A Marvel comic blockbuster where former super friends become super enemies.
The Avengers conduct a special operation in Africa, resulting in the deaths of dozens of civilians. The international community’s patience runs out, and the UN issues an ultimatum to the superheroes. Either they come under the control of a special commission that will decide when and how they act, or they are outlawed. Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) and several of his closest allies support this decision, while Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) and his best friends refuse to follow it. In their opinion, bureaucrats are too corrupt to be trusted with power over superheroes. At first, it’s just an ideological confrontation, but the “cold” war turns “hot” when the authorities accuse Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), Rogers’ former comrade who was kidnapped and zombified by Hydra, of terrorism. While Stark and his team try to arrest Barnes, Rogers and his friends side with the alleged villain to prove his innocence and expose the real criminals.
Let’s start with the main point. The new comic super-blockbuster from Marvel and Disney studios has done what the recent DC Comics and Warner blockbuster “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” could have done if it had been filmed not as the second picture of the DC Comics cinematic universe, but as the tragic culmination of a long series of productions tracing the acquaintance and friendship of famous superheroes. “Civil War” takes characters loved by the audience and immensely respectful of each other and drags them to different sides of the ring for an epic battle.
Ideological Divide and Escalating Conflict
While the heroes are only separated by ideology, there remains a chance that they will reconcile and become a united team again. But, as is usually the case in civil wars (that’s how the English subtitle of the film, “Civil War,” translates), the snowball of contradictions quickly grows. Personal grievances are added to ideological disputes, and when blood begins to spill on the screen, reconciliation becomes impossible. Although the heroes genuinely suffer from going against each other, they cannot back down. Too much is at stake.
The Many Characters of Civil War
The film features two characters with the last name Ross: General Thaddeus Ross, played by William Hurt, and official Everett Ross, played by Martin Freeman. As far as we know, they are not related, and they come from different comics. The first is from the Hulk comics, and the second is from the Black Panther comics.
Admittedly, at a certain point, a terrible suspicion arises that “Civil War” will end in the same way as “Batman v Superman” – the heroes will quickly compare their male merits, then shake hands and fight together against a common enemy (this is not a spoiler – “Batman v Superman” gave away half the plot in the trailers). But no – the Russo brothers, Anthony and Joe, who previously directed “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” did not repeat Zack Snyder’s mistake.
The Real Conflict
The heroes of the film do have a common enemy, but his punishment does not subordinate the picture to itself. This is a secondary storyline, and it does not distract from the main course – two culminating battles of superheroes (this is also not a spoiler – fragments of both fights are in the trailers). First, the supporters of Stark and Rogers, led by their leaders, fight wall to wall, and then, after a short time, Iron Man and Captain America fight not for life, but to the death. Well, almost to the death. They would not be the noblest superheroes if they actually killed each other. But it almost comes to that, because both have good reasons to do so. Especially Stark.
A small role of T’Chaka, the father of T’Challa, was played by the outstanding South African artist John Kani. He was the first black actor in South Africa who, during apartheid, was allowed to play Othello on stage with a white partner as Desdemona.
Like “Batman v Superman,” “Civil War” lasts about two and a half hours. It includes a complex and winding plot, several pompous monologues, diverse and inventively staged action scenes, and two superheroes new to the Marvel cycle – Black Panther (aka King T’Challa of the fictional African country Wakanda) and Spider-Man (aka American high school student Peter Parker). Unfortunately, while there is nothing to complain about in the film’s action, the newcomers were not particularly pleasing.
Spider-Man and Black Panther
As expected, Spider-Man is great in battle, and he colors the “battle of the titans” not only with his spider-like superpowers but also with his signature sense of humor. The latter has always been an important part of his image in the comics but was not emphasized in previous films about Peter Parker, created by Sony Pictures. But in the hilarious scene of Peter’s recruitment, in which Stark shows up at his house, young British actor Tom Holland demonstrates a complete lack of star charisma. Of course, Parker shouldn’t look like Captain America. But there should be something about him that would stop the viewer’s gaze. He’s Spider-Man, not just a regular schoolboy. This is a minor problem in “Civil War,” but it makes you fear the already announced “solo” Marvel film about Spider-Man. We don’t need such a Parker!
Chadwick Boseman, who played T’Challa, is fine with charisma. The problem with Black Panther is different – he turned out to be “cardboard.” “Pompous Panther is pompous” – you can’t say anything more about him. Even the robot Vision has more humanity than T’Challa, the most boring superhero in the film. As for his superpowers, the Panther can be defined as an enhanced Catwoman. Not the most impressive set of talents against the background of the abilities of some other characters.
Other Characters
Who else appears in the picture? In addition to the superheroes mentioned above, Black Widow, Falcon, Scarlet Witch, and War Machine take constant part in the action, and Hawkeye and Ant-Man join them specifically for the culminating battle. The involvement of Spider-Man and Ant-Man seems somewhat far-fetched, since they have only just met the main characters, and this is still a story about the confrontation of old comrades-in-arms. But since their unique skills allow them to play an exceptionally important role in the overall battle, the claims against Spider and Ant are removed as soon as they show what they are capable of.
Overall, “Civil War” is one of the best films in the Marvel cycle, if not the best, and its final duel is perhaps the most dramatic battle in the history of comic book films. The picture has flaws, such as the lack of charisma in Holland or the fact that its first half is a bit clumsy due to juggling a crowd of characters. But it is such a successful combination of unexpected plot twists, powerful action, emotional intensity, and witty jokes that you will regret it if you miss it in the cinema.