The trick to watching any Marvel film is not to overthink it. That’s even more pertinent with Captain America: Civil War. In short, the story is a mess and the action is cool as hell – but you knew that already, right?
The real question is why isn’t this an Avengers film? Because
really, this is an Avengers film. It’s just the narrative is ever so slightly
focused on the Cap’n.
That’s because the team has now been split in half, with
Captain America (Chris Evans) leading one team and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr)
leading the other. The UN are seeking to control the Avengers and
limit their powers. Iron Man’s into it. Captain America, not so much.
All this limited plot device serves to do is pit the heroes
against one another in a huge fight two thirds through the film. Yes it’s
exciting. Yes it’s well choreographed. Yes their powers are combined in cool
ways. But really, throughout the film the plot is there simply to signpost
towards the next action sequence. At the heart of the story is an interesting
notion: with all the epic CGI explosions and destruction, should the Avengers
be forced to compensate for their actions? Yet the writers never build a
compelling narrative around this question, leaving it ultimately unanswered. None
of the characters develop over the course of the film, so there’s no need to
emotionally invest – least of all with new villain Zemo (the excellent Daniel
Brühl). It’s a clever idea for an everyman to manipulate the heroes into
destroying each other, but in the process Zemo himself is hugely
underdeveloped.
What’s more, the film takes a more-is-more approach by
throwing in every character you can imagine. Sadly Thor and Hulk are M.I.A, but all
those characters you forgot from the last couple of films are included, as well
as Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man whose “humour” is just embarrassingly misjudged.
Admittedly there’s a great sense of equality and inclusion with these
characters, and it’s great to see Scarlet Johansson’s Black Widow and Elizabeth
Olsen’s Scarlet Witch getting plenty of screentime. But if you missed out on a
couple of films in this grand soap opera of a superhero series, then tough. It’s
less a film franchise than an elongated TV series – miss an episode and you’ll
be lost.
And then there’s Spiderman. That’s right, Spiderman. He’s
back…again, this time played by Tom Holland. And yet this is one of the film’s
brightest spots. One particular scene sees Iron Man recruiting the young Peter
Parker to join his side of the fight. There’s some great comedy between the
pair and Holland’s is a goofier more youthful take on the character than in
past films. His standalone Spiderman film will certainly be worth watching.
And so is Captain
America: Civil War. As popcorn entertainment goes, it’s a rollercoaster
ride of mindless action that is never less than enjoyable. Just ignore the
story – let the special effects seep into your face and don’t even try to
create an emotional connection with the characters. Sit back and…well...marvel.
3/5
Watch: Captain America:
Civil War is out now.
