Captain America: Civil War - Are the Avengers breaking up?

Captain America: Civil War (2016) Starring Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd, Emily VanCamp, Tom Holland, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, Daniel Brühl. Directed by Anthony Russo, Joe Russo. Screenplay by Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely. Based on Captain America created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Produced by Kevin Feige. Color. U.S.A. Run Time 147. Action, Adventure, Fantasy

In the ever-continuing and ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), no summer season would be complete without a new installment. This year’s entry comes under the Captain America (Chris Evans) sub-heading of the franchise, but it is in fact all but a reunion of the full Avengers; the only ones missing are The Hulk and Thor, which are more nice-to-haves than required for a quorum. In their stead are three “new” Avengers, the recently introduced Ant-Man (Paul Rudd), the oft rebooted Spider-Man (Tom Holland) and the soon to have his own film, Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman).

The story takes place a year after the events of Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), in which the city of Sokovia was left as a pile of rubble and there were scores of deaths. The final straw comes when some innocents are killed in Lagos, Nigeria during an Avengers operation. The world has suddenly had enough and has proposed regulating the Avengers by having them overseen by a United Nations committee. Vengeance against and regulation of super-powers is as old as The Watchmen graphic novel and was also previously addressed in the kid friendly version of Watchmen, The Incredibles (2004). So the film doesn’t really break new ground here. In any situation, some will follow the law, while others will not.

When U.S. Secretary of State Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (William Hunt) informs them of this new law, it divides the Avengers. On one side is Tony Stark / Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), James "Rhodey" Rhodes / War Machine (Don Cheadle), Vision (Paul Bettany), Spider-Man and T'Challa / Black Panther. They support the law, though perhaps not willingly.

Team Iron Man includes Black Panther, Vision, Iron Man, Black Widow and War Machine.

The other side of the divide is led by Steve Rogers / Captain America with followers in Sam Wilson / Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Clint Barton / Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) and Scott Lang / Ant-Man. As a group they don’t want restrictions on when they act and worry that a committee might wait too long to call them up.

Team Captain America includes Falcon, Ant-Man, Hawkeye, Captain, Scarlet Witch and The Winter Soldier.

It is the relationship between Rogers and Barnes that drives the plot as Barnes is framed for a killing he didn’t commit and then, once captured, is turned back into the killing machine by Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl), a survivor of the destruction of Sokovia, who is seeking his own brand of vengeance.

Zemo manages to play the Avengers and the establishment like a fiddle as they act out just how he predicts they will, leading to several battles, pitting Avengers (and friends) against one another with more than pride getting bruised in the process.

There is also a lot of backstory involving Barnes as the Winter Soldier. What Stark finds out doesn’t help with either their working relationship nor Iron Man’s and Captain America's. Obviously, there will have to be some forgive and forget before the Avengers can all work together again as a cohesive group.

Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier's backstory plays prominently into the plot.

One of the problems in following a franchise like the MCU is trying to keep up with the barrage of characters that build up over time. Not only are there nearly a dozen or more super-heroes by now, there are the suddenly important supporting cast that you’re supposed to have kept track of all these years and films later. Ross as an example, first appeared as a Lt. General in The Incredible Hulk (2008). So if he seems familiar eight years later, he’s supposed to be. As is Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp) who first appeared in Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), but in that movie she was Agent 13 and got a little more screen time than Stan Lee. Now, she’s back as a mid-level anti-terrorist expert working for the UN. And now she’s gone from girl across the hall to possible love interest for the good Captain.

Also from Winter Soldier, welcome back Brock Runlow (Frank Grillo). If you don’t remember him then you’re not alone. He was one of several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who was a double agent for Hydra and one of several who attacked the Cap in an elevator at headquarters. Does that ring a bell? Well, he’s back, also seeking vengeance as Crossbones. But is it really revenge when you instigated the attack in the first place? Well, he’s not happy about getting his ass handed to him and having a building drop on his face, so he wants Captain America to suffer somehow. And like everyone who tries, he ultimately fails.

For any franchise to last, there has to be a mixture of the familiar and the new. The Avengers are no exception. Most of these characters, even the minor ones, have been the same actors throughout, so when you think of MCU Black Widow, you immediately think of Scarlett Johansson. For the franchise to continue, it needs to add new characters and situations. New character-wise, we get Black Panther, a newly crowned king turned superhero, played well by Chadwick Boseman, another actor with a relatively short list of credits. Still he’s a good addition to the cast and will get his own feature film in 2018. Hopefully we can all keep good mental notes of him until then.

When you think of MCU Black Widow, you think of Scarlett Johansson.

I think Sony has finally found a suitable replacement for Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man. Like several in the cast, Tom Holland might not have a long resume, but he seems to hold his own with the others, notably Downey’s Stark, with whom he shares the most screen time. His Aunt May also got a reboot and is now a younger and sexier Marisa Tomei.

The new Spider-Man (Tom Holland) makes an appearance and holds his own.

But characters are only a part of the formula. These films require action and there is a lot of action in this film. The action is surprisingly easy to follow and despite the obvious use of CGI, it never loses its sense of humor. Some of that goes with the territory of a MCU film, but one has to give a nod in the direction of the Russo brothers, who are directing their first superhero film. If this film is any indication, then Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (2018) and Part 2 (2019) are probably in pretty good hands. But I felt the same with Joss Whedon after the first Avengers film.

Having seen all the previous films, I’m not sure if that’s a help or a hindrance. I come into this with certain expectations, both good and bad, that someone who hasn’t seen them wouldn’t have. No film should require you to have seen another to make the story work. Certainly, you could watch Civil War without having seen Ant-Man, though there are subtleties you will miss.

Captain America: Civil War is an ensemble uptick after the somewhat disappointing Avengers: Age of Ultron. Maybe it has to do with resetting our expectations. Maybe it has to do with taking the overall storyline in a new direction so that it can regroup later. While I don’t think this is the greatest super-hero film of all time, it is definitely fairly high up there. But I must say I’m looking forward to the next chapter and isn’t that what a franchise is supposed to do, make you want to come back for more?

Second Opinion - Captain America: The First Avenger

To cap off building up to The Avengers, I have recently re-watched Captain America: The First Avenger, the (at the time of this writing) penultimate movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. When I first saw this movie in a theater, I did not see it in 3D due to my experience with Thor, but at the end I still found myself wanting to see it again. I have seen it again a couple times since its home video release, and each time I still found myself wanting more Captain America.

While I'm not too familiar with Captain America from the comics, I think they did a fantastic job telling the character's origin story before fast-forwarding to the present day. There's plenty of thrills, drama, and humor to go around to keep the viewer invested until the very end. Particular credit goes to Chris Evans as Steve Rogers/Captain America; when you see him on-screen, you get the sense that he wants to do good and protect people, even if he's short (at first) or has to sacrifice himself, which is why in the story he was made into a super soldier. Hugo Weaving also does a good job as the villain Red Skull, who wants to destroy anything in his path no matter what it takes, even if the one in his way is from his own country. That isn't to say the rest of the acting isn't good, since every named actor manages to deliver an amazing performance no matter what their role is.

One thing I enjoy about this movie is how they work in things about Captain America, though I only know them based on what I've read or heard. For instance, the movie manages to use his original costume in a way that it doesn't look silly (though it gets revamped later) and the very first issue of the comic makes an appearance, which, for the uninitiated, proudly displays Captain America punching Hitler in the face. There is also some clever foreshadowing employed at early points in the movie, mainly hinting at Steve Rogers obtaining his iconic shield and the identity of Red Skull. Seeing stuff like this is fun to watch, though I'm sure people much more familiar with the comics would enjoy them even more.

Having seen this movie multiple times, I can still say that Captain America: The First Avenger is an excellent comic book movie that should not be missed by anyone, especially if you plan on seeing The Avengers, for which the very first trailer is shown after the credits. If you own the Blu-ray of this movie, I would also suggest checking out a special feature, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor's Hammer. As with The Consultant on the Thor Blu-ray, it is a short feature that is definitely worth watching. Now hopefully I can avoid any spoilers before I get to see The Avengers this weekend.

2011 - The Highlights (EHeroFlareNeos)

With 2012 upon us, it's time to look forward to what we can enjoy in the new year. However, this is also the perfect time to look back at what releases made 2011 so great, as well as others that didn't quite hold up. Below is my list of the top movies, games and disappointments of the year (in no particular order), along with links to the reviews of each title on this blog for further reading.

Top Movies of 2011

Captain America: The First Avenger
Among Marvel Studio's run of contributions to comic book movies, Captain America is easily one of the best. With a great cast and a greater emphasis on the title hero's original time period, this film provides a great balance of action, comedy, and drama to stand as one which all Superhero movies should aspire to be. If other studios took notes from this, then the comic book movie would definitely blossom into a much more widespread and competent genre than it is now.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2
If you're like me and have read the Harry Potter series of books since you were a child, then you were no doubt looking forward to seeing this movie for years. As an adaptation and continuation, it sticks very closely to the book and yet manages to make the final fight against the powerful Voldemort even more of a spectacle worthy of cinema. It served as a fitting conclusion to the franchise, save for perhaps the epilogue, and I'm very happy to be able to say my final goodbye to the boy who lived.


Kung Fu Panda 2
As one of the few movies from Dreamworks Animation that feels worthy of being called a movie, Kung Fu Panda 2 shows just what the studio is capable of creating without stuffing a film with dated pop cultural references. In addition it stands as a great modern martial arts flick, with plenty of over the top action and lore to keep the action fan in you satisfied, combined with a great blend of humor and character development to leave you wanting more.


The Artist
As a black & white silent film, The Artist sticks out among every other movie released in the past few decades. When viewing it as a movie in general, it is a masterpiece of cinema that lets the audience learn not only what life was like for stars during the transition from silent films to talkies in the earlier days of Hollywood, but also that sometimes a movie doesn't need to be filled to the brim with special effects and sound to be enjoyable. It is one of the few films I have ever cried at as much as I did during one especially emotional scene and also one of the few that gave me time to actually care about what happened to the characters onscreen. I would encourage anyone interested in this era of film making to watch this masterful throwback to a time where less was more.

Top Video Games of 2011

Batman: Arkham City
For a studio with only two other games under their belt, it is very clear how passionate Rocksteady is about Batman. With an absolutely powerful script penned by Paul Dini, fantastic performances by Mark Hamill and Kevin Conroy, improved combat, and plenty of incentive to explore the titular city, Batman: Arkham City is a game that literally no one with a gaming system should pass up. For me personally, it stands as a great contender for the best video game I have ever played, though it is safe to say I feel that way regarding Superhero games in general.


Dead Space 2
While Dead Space 2 may reside in a genre I would normally avoid, it managed to build up the right atmosphere and tension to get me sucked into the action onscreen. Having to retrain yourself to shoot the limbs instead of the head also brings out the player's more tactical side in a great effort to stay alive in space. If more games like this and Bulletstorm existed to help introduce more variety in this fashion, then there would probably be more worthy single player campaigns out there for the FPS genre today.

Portal 2
While the original Portal was a very short game, it also provided plenty of entertainment to make repeat trips into Aperture Science enjoyable every single time. For the sequel, Valve Software managed not only to retain what made the first one fun, they made the overall experience even better. From expert integration of Cross-console Co-op to wildly fun new game mechanics, there is hardly anything this game gets wrong.

Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception
As action games continue to set the bar in video games, the Uncharted franchise will continue to vault over it. Drake's Deception not only defines what is possible to display on PS3, but also sets a new limit on how many setpiece moments you can put in a game without taking away from an outstanding plot and characters. While at least one mechanic hiccups despite improvements to combat, there is a lot to like about Uncharted 3 for PS3 owners, even if the series is just starting to feel a little formulaic at its core.

Top Disappointments of 2011

Cars 2
Right off the heels of Toy Story 3, Cars 2 is a perfect example of what happens when you make a sequel with the sole purpose of selling more merchandise. This movie is not only a drastic drop in quality from most of Pixar's earlier works, it takes a swan dive through every spy movie cliche imaginable and heads straight toward the number in the title. Hopefully their next project, Brave, will restore faith in Pixar enough to help audiences pretend this one never existed.

Green Lantern
While I hadn't been looking forward to this film as much as I did the ones coming out from Marvel Studios, I at least wanted to see if Warner Bros. could help satiate my interest in Superhero movies in between releases. Unfortunately, the overemphasis on loud visuals and constant exposition seemed to really make this the blackest night for its genre in 2011.

Assassin's Creed: Revelations
I wanted to like Assassin's Creed: Revelations after my buildup of playing every other game, really I did. But when you take the increased emphasis on Multiplayer, abysmally incorporated Den Defense, and zero incentive to take advantage of bomb crafting into account, it creates a game that, while more enjoyable than Brotherhood, almost looks like a mess when you look at the big picture. With 2012 comes a new protagonist to the Assassin's Creed franchise, and hopefully one whose story isn't nearly forgotten in the pursuit of attracting the multiplayer crowd.

2011 – The Highlights (lionsroar)

Best Films of 2011

In no particular order:

THE ARTIST
While this is in some ways a novelty: a modern black and white silent film shot in the 1.33 aspect, this is really a very good movie. Set in Hollywood at the time silent films gave way to sound, it tells the story of two stars whose paths cross, as one goes to the top of the heap and the other falls into obscurity.

HUGO
Based on an award winning book, the film tells the story of an orphaned boy left on his own in a major Parisian railway station, who is obsessed with fixing an automaton that his father had found in a museum. His quest for parts puts him into contact with an old man who owns a toy shop in the station, who happens to be the great French silent film director, George Méliés. A departure from most of the films Martin Scorsese has made, this is a film that both entertains and inspires.


MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
Woody Allen continues his tour of European capitals and this may be one his better efforts of late. In typical Allen fashion, the film has many stars, but none of them outshine the script or the direction. This is a fantasy film like few others and shows that the writer/director still has some magic left.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER
While I am normally dismissive of summer blockbusters, this is perhaps one of the best comic book based movies ever and certainly the best one since SPIDER-MAN 2. After the mini-disaster of THOR, this film points the way to what should be an exciting series of AVENGER films.

RANGO
An interesting and beautifully rendered take on the animated film, RANGO is a modern western, starring the voice of Johnny Depp. Clever and funny, the film manages to rise above the normal animated films and aims at a more mature audience than expect from Nickelodeon.


Biggest Film Disappointments of 2011

In no particular order:

THOR
It wasn’t so much the film as it was the presentation. This is was the nadir of my 3-D film experiences and was almost a cure. There are a lot of industry insiders that think viewers are idiots for complaining about 3-D, after all we see in 3-D and don’t get headaches. But they never have to sit through too dark to comprehend presentations, either.

SUPER 8 and THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN
I guess we’re supposed to be overly impressed whenever Steven Spielberg works with another director. However, the sum is oftentimes much smaller than the parts. That was true of these two films. SUPER 8 presented yet another can’t kill space alien from J.J. Abrams and TINTIN, Spielberg's teaming with Peter Jackson, makes one wonder why this thin story was made and why it was made as motion capture. What’s the old saying about too many cooks?

CARS 2
This is what you get for blindly supporting Pixar. The little studio that never seems to miss is way off target with this little abomination, designed solely it seems to sell toys. For the first time I’m worried that maybe John Lasseter and his folks have gotten a little too big for their creative britches. They seem to be fully engulfed by Disney consumerism, which of late has been merchandising over storytelling.

FOOTLOOSE
While not a bad film per say, one wonders why it was made at all. This is an example of lazy filmmaking. It is sad when Hollywood can’t be more original than making remakes and sequels. Sometimes there is something wrong with the original film that a remake corrects, see last year’s TRUE GRIT. But that wasn’t the case here. At the end of this year there are reports that film attendance was down. Maybe if Hollywood was more original, then the audience would be more willing to come back to the theaters.

Captain America: The First Avenger

As part of Marvel Studios' buildup to the Avengers movie in 2012, they have released their final prequel movie Captain America: The First Avenger. Having not read a single issue of the comic, but only knowing his origin from the series and a couple of his enemies, I wasn't really sure what to expect. Thankfully, Captain America as an origin story works heavily in its favor and leaves a great impression in the future of superhero movies.

A grand majority of the movie's run time is dedicated to showing us what Captain America was like in his original time period, the early 1940's. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) has been turned down by the U.S. Army five times due to his array of health issues. He is physically weak and can't do much of anything when he is bullied by those who are stronger, but he does have plenty of courage and bravery. Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci) manages to catch wind of this and gets him into a "super soldier" program, where one man will be selected for a special treatment. Colonel Chester Phillips (Tommy Lee Jones) is unconvinced by Erskine's choice, but is convinced otherwise when Steve throws himself onto a dummy grenade, displaying bravery where others would cower. Rogers ends up being picked and undergoes the treatment, becoming taller and more muscular. His enhanced physical abilities are displayed when he takes down a Nazi, thus earning him fame. Steve is now a national hero, touring the country as Captain America to boost morale. This doesn't last long, as he eventually goes on the front lines to take down the organization known as Hydra. Led by Red Skull (Hugo Weaving), they possess advanced technology powered by something known as the tesseract, which is said to contain power from the Norse gods.

The movie as a whole is executed masterfully, with a great script and superb acting. Chris Evans and Hugo Weaving pull of their characters in a way that makes them believable, although Red Skull doesn't get too much of a spotlight. While it may have been better to see more of him, it's also fair to say that enough was shown for the audience to know who he is and what he is up to. Compared to previous Marvel Studios movies like Thor, I was actually able to get more emotionally invested in the characters and wonder what was going to happen to them next. However the movie seems to move at a quicker pace within the latter half, but the action that unfolds is amazing to watch, coupled with a great score that matches the mood.

In order to portray the young Steve Rogers, the studio needed to digitally make Chris Evans' body smaller. This amazingly went undetectable, which shows a lot of dedication in the special effects department. Speaking of which, every other effect in the movie was shown off with the same amazing attention to detail. It all looked and felt surprisingly realistic, especially for the setting, and I look forward to seeing the same treatment in future movies.

Another aspect that deserves equal praise is how the movie makes homages to the comic book, mainly for the costume. This is probably the only thing I would immediately recognize from Captain America, and they injected the original costume plus an older shield realistically into the plot. I also appreciated how they introduced his more iconic circular shield, which I thought was really cool to see in action. As for the new costume, I can't really complain about the design. When it comes down to something like that I normally just go along with it. I think it looks good anyway, and it was fun to see how they still integrated the wings into the helmet design.

The scene after the credits is worth staying around for, as it helps to set up the eventual crossover flick. However, the real meat comes from what follows immediately after: the first ever trailer for the Avengers movie. Just like Back to the Future Part II did for Part III, we get a first look at footage from the next movie, except here we see every character in the Marvel Movie Universe, sans Hulk, in the same room and even interacting with each other. It's well worth waiting through the credits to see.

Captain America: The First Avenger is an excellent movie filled with a nice blend of action and drama, and even the occasional humor. Fans of the actual comic may get the most enjoyment out of this, especially those who can spot references to the source material. Non-readers will also walk out of the theater happy since it also serves as a great summer blockbuster on its own. Either way, you won't regret going to see it.