Monday, September 26, 2016

Movie Review - Captain America: Civil War

by Varun
@movieman994 

Captain America: Civil War
Director- Anthony and Joe Russo 
Star Cast- Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Robert Downey Jr, Scarlet Johansson 
Rating- 4.25/5 


Civil War is the third installment in the Captain America movie series, the twelfth movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and the first of their Third Phase.

Right off the bat Civil War has upped an already high comic book movie game. The plot is the most widespread of any MCU Movie to date; there are two major conflicts that get the ball rolling along with four more subplots that grab your attention from the very first second till the end credits start rolling.

The movie involves 12 different superheroes divided into 2 teams of six. Unlike their rivals DC Comics' film Batman v Superman, which had three superheroes and set the plot for three more, none of the Civil War heroes felt forced into the movie. Each character had his/her valid motive and reason to be in the fight against each other.

With a plot so complicated, one of the toughest tasks to make sure the movie doesn't confuse its viewers is to have the right script. Civil War's script excels with flying colours. The script has good dialogue that packs in a fine blend of comedy, and the tongue-in-cheek one-liners have also improved since Age of Ultron. Each character phrases their perspective in their own style, especially the character of Black Panther played brilliantly by Chadwick Boseman. His dialogue is that of a prince from an African kingdom; there is a scene between him and Captain America right after he is first introduced that makes you straight up applaud him. Spider-man's dialogue is the best the hero has had in all six films he has appeared in. Tom Holland nails the young adult act, and it feels like he is a kid amongst grown men.

The film also excels in action choreography; it resembles The Winter Soldier in its fight scenes rather than The Avengers, which is good. The set pieces from Lagos to the airport to a space station launch site are all brilliant choices as they allow the heroes to make the most use of their environment in each setting (Especially the Captain's shield, which was utilized in new and unique ways).

The editing is spot on, in fact you wish that they would've added scenes because all the interactions amongst the characters are really fun to watch.

With all its pros the film does have cons, although just minor ones - one of these is the background score. Other than the music played during the airport scene right before the teams clash, no other songs made any impact. A tighter score such as Hans Zimmer's in The Dark Knight or Ennio Morriocone's in The Hateful Eight would have made the film more impactful.

Another con is the cinematography, all the film's settings are too average, for example the prison facility looks exactly how one would imagine a facility would look. There isn't anything extraordinary such as the elevator from Winter Soldier or the helicarrier in The Avengers.

But these are mere nitpicks when it comes to a movie of this stature; the Russos have proven yet again that their comic book ideology works on film, and brilliantly at that. Civil War is a must-watch for a Marvel fan, a DC fan, or just an average action movie fan. Best 2016 summer blockbuster hands down.


Nomination Chances

There is a medium-high chance for a Visual effects nomination, at the next academy awards. Although I wouldn't be unhappy if it isn't nominated.

Nomination scale:
Low-Medium-High, anything that has just high chances and isn't nominated makes me unhappy.


What the ratings mean:
0.5-1.5: Why was this movie even made?
1.75-2.5: A few good scenes, nothing memorable, disappointed me.
2.75-3.25: The movie did exactly what was expected of it, didn't add anything, but at least  it didn't fail.
3.5-4.25: The movie exceeded expectations and will help you look intellectual at discussions with friends.
4.5-5 Instant legend, this movie should be Oscar-nominated at least.

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