Captain America: Civil War (2016) Movie Review

Synopsis:

After the Battle of Sokovia’s aftermath, the Avengers continued to respond to immediate threats around the globe. After one mission led to collateral damage, the government installed The Sokovia Accords to account for their actions. This leads to disagreements between team members. As a result, this divides Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Captain America (Chris Evans).

Review:

The Russo Brothers followed up Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) with their next entry.

Captain America: Civil War acts as a direct continuation of Steve Rogers's story.

It sees the return of several Avengers-related characters. It also introduces some new characters as well.

Several return appearances in this film include Iron Man, War Machine, and Falcon. Civil War also reintroduces Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan).

Civil War also welcomes back Wanda Maximoff and Vision from Avengers: Age of Ultron.

Jeremy Renner also makes a brief return as Hawkeye, with a few more unique trick arrows in his quiver.

Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen do well with the material they have. Despite this, their interactions remain the least interesting points of the film.

These issues are also applicable to the Civil War’s main antagonist, Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl).

As a character, Zemo has an understandable motive. Despite this, much of it involves enacting plans based on sheer luck.

A negative impact on this film’s pacing also occurs because of this.

With so many characters to juggle all at once, the Russo brothers had a difficult task.

What is fortunate is that most, if not all, characters get their standout moments. This includes the action sequences and the dialogue between them.

Each of this film's action sequences also has a distinct style. They also depend on the type of character who's involved in them.

As an example, Captain America ricochets his shield, and Falcon relies on aerial combat. Also, Ant-Man utilizes unpredictable shrinking abilities.

Scarlett Johansson also carries over her martial arts abilities as Black Widow. These are also translated well with Civil War's new characters.

These are Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman).

This film was Spider-Man's first live-action debut in the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe).

Taking that into account, Spider-Man had to leave an impression.

On a positive note, Tom Holland brings a youthful energy and liveliness to the character. This is best shown in the airport action sequence.

As a whole, Tom's Spider-Man doesn't have a major impact on this movie’s story. Despite this, his appearance is still very much appreciated.

In contrast to Spider-Man, Chadwick Boseman’s T’Challa plays an integral role in Civil War’s plot. Boseman excels at bringing Black Panther to life.

Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans also give noteworthy performances. As a result, it draws the audience further into their conflict.

There are, in fact, several instances where Iron Man’s story eclipses that of Captain America.

Regardless, each character is at their best in this movie. This also includes some tense moments between them.

Whilst the film does have its fair share of strengths, it is not without its weaknesses. As a whole, each action sequence in Civil War is distinct.

Despite this, they falter due to inconsistent visuals and their fast-paced editing style.

This can often lead to some action sequences being difficult to comprehend.

Some of this film’s visuals have a distinct level of realism, while others are plastic-looking.

As an example, Iron Man or War Machine’s suits of armor, on occasion, resemble a video game. These are minor issues, as most of Civil War’s visuals are good.

Conclusion:

As a whole, Captain America: Civil War is a satisfying conclusion to this trilogy of films.

It contains well-realized motivations (for most characters) and engaging action scenes.

This film isn't as intriguing or consistent in quality as The Winter Soldier.

Despite this, Captain America: Civil War is an enjoyable addition to the MCU.

Sam’s Action Reaction score:

Characters - 8/10

Story - 7.5/10

Action - 8/10

CGI and visuals - 7/10

Soundtrack - 7.5/10

Overall score: 7.6 out of 10