"Captain America: Civil War" review

Civil Spat

 “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, directed by the Russo brothers, is one of the best films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  It developed all the characters introduced previously while adding new ones who were interesting and had integral parts to play.  The story became darker and more complex, but still felt lean, moved quickly and was SO much darn fun to watch!  “Captain America: Civil War” was also to be helmed by the Russo brothers and I was truly excited for it.  The Avengers battle the Avengers?  Black Panther?  Spider-Man? What could possibly go wrong?  Unfortunately, a LOT.

“Captain America: Civil War” finds the Avengers (most of them anyway) threatened with political sanctions due to the continuing civilian collateral damage from all their preceding battles.  The film does a much better job of presenting the severity of this subject than “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”, but there is still something missing.  This fight should feel like an intimate and ideological world-shaking clash between our conflicted crusaders, but it comes off more like a neighborhood kerfuffle over parking in somebody’s driveway without their permission.  Sides are chosen arbitrarily, often in direct contrast to the particular character's worldview.  Most problematic as that critical decisions feel wholly plot driven instead of coming from the heart, and this significant lack of tangible stakes saps the strength from the story.

Marvel’s grand plan leading up to the end of Phase III is an incredibly courageous construct that has many merits.  All the individual films are intricately tied around a central storyline that will eventually culminate in the two part climax of the Infinity War.  However, the major drawback is that all this setup and foreshadowing does not leave the individual films with much room to maneuver as far as their own stories.  The original content that is present is often forced in between exposition that won’t be paid off for several years.  Furthermore, because certain characters must be present for the grand finale, nothing truly terrible can happen to them now.  If it does, it is not to be trusted as permanent.  Without real risk and lasting consequences, little emotional drama is possible regardless how much plot is present.

The result is that even with a two and a half hour running time, "Captain America: Civil War" is more overstuffed than a Thanksgiving turkey.  Despite the visual feast, satisfaction remains elusive because there is an aura of sameness hanging over every scene.  There are no peaks and valleys to the ride.  I like these actors and I love some of these characters, and clearly a LOT of genuine, earnest effort was put into this film.  The problem is that you can feel it.  The cinematic pry bar is being pushed to the breaking point under the weight of so many expectations.  While the film is enjoyable overall, it is so densely packed with information that it’s almost overwhelming.   The viewing experience is not unlike eating an entire chocolate cake without the accompanying glass of milk.  It can be done, and it is tasty, but by the time you’ve choked down the last bite you’re just glad that it’s all over.