Captain America-Civil War

This is my 100^th review

Captain America-Civil War

One of the best things about this movie was absence of Batman. Contrasting Civil War (CW) with Batman vs Superman frames what makes CW a financial and critical success. The plot is understandable, with a few twits, as opposed to the fog of B v S. The actors have good chemistry even when they fight each other. Relations in B v S turned toxic. Robert Downy Jr.’s sarcastic repartee and sharp comments from other actors lightened up the drama. Humor was sorely absent from B v S, making it grim. CW has an unfair advantage using two directors, Antony and Joe Russo. Given the mess B v S, even with a lifeline from a second director, the movie would still have drowned. One thing both have in common is former allies battling each other; hey just like the Republican Party.

Captain America is the leader of the rebellious faction, opposed by Ironman and his team. There are guest appearances by non-Avenger super heroes making solid contributions to the movie. Chadwick Boseman (a.k.a. James Brown, the perfect preparation for his role), stars as Panther the first black Marvel super hero.  He is in neither camp, but mainly fights Captain America with his steel claws. The return of the Winter Solider, Sabastian Stan, provides a pivotal role. He is the childhood best friend of Captain America and is cast as villain. Captain America’s conflicted loyalties create the underlying tension of the movie.

 CG is the back bone of the film and done well. The stunt work was impressive and garnered positive responses from the audience.  The unrelenting explosions and pyrotechnics hastened the movie’s two and half hour run time (much appreciated by the elderly and their bladder).

A big part of the movie is the battle royal; some scenes were quite intense.  The steam of insults and witticisms hurled by the actors provided comic counter point to the mayhem.  Scarlett Johansson is skilled at deflating male egos. Robert Downy Jr.’s motor mouth runs on.

The film’s production cost is $250m ($500m with advertising). Internationally the movie made $291m, and prospects for domestic box office are huge. This means Hollywood will be churning out more superhero movies.  “Nothing succeeds like success”.

At the end of the movie the audience applauded as did I; the producers were delighted.

p.s.- Make sure to check out the credit ending.