Other than Star Wars, nothing gets me more excited than the Marvel Cinematic Universe. I knew that having a baby would impact my ability to see movies in the theater. I enjoy seeing movies in the theater, but honestly I wasn’t that concerned about missing too many movies. It just happened to be, though, that the first movie to hit theaters after the birth of our daughter was one that I didn’t want to miss.
Thankfully my wife is awesome and she let me out of the house to see Captain America: Civil War. I had done a good job of avoiding spoilers so I pretty much went into the theater with a clean slate. I loved the movie and can’t wait to see it again when it comes out on Blu-ray. I’m not entirely sure how it ranks among all the other MCU movies, but it’s near the top.
Here are some other spoiler-free thoughts I had while watching Captain America: Civil War.
Relationships
Civil War is so effective because of the relationships among all the characters. At the forefront is the relationship between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. We’ve seen these characters over the course of years, interacting with each other and building relationships. When those relationships are strained because of the Sokovia Accords, we feel the tension as well. Tony, Steve and all the other Avengers are heroes that we’ve rooted for; it’s hard to choose a side. The movie really exploits this tension and sits in it, instead of clearly defining who is right and who is wrong.
History
Beyond the relationships among the Avengers, Civil War really focuses on the relationship between Steve and Bucky. There’s nothing like old friendships that have years’ worth of history. I’ve known so many of my friends for nearly two decades; there’s something truly special about having that kind of foundation. Steve and Bucky had that same kind of foundation, which meant so much for them. In a world of super villains, evil organizations and hero infighting, Steve and Bucky could fall back on their friendship. We may never end up in an epic battle at a German airport, but we’ll still need solid friendships with a rich history when we go through difficult seasons.
New Characters
One of the best parts of Civil War was the inclusion of new characters and less seen characters. Chadwick Boseman absolutely nailed his portrayal of T’Challa and everything Black Panther did made my jaw drop. Scott Lang’s inclusion also added a tremendous element to the fray as someone who was just happy to be along for the ride. More than any other new character, though, Peter Parker/Spider-Man stole the show. Tom Holland is Peter Parker and Spidey’s action and abilities were captured exquisitely by the Russo brothers. Marvel knows its characters better than anyone else and it displayed that knowledge with Spider-Man’s introduction to the MCU.
Captain America: Civil War was both a huge spectacle and personal tale. Parts of it definitely felt like Avengers 2.5, but it was also much more than that. If you’re a fan of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then I can’t see how you wouldn’t enjoy this movie. If you’d like a more spoiler-filled discussion of the movie, check out this week’s episode of The Christian Nerd Podcast.
What did you think of Captain America: Civil War?
Respectfully, i don’t think “Civil War” *was* much more than “Avengers 2.5.” It certainly lacked any of the gravitas that accompanied the first two Captain America films. This felt like Marvel fast-tracking “Avengers 3.” Very little fun to be had, apart from the superhero brawl at the airport (which was great). But apart from Cap, Iron Man, Black Panther, and Spidey, all the characters were interchangeable ciphers. Black Widow was totally a non-presence, which is inexcusable. And given the fact that we see the Avengers going to great pains to rescue innocents in their previous films — *especially* in Sokovia — I didn’t buy the conceit that grief over one lost life would galvanize Tony into agreeing to oversight (even if that dead man’s mother is Angela Bassett – it was, wasn’t it)?
I didn’t hate the film, I will watch it again on DVD… but I was expecting something a lot more epic and intelligent, given all the buzz it’s been getting. I think this is one case the hype for an MCU film is not justified.
We can agree to disagree, even if you’re wrong. 😉
I don’t think that it lacked emotional weight and gravitas because of the relationships among the characters, especially Steve/Tony and Steve/Bucky. This is the product of all the others movies; when we see friends fighting we’re engaged because we want to side with both. So while there wasn’t as much weight of the world ending as in Cap 1 and 2, there was a tremendous amount of emotional weight.
And I feel completely opposite about Tony agreeing to the Sokovia Accords over a few small interactions. Eight years of Tony Stark in the MCU have shown us that he is impulsive and will act quickly, often without thinking about the consequences. He revealed that he was Iron Man on a whim, and created Ultron and Vision impulsively. In a moment of emotional vulnerability brought on my thoughts of his parents and his broken relationship with Pepper, I can totally see him jumping on board with the Sokovia Accords after one interaction with Alfre Woodard, not Angela Bassett.
I left the theater after this one with mixed emotions. I went in on Team Iron Man and left unchanged. It feels like the Empire Strikes Back of Marvel in the sense that our favorite character’s relationships were the focus amidst eye-catching spectacle, but, in the end, the good guys (the Avengers as a whole) lost. Can’t wait for Homecoming.
Oh yeah, and I ended up going to the movies alone for this one after my kids and wife went to sleep. Welcome to fatherhood 🙂