Update: Nikita's review made it to review of the week on the Into Film website. Well done!
Reviewed by Nikita (A2 Media)
Although the title claims Civil War is a Captain America film, it is really another Avengers film. The large starring cast helps keep the film fresh and funny but it also means that Captain America's personal story line (his relationship with Bucky, and with his girlfriend from back then Peggy Carter) is almost entirely sidelined. This is also especially disappointing as it is the end of Cap's trilogy. If you were looking for a film about Captain America, you're not going to find it here.The film starts with half of the Avengers on a mission that leaves an apparently large amount of civilians dead. Although nobody has cared about this before, this particular incident is enough for the government to step in and try to rein the Avengers in through the Accords, a contract that means that the Avengers' every move as superheros will be controlled by a panel of strangers. Tony Stark, feeling fresh guilt over the death of a teenager, agrees to sign it, saying that they need to be controlled. Steve Rogers notes that governments have agencies and agencies can change. It's a very interesting debate but unfortunately, the film doesn't actually spend much time on this. Instead the plot really revolves around Sebastian Stan's Bucky/The Winter Soldier - except it doesn't. Very quickly, the action is reduced to childlike arguments; they fight for the sake of fighting.
The budget for Civil War is huge and it's clear where they've spent it. The film is packed with very impressive fight scenes (and one even more impressive scene with a young Robert Downey Jr.). While the fight scenes add little for the amount they're on screen, they are very entertaining. Oddly enough, the big fight with all of the Avengers is hilarious. That's right - hilarious. Anthony Mackie, as Sam Wilson, has witty one-liners throughout the film whilst Paul Rudd's maniacal Ant Man and Tom Holland's first appearance as wisecracking Spider Man truly elevate the fight scene in terms of humour. Their short stint in the film is also perhaps the ideal length for a superhero to appear in another superhero's film.
The truly annoying thing about this film is the potential it had as a solo Captain America movie and how entertaining it was despite that. Am I still annoyed at the lack of focus on Captain America? Of course. Is it still funny and worth your money? Unfortunately so.
