- Location: Cinemark Century Point Ruston
- If, like me, you are concerned about the direction the Avengers movies are headed, take some measure of consolation from the fact that the Russo brothers will be at the helm. With Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the Russos delivered an impressive mix of realistic action and tense paranoid drama. With this film, Captain America: Civil War, they shifted gears to create an sweeping action-fest that contains several of the most engaging superhero battles ever put on screen. I'll be curious to see how well they adapt the presumed sci-fi elements of the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War, but their work has been so strong thus far that I'm happy they landed the job.
- As the name suggests, the plot of Civil War is basically that a bunch of superheroes find an excuse to start fighting each other. In one corner stands Captain America (Chris Evans), who is understandably skeptical of government organizations, especially when they're trying to kill his brainwashed former partner Bucky (Sebastian Stan). In the other corner stands Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.), whose libertarian streak has been eroded by the extensive collateral damage associated with the Avengers' public brawls. Most of the Avengers (Scarlett Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Rudd) return to choose one side or another for plausible enough reasons, and the film even finds room to introduce the intimidating Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), the most enjoyably immature Spider-Man (Tom Holland) yet, and the sympathetic villain Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl). As overstuffed as this may seem on paper, the film somehow weaves all of these personalities together effectively without ever feeling bloated.
- Although the film does contain a few moments of affecting drama, nearly all of which involve the deaths of loved ones, the real success of Civil War stems from its groundbreaking action sequences. While the first few battles showcase the same sort of impressive practical effects that made Winter Soldier so memorable, the film's audacious 20-minute airport battle centerpiece succeeds largely by abandoning its commitment to reality. This is the sort of absurdly grandiose battle that an eight-year-old with an overactive imagination and an abundance of action figures might have constructed, and I do mean that as a compliment. And just when you think the battle is nearly complete, something really big happens about which I will say no more. Sure, the film's conclusion is a bit too abrupt and its hero-to-villain ratio a bit on the high side (Crossbones, we hardly knew ye!), but it is tough to deny that Civil War is a damn fun superhero film that greatly exceeds the quality of its source material. Let's hope everybody kisses and makes up before the next film rolls around or else Earth won't stand a chance.
- Also joining this cast of thousands are: Emily VanCamp, Frank Grillo, William Hurt, John Slattery, Martin Freeman, Marisa Tomei, and your old pal, Stan Lee.
- The post-credits scene is essentially a commercial for the next Spider-Man movie, which maybe won't suck?
