played on the same team.
Marvel film adaptations exist to capture the spirit of the comic books, and the spirit of Civil War and what made it so great in the comics was the central idea that everyone is right, everyone is also wrong, and there are gray areas that have to be discussed in order to reach an actual solution. You need to have the difficult conversation, and you have to eventually see things from the other side as well. The bullheadedness on both sides of the fence in the comics resulted in a less than savory ending (Google if you want spoilers for that), which is thankfully avoided in the movie. That's why they were able to market it by teams - because whether you're #TeamIronMan or #TeamCap, there's something in this movie for you, and there's something in it that will make you question your beliefs.
Look how seamlessly they work together onfield! Haha.
Marvel film adaptations exist to capture the spirit of the comic books, and the spirit of Civil War and what made it so great in the comics was the central idea that everyone is right, everyone is also wrong, and there are gray areas that have to be discussed in order to reach an actual solution. You need to have the difficult conversation, and you have to eventually see things from the other side as well. The bullheadedness on both sides of the fence in the comics resulted in a less than savory ending (Google if you want spoilers for that), which is thankfully avoided in the movie. That's why they were able to market it by teams - because whether you're #TeamIronMan or #TeamCap, there's something in this movie for you, and there's something in it that will make you question your beliefs.
Before formally beginning, I just want to say I've been endlessly vocal before about how I was (apparently rightly!) concerned with the decision to put "Captain America" in the title because like I said, the nature of Civil War was such that there was no winning side. With Captain America in the name, I had very real concerns about how they might screw up Tony and end up vilifying him (something comic book writers have done time and time again), and make everything skewed toward Team Cap. In a true move of optimism and denial, in my past reviews of the trailer, I always referred to the film as Marvel Civil War in protest. Now, having watched the film, I'm glad this protest seems to have some basis - in a good way! Kind of?
Here's a navigation thing because this review hella long. Use it to skip things!
Plot (you can skip this if everything's clear to you haha)
The plot is actually pretty complicated and layered, so let's go through it one event at a time.
We start with the op in Lagos, where Crossbones mentions Bucky to Steve. Steve gets distracted, Wanda covers for him and tries to contain a blast, but innocent people still die. This, in addition to the incidents in New York/Washington/Sokovia, is what pushes the international community to approve the Sokovia Accords. This document would put the Avengers under the control of the United Nations, who will approve their going into battle, and will oversee what they are allowed and not allowed to do. It is unclear if the Accords "shift the blame" from the Avengers to the UN, though this was mentioned in the film (if anyone out there can clarify this, please do so, haha).
Tony, guilt-ridden and reprising his role as the Official Scapegoat of the Marvel Universe (tm), brings Secretary of State (formerly General) Ross in to explain this to the team. It should be noted that General Ross is the bad guy from The Hulk and we do not trust him. Tony's guilt encapsulates every event from Stark Industries giving weapons to terrorists to acting irrationally and endangering people because he was dying to giving his home address to The Mandarin and putting Pepper in danger to the gigantic screw up of creating Ultron, and so he understandably agrees with the Accords. Steve, still burned by the SHIELD take-down that has been happening under their noses for 70 years and even without that, SHIELD being a secretive organization who was building weapons of mass destruction in the first Avengers film, in addition to the fact that he stands for freedom, is understandably against the Accords.
Steve is ideologically on his own at this point, because almost everyone (except Sam, Eternal Hufflepuff (patent pending)) is also for the Accords. Peggy dies, resulting in the reintroduction of Sharon Carter (Agent 13) as well as Steve further solidifying his anti-Accords stand.
Subsequently, the Accords signing is bombed, and the king of Wakanda is killed, causing T'Challa (Black Panther) to want to avenge his death. Bucky is blamed, and Steve takes it upon himself to take Bucky in. Bucky clarifies that he was framed, and refuses to be taken in. The CIA enter and try to kill Bucky, which results in Steve trying to protect him and looking like an accomplice. When they're taken in, Tony tries again in vain to convert Steve, saying that if he were to sign the Accords, the Avengers could stay together and Bucky could be put under psychiatric care for the time being. Steve, blinded by the desire to protect Bucky, has stopped listening to logic and is making dubious decisions left and right - the decision to ignore Natasha/due process and go after Bucky in Vienna, to protect him blindly from people who want to capture him, to ignore Tony's (reasonable IMO) bargain. Bucky gets mind-controlled by Zemo, who pretends to be a psychiatrist. Steve rescues him and goes rogue with Sam and Bucky.
Tony, meanwhile, is putting out fires left and right, trying to get on Ross's good side by taking Sam, Bucky, and Steve in so he has some semblance of control over the Accords. To do this, he creates his armor, recruits Spiderman, and everyone fights in the airport. In the airport, Steve tries to explain the five-other-Winter-Soldiers subplot to Tony, but given all his actions up until this point, Tony is critical of what he's saying. The fight in the airport somehow balances all the factors at play - it's a fight about the Accords (for Tony/Rhodey/Vision/Spiderman), avenging his father (for T'Challa), protecting Bucky/further uncovering Zemo's plot (for Steve/Sam/Bucky).
After this, Team Cap (minus Steve/Bucky) is captured and put into the Raft, where they feel betrayed by Tony and they tell him so.
Tony goes back home with a paralyzed (but working on it) Rhodey and Vision, and gets a Standard Issue Stan Lee Delivery of a love letter from Steve. In it, Steve apologizes for the betrayal, tells Tony he forgives him because what else can you do except what you think is right, "gives" him the Avengers, and says that they will be - he will be - there when Tony needs him/them. He busts the team out of the Raft.
General Review
I have some issues with the film (honestly, a huge part of me hated it after my first viewing), but upon my second, less emotionally charged/anxious, viewing, I actually saw things from the other side and a lot of my opinions changed radically - we're talking polar end to polar end kind of change. My specific issues remain the same, but I can say now that I generally liked the movie. I think it really captured the spirit of Civil War and translated it into the MCU well, while removing factors that made the original comic run (IMO) less than perfect. They were able to use the current state of the characters and overarching MCU plot to make the movie richer in terms conflict, and the issues didn't seem contrived.
What's interesting for me is that as much as we are told that the characters are fighting with each other and as much as we are given clarity regarding their motivations, the real Civil War wasn't an external conflict, but, as I saw it, largely an internal one. It wasn't Tony vs Steve, it was really Tony vs Tony and Steve vs Steve, except that their internal battles manifested themselves as Tony vs Steve.
Tony, basically struggling with the guilt of his past actions, trying to do what's best for both the team and the general public. On a personal level, the Avengers is his way of making up for past mistakes, and the Accords are his way of making sure they don't blow up in his face (this does not end well).
Steve, struggling with living his life in the service of others versus the conflict of interest of now having Bucky back. In a life where literally everything happens to him (he accidentally lives, Fury brings him in to get the Tesseract back, SHIELD/Hydra falls into pieces around him, etc.), Steve finally decides to take one thing for himself, and that is Bucky.
The Accords are really what push things to the edge, but the main conflict in this film isn't an ideological one like in the comics, and I find I don't mind it that much. Like Sam says during the airport battle, "This isn't the real fight." By highlighting personal issues, they make sure we know what each character is doing there, and they enrich the battle by not limiting it to ideology. Friends, after all, can have ideological differences to a certain degree. The two camps were always holding punches and trying not to kill each other - it's why Tony recruits Spiderman (strong, but powers used more for defensive than offensive measures), it's why Steve goes for the arc reactor instead of killing Tony. Ideology wouldn't have been enough to escalate the issue enough and make them kill each other.
Given this, it makes sense that things escalate the way they do. Tony holds his punches, wants to just take the other team in and talk to them as opposed to actually hurting them. It was the personal betrayal of the trust he'd given Steve throughout the film (and MCU, really) and the knowledge of how his parents died that pushes him to go in for the kill. This escalation comes earlier for Steve in the forms of Peggy dying and Bucky coming back. He had much more to fight for personally, and like he says, his trust has always been in individuals, and he's never been let down.
Steve does what he does for selfish reasons, but it is balanced by the fact that he never makes any decisions that end poorly. His objectively poor decisions are rewarded and vindicated by the narrative, thereby making them look retroactively like the right decisions. Tony does what he does for selfless reasons, but he is forced to take on the collective weight of everyone's actions. Nothing bad ever happens to Steve (and I mean personally bad for him, not something he doesn't really mind like being labeled a criminal), and Tony is continuously beaten up and given the (arguably) stronger emotional arc. Tony is actually really given the deeper arc and more holistic character development in this film more than any other character, if you think about it - a smart way of keeping the audience, especially the comic book-reading audience who are probably mostly against Tony at this point, from vilifying him.
This is the external balance, the push and pull, that allows the viewer to be torn while watching the film, and, in my opinion, ultimately what makes it successful.
Bea's Feelings Corner
aka these weren't necessarily problems with the film itself, its content, or its structure, it's just that I personally hated these creative decisions and need to vent. Hahaha. Let's get this out there so you know how I really feel when we get to the more "objective" stuff.
Tony being beaten up/Steve facing no consequences. Tony really got unnecessarily (I think??) beaten up in this movie. Like I said, this was a necessary evil to allow the viewer to sympathize with him and avoid vilifying him. I think they went overboard though, and it just ended up seeming like he's unlucky and/or paying some extreme karmic debt. His decisions are never rewarded by the narrative.
On one hand, Steve makes stupid decision after stupid decision and everything turns out well for him in the end. He is objectively, for the viewer, doing something selfish, but this never really seems like something he struggles with. Really, he doesn't seem to struggle with much of anything. The writers seemed to work extremely hard to make the viewers feel like, despite his selfishness, Steve is still somehow doing what is Right and Just.
His desire to protect Bucky coincides with his anti-Accords beliefs, thereby preempting any possible development that could come from that struggle. His supposed moral gray area of protecting Bucky is absolved by having Bucky be framed/brainwashed while doing what he did. His bullheadedness about the Accords is taken down a notch when he offers a truce if given safeguards, and instead of almost killing Tony, he depowers his suit. He's even afforded the convenience of sending Tony a love letter to apologize for what he did and come out looking like the bigger man who ultimately saves the day.
Same.
On the other hand, Tony makes calculated decisions based on guilt. He's making the hard choices, having the conversation nobody wants to have. His is, and has always been, an arc of redemption, but it's never an arc that ends well, despite his best efforts. As is the case with most Marvel Universes, Tony ends up taking on all the consequences by himself. Tony Stark, Official Scapegoat of the Marvel Universe (tm).
He tries to give his money away "to ease my guilt," and ends up getting directly blamed by the mother of a victim. He blows up all his suits and hard work for the love of his life, and now they're on a break. He gives a suit to protect his best friend, recruits him into his super secret boyband, and his best friend gets paralyzed. He tries so hard to keep the team together, to explain that this is inevitable and if they go in early they can control it better, but it ends up blowing up in his face, with his team verbally berating him and telling him to his face that he has stabbed them in the back. And finally, when he figures out that he has made a mistake about Bucky, he (as always) tries to rectify it, makes the sacrifice play (are you listening, Steve?) and goes to Siberia alone to make amends. And what happens? He finds out his newest ally murdered his family, and the guy he has trusted, his team leader, the guy he grew up resenting but never doubting the goodness of, betrayed him by not telling him about it. Oh, and let's not forget, he's double teamed by two super soldiers, left bleeding and alone on the ground, and is told by his team leader that the team he has worked so hard to keep on the right track isn't worth it anymore. Steve just throws that shield at Tony's face. Christ.
I didn't need my heart today anyway.
Was all this necessary? I can't tell you. But I will tell you that I hated it a lot. Give me something, writers. Just a smidgen of happiness for Tony, even just a small bit. :(
Steve's Condescending Love Letter. This will also feature in the What Didn't Work phase of this review, but I just want to acknowledge that I 100% feel this was an amicable divorce letter and Steve's giving Tony custody of their children. BE A RESPONSIBLE PARENT, STEVE. Jeez.
Natasha flipping. Okay. It's not so much Natasha flipping (I love her and Steve's friendship so much, you don't even know) - I get it. She doesn't want him to be alone. It's what she does after that I personally disagree with. She goes to Tony and basically tells him off for doing what he did. What even? First of all, Natasha, if you still think it's ego that's motivating Tony about the Accords at this particular point, you have missed literally his whole character arc because how can you think it's ego? It's guilt, it's desire to keep the Avengers together, it's wanting to bring Team Cap in so they could negotiate because in case you've forgotten, Steve basically went rogue after that thing in Vienna. The world is watching. Tony's trying to do damage control, trying to show the world that Steve isn't dangerous, and trying to make the team continue to be functional. He offered for Bucky to be put in psychiatric care instead of being jailed for multiple murders for goodness' sake. And that legitimately makes a case for how important the Accords are. What was Natasha's goal here, even? Was she trying to make Tony step down? And then what? Steve wins, and governments across the world will just have to deal with the Avengers going rogue and being treated like criminals? WHAT IS THE GOAL.
I understand that Natasha is a character in the universe, and so she doesn't necessarily see all these factors, but as a creative decision, I hated this because the audience will 100% side with Natasha because she is the Voice of Logic here, and Tony's just there being quiet and defeated. Ugh.
What Didn't Work
Okay, less feelings and more film-based opinions now, haha.
Steve. (I can't believe I forgot to put this in my original draft, lol.) Anyway, the title, as we all know
Given how the writers worked so hard to absolve him of any guilt, his scene in the jet with Bucky going to Siberia would have been the best time to insert some form of emotionality for him. I mean, I get they're in the middle of a mission here, and I'm not looking for them to suddenly just declare their undying love for one another, but give me something that isn't Steve being frugal with his words. This is his best friend who just came back from the dead. They were friends even when Steve was a little guy who couldn't help but run his mouth. This was the guy who helped him through his mom's death, and he can't even answer when Bucky asks he if he's really worth all this? Yikes.
The summary of the problem here seems to be that Cap is the good guy with selfish motivations in this film. To keep the audience from being pissed at him, they reward his actions with good results, but end up sacrificing the emotional journey getting there. So you're left with a Steve who wants to protect his Bucky, will stop at nothing to protect him, is able to protect him, but doesn't seem to feel anything about it.
Scott/Clint. I feel these two were there to kind of just balance the scales. Bucky and Sam were always going to be on Team Cap out of sheer loyalty, but Scott and Clint were a hard sell. Why would Scott, having had his daughter back and his name cleared, risk it all and go to battle for a guy he's only just met? A guy he's a fan of, sure, but to literally risk everything for him, when he was reluctant to even burgle Hank Pym to get money for his daughter? Why would Clint, when he was retired? "Because everything went to shit," yes, but why Team Cap? He's worked in SHIELD before, knows the importance of a larger organizing body with its own agenda. It's not that it's impossible for there to be a reason, but why didn't they say anything?
Wanda. Wanda as Team Cap was also a hard sell. For a person who's obviously incredibly guilty about what she's done and has experienced first hand the problem of random superheroing (and as someone who was literally actively against it in AoU!), why was she suddenly Team Cap? If there's anyone on the team who can understand the painful need and reality for the Accords, it's Wanda. Her decision to join Team Cap was highly reactive, not really because she believes in the cause.
Romance. The MCU does many things well, but introducing romance organically is not one of them. With the exception of Steve/Peggy and Tony/Pepper (and arguably Thor/Jane), they have not been good with the romance area. Don't get me wrong, I love Wanda/Vision, and that's really cool and all, but if it weren't in the comics, that would have been really out of left field.
Peggy dying. Still about romance, Steve/Sharon was introduced marginally better (my personal squick about Steve keeping it in the family aside), but I feel Steve didn't spend enough time mourning Peggy. The whole event just seemed like a plot device to re-introduce Sharon and make Steve more anti-Accords - which it was, but it was also a chance to get in some emotional arcs for Steve. It's Captain America: Civil War after all. And considering Peggy was someone who was at the center of his deepest, darkest thoughts which were shown in AoU, this sure is some superficial grieving.
Zemo's "plan." Zemo's story was he lost his family in the Sokovia incident (which canonically happened six months before this movie), so he hated the Avengers. He knew he has to turn them against each other, and his plan was to red herring them into thinking he'd use the other Winter Soldiers and then... showing Tony that Bucky killed his parents.
What?
This is a stupid plan because it relies on so many other uncontrollable variables.
- What if Steve had told Tony about Bucky killing his parents before? No more emotional impact from the video. Tony would shrug it off and kick Zemo's ass with Steve and Bucky.
- What if Bucky hadn't remembered about the Siberia thing and couldn't tell Steve where Zemo was? Zemo would just be in Siberia with a bunch of dead super soldiers.
- I understand using Bucky as the last straw between Steve and Tony, but was there not a simpler way to draw the three of them out and then show the video of the murder?
Not a great plan.
Ending. SIGH. Okay. Structurally, this was too convenient. You can't show us Tony bleeding on the ground in one shot, being left behind by Steve, who rubs the proverbial salt into the numerous gaping wounds by saying Bucky means more to him than the Avengers, and go into the next one with Steve saying he "understands" Tony, or implies that he forgives him because "you just did what you thought was right, and that's all any of us can do." It's too convenient, too neat, and affords no emotional closure for the shitshow that just went down. Rhodey got paralyzed, Steve. You realize that is retroactively your fault, yes?
Here's the thing. Like I said, I hate that Steve faces no consequences. He didn't face consequences the whole movie and now he's being given the chance to just get the last word again and look like the bigger man. He sounds vaguely condescending and patronizing in his love letter. The "btw, sorry 'bout not telling you 'bout the thing with your parents. You know how it is." doesn't help either. :| That's not how it works, Steve!! You screwed up so much and you don't feel anything about it!
Also, "The Avengers are yours, more so than mine." Okay, you realize they all literally hate Tony's guts right now, correct? You also realize that by doing this, you not only lied to Bucky in saying that you'll "handle" whatever happens to your friends, but you also, ONCE AGAIN, leave Tony to face the consequences of your actions. What the actual?!?!?! I know I'm supposed to be level-headed here, but there's a reason this was also up there in my Feelings Corner. COME ON, STEVE. Not even his "I'll be there when you need me" bs soothed my furious heart.
TBH!! (He really was saying this about himself haha.)
I like to think that an alternate post-credits scene was them getting out of the Raft and, in the style of Finding Nemo's ending, going, "Now what?"
What Worked
LET'S BE HAPPY AGAIN. I feel strongly about my issues against this movie (obviously, haha), but I did like this movie, guys. And I actually enjoyed a lot of the parts, much as it may seem otherwise.
Adaptation of conflicts from comic to movie. I feel I should defend that the movie focused less on the ideological civil war (aka the Accords) and more on personal issues. I initially hated this decision because the Accords were the one thing, for me, that made Tony sympathetic and what made me side with Team Iron Man. I have realized now that 1) they made Tony sympathetic in about a hundred more ways, and 2) sole focus on the ideology wouldn't have led to a (believable) out-and-out war.
In the comics, because of the sheer scope of characters involved, it made sense to focus on the ideological war and how it caused personal rifts. Focusing on personal wars would have been incredibly messy and would have just muddled up an otherwise great ideological conflict. In the movie, however, that wouldn't have made sense, partly because there would not have been many personal relationships to put a rift in, and partly because the characters in the MCU aren't built as they were in the comics - they're not the kind of people who would go to war or would purposely hurt/kill each other over documents, especially ones that are not as oppressive as the ones in the comics and can still be amended.
Like I said, the decision to focus on personal issues allowed things to escalate the way they did. It made the stakes higher. Had they stuck with an ideological battle, we would have been realistically left with a bunch of people fighting in the conference room and a bunch of PowerPoint Presentations. Now, I would pay good money to watch this version of the movie, but I'm pretty sure most of the movie-going public would not.
ROBERT DOWNEY JR. Okay, honestly? I'm so thankful RDJ is playing Tony Stark because I firmly believe no one else can make him as sympathetic a character as RDJ can and did. His eyes are so freaking sad and emotional at any given moment, you can't help but feel bad for him. What's more is that it never felt like Tony was suddenly randomly emotional, which is a feat considering we only really saw his quippy, narcissistic, charismatic side before. It felt properly built up, and he was somehow able to show how Tony struggles between the emotional shields he's put up, and being unable to help his emotions in the end. This was a side to Tony I have never really seen onscreen, and I'm so happy it exists now. My particular favorite was that scene where Natasha asks Tony if he's okay (post-Vienna), and Tony says, "Yeah, always," despite the screw ups happening in every aspect of his life. Tony. HNNNG. Thank you.
T'Challa. Beautifully cast (heh) and wonderfully introduced. I try to avoid comparisons, but this with T'Challa and Spidey is how you introduce new characters to a universe, DC. There's actual reason for them to be there. They could have introduced Wakanda more seamlessly had they referenced whole Hulkbuster/Hulk fight in AoU, but this worked pretty well too. I haven't read the Black Panther comics, so I don't know how accurate T'Challa is, but he's presented throughout the movie in a very solid, well-rounded way. That kind of depth is pretty hard to achieve given the scope of the cast and conflict!
Spiderman/Spiderman's Recruitment Scene. YES. Oh my god. This was one of the brightest spots in the movie for me, because yes to a teenage Peter Parker who is quippy and awkward and laughs in the face of intimidating/life threatening situations. This Peter captured the spirit of the comic book Spidey so well! It was really during the airport fight where he shone the most and I found myself at one point thinking, "Damn, this really feels like a comic book adapted right into a movie." So great.
In addition, I liked how he was introduced into the MCU, via Tony. I could literally watch a whole movie of Steve and Tony being like they are in the Avengers World arc, just going around recruiting people and trying to organize the best roster of Avengers they can have (minus the whole... Tony having screwed up Steve's memories. ANYWAY.). This is also one of the reasons I liked X-Men: First Class so much!
I liked the recruitment scene for two reasons: what it said about Peter, and what it said about Tony. For Peter, I first of all appreciated that they basically wrapped up the whole origin story in 5 minutes. They rephrased that "with great power comes great responsibility" line well, and it sounded more believable coming from a teenager's mouth. I also appreciated the dynamic of him telling Tony, "When you can do what I do and you don't do anything with it, and the bad things start happening, that's all on you," because that is pretty much Tony's whole story arc. And you can see the look on Tony's face, like he's jealous this kid figured it out so early and it took Afghanistan to get him to understand that... man. Good stuff.
His recruitment of Peter also meant, like I said, that he looked for a guy who's strong enough to use against the other team, but one whose powers aren't necessarily offensive. His goal was to disarm and take them in, not to hurt them - and that's why Spiderman was pretty good for the job. Even his instructions to Peter, "Keep your distance, web them up," are entirely non-offensive.
Bucky and the Bucky/Sam dynamic. Honestly they could've gone many different ways with Bucky, and some might find his (lack of) transition between Serious Winter Soldier to Lovable Fratboy jarring, but I found it really endearing ♥ I loved Bucky a lot throughout this movie, from the minute we see him casually buying fruit even up to how he reacts to Tony finding out he murdered his parents. Agh. Sebastian Stan plays up the puppy dog card really well, especially in scenes where he's being brainwashed and you just can't help but be all "!!!! ARE YOU OK" at him. So good. If there's anything that helped keep my (obvious, at this point) dislike for Steve at bay, it is 1) Chris Evans' face because let's be real here, and 2) the fact that he's fighting for Bucky Barnes. Haha.
Bucky and Sam had the best interactions of the movie, from their "Can you move your seat up?" moment in the getaway car up to the "I hate you" while fighting Spidey. Yes to all these things.
OH, I should add that I know people (by people, I mean Steve/Bucky shippers) are going to be mad at Bucky's decision to cryo himself again. Basically, every fanfic you guys will write from now on will have to be tagged "Canon Divergence." But I thought it was actually a good thing because 1) it shows us that Bucky really does have a heart of gold, and is much less single-minded than Steve about what he's done and the repercussions of having him around, and 2) he makes the choice himself. That's the exact opposite of what he knows from Hydra. This is Bucky taking control of his life, making the hard decisions. I mean, it's a bit weird that Steve doesn't even put up a token protest (after all, he spent literally the whole movie putting his reputation, career, and life on the line for him), but it can still be construed as Steve supporting Bucky's decision, so you know. I wish we could've seen more Steve/T'Challa interactions though! Their first words to each other are oddly reminiscent of his and Tony's, haha.
Conference Room Scene and Dining Room Scene aka arguing the Accords scenes. I loved these scenes a lot because they were able to really capture the idea behind the arguments for and against the Accords, and both sides are presented with equal amounts of logic. Though the movie isn't really about the Accords, I thought these scenes were important to figure out main motives driving, in particular, Team Iron Man.
Fight Scenes. I mean, do I even have to explain this? The fight scenes were gritty, grounded, and generally great (I worked hard for that alliteration yo). I also loved that they were always character-driven, which is what I'm always looking for in movies that aren't primarily action ones. Fight scenes were injected with the characters' personality and what they were fighting for. My favorite moments in no particular order:
- Wanda just goes ahead and floats old Cap-Ball into the building "just like we practiced"
- Cap's double-foot kick thing (I KNOW FIGHT TERMS)
- Natasha pulverizing people in the center for disease scene damn
- Black Panther/Bucky fight in Vienna!!!! BUCKY RIDING THE MOTORCYCLE holy crepes
- Literally the whole airport scene but especially: Giant Man and his subsequent beating via Star Wars references, Spidey vs SamBucky ("Everyone's got a gimmick now!"), ANT-MAN ON CLINT'S ARROW, all my Clint/Natasha feelings, Vision coming in and tearing up the tarmac goddamn, THE SCENE WHERE THEY'RE RUNNING AT EACH OTHER ALL ASSEMBLED like okay it breaks my heart but also damn this is a cool thing we are witnessing right now
- That's it, nothing beyond this that warrants my attention. The list ends here.
Okay that scene with Bucky/Cap double-teaming Tony would have been cool if it was literally anyone else they were teaming up against. As it was, I could not watch this scene beyond my first time seeing it.
Assorted things I liked. I didn't know where else to put them, so here:
- Chris Evans's biceps, man. What the hell. Unreal. He busted his left elbow in this helicopter scene, but damn was it worth it.
"... ay, #TeamCap na pala ako..." (me, during this scene)
RDJ doesn't care, Chris.
- Jim Rash!!! Dean Pelton's finally in an Ivy League school!
- Was that Joe Russo as the dead psychiatrist in the tub? If so, well-played.
- I did not know Wanda got her powers from the infinity stone, but it makes sense. I like this.
- The Jameses, Rhodes and Buchanan Barnes, are of Pure Heart and Spirit. (Bucky is arguable, but I really liked him after this movie, okay.)
- Scott Lang as the audience's representation in the universe is gold. Industry, take note.
THAT'S IT. My god, this took me a literal week to finish writing. Honestly, though I'm still mixed about this movie, I see why people are saying it's the "best Marvel movie ever!!" It's not characteristic of its genre (well, it's not cliche anyway), it made its characters well-rounded and it didn't rely solely on technical things and visual effects. It was a good story, plain and simple, and it presented a pretty complicated conflict well. And because it's been building up for eight years, they could focus on where the characters are at now and you can easily buy it, as opposed to having to set their characters up and then develop them all in one go.
This movie was as painful as I expected it to be (actually, it was even more painful even with my bloated expectations of pain), and I think I hated it the first time I watched it more out of visceral emotion rather than crappy movie-making, because objectively, it was a great movie. It's why I've seen it twice (and probably twice more this week) despite myself.
I do recognize that a lot of my problems with the movie stem from the fact that I am incredibly emotionally invested in it and the fandom - and, in particular, in Tony Stark. Civil War is the arc that, despite itself, solidified a lot of my feelings regarding Steve and Tony. The fact that I watched it the first time and (because of my unconscious bearing of fandom's collective Tony hate) felt #TeamCap was right because of the endless vindication they got for their (stupid) decisions, and watched it the second time wondering how anyone could still be #TeamCap after the movie, shows how just how well they were able to balance the two sides.
I don't usually do this, but I've been looking up fan reactions online, both on Facebook and Tumblr, as well as talking to my friends who've watched it. Almost everyone, no matter what team they were before watching the movie, came out rooting for Tony without hating Steve. I think it would take someone with severe bias against Tony not feel for him in this movie, and if you come out of a Captain America movie sympathizing with the other side, that's already a feat in and of itself.
And with this, finally, I confirm with myself that I was 100% right in saying the title should've been Marvel Civil War. From me to Marvel Studios: called it! Hahahaha.
If you're still here and you actually read all of that, I feel you deserve a reward in the form of Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr being endlessly affectionate with each other.
(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:・ﾟ✧
Post a Comment