CAPTAIN AMERICA:CIVIL WAR (TWO DISC BLURAY EDITION, Disney 2016)
Following the events of CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER and AVENGERS: AGE OF ULTRON, Captain Steve Rogers, a.k.a. Captain America finds himself at odds with both friends and foes after long thought deceased companion Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier, is framed for the assassination of the leader of the African nation of Wakanda.
Charged to bring Cap and the Soldier to justice is fellow Avenger Tony Stark, the Invincible Iron Man,who assembles a new team of Avengers, including the new teenage hero Spider-Man. But, Rogers is no slouch when it comes to recruiting, either...and this leads to a confrontation of epic proportions between superheroes on both sides of the battlelines.
One guaranteed comic book purchase I would make when I was a kid was whenever I would run across whatever the latest issue of either DC Comics' JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA or Marvel's THE AVENGERS...usually from Blake's Pharmacy, located in West Union, Ohio (they're still around, have a working vintage lunch counter/soda fountain. ..and still off nickel Cokes. Look them up and like them on Facebook) . It was the fledgling bargain hunter in me: sure, I read and loved THE FLASH and GREEN LANTERN on a monthly basis in their respective solo titles, but in the pages of JLA, I got at least 7 or 8 heroes for the price of one comic. Same thing with THE AVENGERS. Even at age 8, I knew extra entertainment value when I saw it.
Unlike 2012's THE AVENGERS, which reminds this aging fanboy of the best issue ever of the aforementioned monthly team books published in the past, CIVIL WAR puts me more in mind of another favorite thing of mine from my youth, the classic Universal Monster "rallies" of the 1940s, like HOUSE OF FRANKENSTEIN and such. There's a level of excited anticipation that goes beyond the regular superhero team story (which CIVIL WAR is...for all intents and purposes, this film is basically "THE AVENGERS PART 3"). You know you're getting a ton of familiar Marvel heroes, but the pacing of the film is pleasantly relentless. Cap is hanging out with the Falcon...then you get Ant-Man...AND the Black Panther....and then,....Holy shit! There's Spider-Man!
Now, how this pacing differs from a very similar film from earlier this year, BATMAN V. SUPERMAN, is a direct product of the script and seemingly better grasp on staging action sequences by the directing team of the Russo Brothers. Whereas Zack Snyder's DC Comics themed movie has a disorienting quality, where one is constantly questioning what's going on and who the participants are, CIVIL WAR flows a lot more evenly in structure.
Plus, there's an element of joy that the Marvel Studios films exhibit that seems to be missing from the Warner Brothers' fledgling DC Cinematic Universe, whose films seem to exist in a very earnest darker universe, where oddly they take a very defensive stance on dealing with the consequences of it's heroes actions (I.e., SUICIDE SQUAD comes immediately to mind).
Tom Holland as the new Peter Parker/Spider-Man is a real stand out performance, portraying the character as if he was ripped directly from the comic book pages. This Webhead has just the right amount of quippy sense of humor and antsy teenage angst, something missing from prior portrayals of the wallcrawler. Another nice touch: the Queens accent. Holland is the first screen Parker I actually believe is a New Yorker, which leads to a nice little exchange between him and Chris Evans' Cap that's just straight up welcome fan service. Also, Spidey's reaction to seeing Giant Man is priceless and potentially the best line of the film.
Speaking of "antsy" and Giant Man, Paul Rudd continues to deliver a hilarious performance as the seemingly starstruck hero worshipping Scott Lang, which carries over from last year's ANT-MAN.
Chadwick Boseman's Prince T'Challa a.k.a. The Black Panther is another welcome addition to the film. I'm a huge fan of the character's comic adventures and am eager to see any upcoming film exploits.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR is a satisfactory bit of anticipated fan service that does it's multiple jobs well: It juggles an ensemble cast, yet at no time loses focus on the dilemmas of the central character. It accomplished this while advancing the story and put emphasis on new elements of continuing saga, as well as spending time introducing new players that prove to just as interesting. Probably the best of this summer's bloated crop of superhero films, IMO.
No comments:
Post a Comment