Captain America: Civil War feels like a thematic and narrative companion to the recent Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Both films deal with the issue of costumed crimefighters as outside the established order, for example. Both address the consequences of the massive, city-crushing battles between heroes and villains. Both attempt to expand their character universe, setting up future movies. And both appeal to some viewers because they set up fights between major characters: Batman and Superman in the earlier film, and the teams built around Iron Man and Captain America in the new movie.
But the comparisons work to Civil War’s advantage, since on just about every level the Marvel epic is superior to its DC counterpart, more thoughtful, more in touch with its themes, more graceful in its introduction of new players to Marvel’s cinematic universe.
Written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and directed by Cleveland’s own Joe and Anthony Russo, Civil War builds on the concerns of Captain America: Winter Soldier about the price of global security, especially in what is euphemistically known as collateral damage. In one of the most telling scenes in the film, a group of Avengers has to watch a recap of conflicts from previous exploits (and films) as demonstrations not of victory but of the destruction they have caused in each place.
And before that, we are witness to the latest such incident, as a team led by Captain America (Chris Evans) stops a terror plot — but in doing so kills a host of innocent bystanders. That troubles them, but not as much as Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) is troubled, as he, too, is reminded of the price that people pay for powerful protectors such as his Iron Man self.
Because of these concerns, an international accord attempts to set up oversight of the Avengers. Stark is on board. Captain America is not. Others from the Avengers (excluding Thor and the Hulk, who are not on hand) then have to choose up sides. And the choices become even grimmer after a terrorist attack, which seems to involve Cap’s old friend Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan). Indeed, the movie’s plot pivots on Bucky’s involvement, including in the climax.
But before then, we get the movie’s showiest confrontation. On Stark’s side are War Machine (Don Cheadle), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Vision (Paul Bettany), newcomer Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman) and — new to the Avengers — Spider-Man (Tom Holland). (Spider-Man’s arrival, the result of a truce between studios owning the rights to different Marvel characters, is especially welcome.) On Cap’s side are the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd).
That fight is especially adept onscreen, mixing up who fights whom and taking advantage of various powers in inventive ways. It also balances the action with considerable humor courtesy of Spider-Man and Ant-Man; Rudd’s Ant-Man has been established as the most comedic of the recent Marvel heroes, and Spider-Man’s debut in these films, via a meeting between Peter Parker and Tony Stark, is played whimsically. It’s as if the tone of the lighter Spider-Man comics was suddenly superimposed on the grimmer aspects of this Avengers tale.
And grim this one is. Where Batman v Superman tossed out ideas without ever thinking them all the way through, Civil War is constantly aware of the consequences of its characters’ actions, both to themselves and to the people around them. Nor does it look for a tidy wrap-up at the end; the conclusion may well leave many viewers wondering whether Stark was right all along about the need for control of these heroes.
The movie does falter occasionally because of all the narrative burdens it has to shoulder. And there’s a little bit of distance set by all the well-known actors in small roles (Jim Rash, Martin Freeman, Alfre Woodard — though her brief performance is crucial — and Marisa Tomei among them).
Still, overall the film works admirably, building on Captain America: The Winter Soldier in its ideas and its driving of the Marvel cinematic chronicle. And it is far more effective in its introduction of both Black Panther and the latest incarnation of Spider-Man than Batman v Superman was with Wonder Woman. Where she was barely sketched in, the Civil War characters are given full form, setting them up well for their solo screen ventures.
Which, of course, I am more than ready for.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal, Ohio.com, Facebook, Twitter and the HeldenFiles Online blog. You can contact him at 330-996-3582 or rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.