Originally Posted by Josh
Reply With QuoteFirst of all, Civil War the movie has pretty much zero to do with the comic, other than the name and the fact that heroes fight each other.
The basic premise is that the Avengers have been responsible for a decent amount of collateral damage and the government wants them to sign an accord that puts them under the control of the United Nations (it's nothing like the Superhuman Registration Act of the comics, it just covers Avengers members), and honestly the way it's presented to the team really isn't that unreasonable given what happens in the beginning of the movie. Cap's resistance to it could have been explained a lot better, and TEH MASTER PLAN of the villain of the movie Helmut Zemo is REALLY convoluted and complicated to the point that you can't believe how it could work. So, there are some basic plot/character motivation issues that the movie has that keep it from being perfect, but it's not a huge deal.
Otherwise, Civil War was fucking awesome. It had more characters than Age of Ultron, but it shockingly never felt crowded like that movie did. The big fight scene at the airport was possibly the best superhero fight scene ever. Spider-Man was perfect, Black Panther was cool, Ant-Man was hilarious, and overall, some plot aspects aside, it was a ton of fun (the crowd cheered a lot...Spidey got the biggest reaction), and even had some nice dramatic scenes.
Spoilers, starting with Spider-Man:
Spider-Man was in the movie for a lot more than I was expecting, and Tom Holland was pretty much perfect as both Peter Parker and Spider-Man. I always felt that Tobey was a better Peter than Spider-Man and Andrew was the opposite, but (given the limited amount of time he was in the movie), Holland seems to be great as both (he plays Peter very awkward and nerdy, but as Spidey he's a motormouth).
I also had no idea that Marisa Tomei plays Aunt May, it's cool that Peter's aunt is a MILF for once instead of a grandma.
BTW, Spidey's adjustable eye lenses are explained- when Stark first meets Peter (he's trying to recruit him to help bring in Captain America), he's already been active as Spider-Man for about 6 months. They show YouTube footage of him fighting crime in his home-made outfit including this big pair of goggles; Peter explains that "When what happened to me happened, all of my senses were dialed up to 11. It's almost too much and the goggles help me to focus." Stark offers to give him an upgraded suit, which is what he's wearing for the big fight at the end.
Also, Peter invented his webshooters himself...fanboys were flipping out because it was rumored that Stark invents them for him, but that's not the case.
Speaking of Ant-Man, he feels kinda shoehorned into the movie, but he's so much fun I didn't care. Big LOL when Ant-Man turns into Giant-Man(!) during the battle and Spidey is like, "HOLY SHIT!" Another great scene is when he sneaks into Iron Man's armor and starts sabotaging it.
Black Panther is interesting and also in the movie more than I thought he'd be. Not really familiar with the character but I can't see anyone who's a fan being pissed. He's a unique take on superheroes in that he's not some common dude, but a king of a powerful country with all the resources that come with it. Kinda wondering how his solo film will be.
No, Captain America doesn't die at the end. I was wondering, especially since Crossbones and Agent 13 were in this movie, but nope. Crossbones blew himself up in the beginning (bummer, since I like Frank Grillo), and Agent 13 is Cap's lovey-dovey girl now (previously, he was banging her aunt in WW2, lol).
Helmut Zemo is nothing like his comic counterpart. In the comics he's the son of a Nazi killed by Cap in WW2, but here he's a retired special ops guy whose family was killed in whatever the fuck that country was called where they had the big fight at the end of Age of Ultron. He blames the Avengers, so he hatches this insanely complex plot to turn them against each other, and it works. And no, he doesn't wear a purple mask or fur.
Bucky is revealed to have killed Stark's parents back in 1991 while brainwashed, and when asked by Tony, Cap admits to having known. Can't really blame Stark for being pissed. Honestly, Cap doesn't come across that great when it comes to his end of the conflict; he doesn't really give a great reason why he doesn't want to sign up with the government...he just wants the Avengers to remain separate and not operate at the whim of the UN, but it never gets much more into it than "Well, what if something bad happens and they don't send us? Or what if they send us to the wrong thing?" I'm assuming the Hydra shit from the previous movie is a factor, but Tony actually makes more sense when it comes to his end. As a result, the big fight scene feels a tad force, but it's so great who gives a shit.
The fight scenes are all amazing. As stated, the big throw-down is the best fight ever but the opening scene and especially the final three-way between Cap/Bucky/Iron Man are great as well (Bucky/Cap win, although Bucky gets his arm blown off). The movie ends with Cap's team on the run from the law after Cap breaks them out of prison.
Each character in the movie is used well and there aren't long stretches where people disappear (other than the guys who are just brought in for the big fight, like Ant-Man). Everyone feels more fleshed out than in Ultron and the pace of the film itself is well done, with ebbs and flows as opposed to one big race to the big fight. The movie is over 2 1/2 hours, but it never felt too long.
Scarlet Witch was more interesting this time around, and her powers were used better. Vision was just goofy, with his "casual" dress clothes when off-duty. I still can't decide if I like him or not.
The mid and post credit scenes weren't big deals. Mid-credits, Cap and team are hiding out in Black Panther's country, and after the credits Peter Parker is nursing his injuries after the fight (he tells Aunt May he fought "some guy named Steve from Brooklyn") and tests out his new spider-signal on the ceiling of his room.
Again, some plot/character motivation issues, but otherwise one of the best Marvel movies ever, and easily the best handling of a huge ensemble cast I've possibly seen.
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