While I wouldn't rank it as high as "Avengers: Age of Ultron", and it definitely didn't have the same magnitude, it was still a very well-done, satisfying movie. I will admit that it took me a bit longer to get sucked in to this one than most of the previous movies, but that's probably because they had to set a lot of emotionally frustrating, not-as-entertaining groundwork before all the exciting, fun stuff could happen. It definitely had a more somber beginning than most of the movies in the Marvel saga (that I've seen, anyway. I still haven't watched any of the Iron Man movies). But once you get into it, it still has that classic, enjoyable Marvel charm and adrenaline. And it has one interesting, unique characteristic in that it is the first movie where the bad guy is in reality a minor character. He's a well done character, and definitely has his impact on the movie, but he's more of a behind-the-scenes bad guy than any other Marvel bad guy (that I've seen) to date.
I'm not going to bother going into any of the debate about which side was right; if you want to read or hear a good discussion on that, I would recommend Plugged In's movie review and vodcast. They both do a very good job looking at both sides of the Civil War from a Biblical standpoint, showing how both sides have good, moral truths behind them as well as fallacies.
I'm going to do this post like I've done all my other posts about these movies, in a character-analysis format. I figured I might as well do this by team, starting with Cap's team. I mean, after all, it is HIS movie. So, here we go! :)
Team Cap
Steve Rogers, aka Captain America: What can I say about him that I haven't already said? He's still...wonderful. And you can understand why he takes the stance he does. Not only is his oldest, closest buddy being targeted, but he has also seen how governmental power can be abused and misused, not just in WWII but also more recently with the Hydra-infested Shield. And he never, ever falters in his convictions, which is the main reason why you have such high respect for him. And he still has his down to earth, slightly dorky side that makes you just want to hug him like a teddy bear because it's so cute/sweet. :)
Bucky Barnes, aka Winter Soldier: WE FINALLY GET OLD BUCKY BACK!!!!!!!!!!!! It takes a while, but we do finally get the dedicated, trustworthy, loyal-to-the-end best friend from "The First Avenger" back again. The first moment where you get a glimpse of that is when he fights so hard against being re-brainwashed (yay!!!!! And then of course it doesn't take Cap and Falcon long to get him back out of it again). And I have to admit that if I had to pick between Bucky and Cap, I couldn't decide. It's just impossible, he is that great. Of course, you see him struggle with his past, which really hurts to watch and makes you want to hug him and tell him that everything will be ok, it wasn't his fault.
Sam Wilson, aka Falcon: Falcon is still the steady, reliable guy we came to love in "Winter Soldier". He's the soldier's soldier, sticking by his commander through every situation and doing what is asked of him, even when he isn't too thrilled about it. It's also pretty cool that he now has a "sidekick" in Red Wing. I can kind of understand why Falcon isn't too happy at first about having Bucky on their team. I mean, after all, Falcon's been Cap's wing-man for more than five years (according to "Age of Ultron"), so naturally having Cap's original wing-man come back on the scene would be a little unsettling. But no matter how the two of them feel about each other, the combo of Falcon and Bucky is priceless. :)
Wanda Maximoff, aka Scarlet Witch: You really get to know her better in this movie, and I've realized that if I wound up having super powers I'd probably handle it the same way she does. I'd zealously use them to defend my friends, then be devastated at what the side effects were. She is learning how to better use them, but you also see more of her sensitive, kind personality, that she really doesn't want to hurt anyone and really takes it to heart and blames herself whenever she does, either intentionally or unintentionally. She really brings out the "mom" (or, in Cap's case in one scene, "dad") instinct in you. And it's really weird that she is actually a teenager. I'd gotten the impression from "Age of Ultron" that she and Pietro were both in their twenties. Oh, well, whatever.
Clint Barton, aka Hawkeye: My one complaint about the movie has to do with Hawkeye; there isn't enough of him in it. Like, not even close to enough. Basically all he does is babysit Wanda and give Tony a bit of a chewing out, both of which are important, but neither one gives him enough screen time. You still do get to see some of his dry, sarcastic humor, but there isn't nearly enough of him. :(
Scott Lang, aka Ant Man: While I haven't actually seen the entire "Ant Man" movie, I have gotten to see about an hour's worth out of the middle of it, so I feel that I seen the main points and filled in the rest with what I read on Wikipedia. And I like Scott. He's just an average, everyday guy who doesn't have a fake bone in his body. He blurts out exactly what he (and everyone else) is thinking, whether it's positive, negative, or downright embarrassing on himself. He's so easy to identify with, especially when he's freaking out over meeting Cap. We all know that we'd be reacting the same way. ;)
Sharon Carter: She isn't "technically" a member of the team, but since she risks her job to help Cap find Bucky and then helps him even more after they're on the lam, she's basically a member even if she doesn't take part in the big fight between teams. And I really like her. The scene where she and Cap bond while talking about Peggy is really sweet. I'd be ok if something really does wind up develop between the two of them. Cap needs some kind of bright spot in his life, and she could be it. And I'm not alone in that thinking, either...
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Team Iron Man
Tony Stark, aka Iron Man: You can see where Tony comes from with his side of the issue, too. He has seen what can happen when power is used without any kind of check, and as we saw in "Age of Ultron", the realization of what kind of destruction his power can do has him a little scared. And it really is a great responsibility. He wants to do the right thing just as strongly as Cap does, he just has a different view of what that is because of his different background (although he does come to understand a bit more of where Cap is coming from near the end of the movie). He is much more vulnerable in this movie, as well as you see more about his background (and a flashback of sorts to a teenage Tony!!!!!! That scene was crazy/cool).
Natasha Rominoff, aka Black Widow: Like with Tony, you can understand why she chooses the side she does because of her background as an international spy/hit woman. But at the same time, she really struggles with her loyalty to Cap. After all, the two of them have been through more together than any of the other Avengers have (other than her and Hawkeye, anyway, but we don't know as much about what those two have been through together, regretfully). She tries to protect Cap by giving him plenty of warnings against what he's planning on doing, but at the same time you get the idea that she knows that he isn't going to heed them, because she knows the kind of guy he is. And of course she also struggles with the fact that she's actually AGREEING with Tony on something...(say what???)
Prince T'Challa, aka Black Panther: This guy is pretty cool, at least from the superhero power standpoint. And as a character he's pretty interesting, too. He kind of agrees with the idea of the Accords, but at the same time he goes out and tries to hunt down Bucky on his own without the approval of the Council. And when it gets near the end of the movie, while Cap, Bucky and Iron Man are having their three-way fight, HE is the one who really shines in how he handles the bad guy as he realizes how he has been looking at the situation with the wrong perspective/attitude. I'm a fan. :)
James Rhodes, aka War Machine: This is the first movie that I've seen where there's really been any decent amount of Rhodey in it, and I like him. He's just the kind of wing-man Tony needs. He'll back him up 100%, but also does a great job at keeping him humble in a friendly way. I'm glad he didn't die in the movie like there had seemed to be a bunch of hints at.
Peter Parker, aka Spiderman: I'm not exactly sure what I think of the new kid. He's funny, sure, but at the same time I can understand why some of the other Avengers, even on his own team, were finding him annoying during the fight with his constant chatter. I do like the dynamic between him and Tony, though, with the way Tony kind of takes him under his wing and helps him with learning about this whole "being a legit superhero" thing. And some of his gangly newbie-ness is kinda cute, a bit reminiscent of Cap's fish-out-of-water moments sometimes.
Vision: It's rather interesting seeing Vision try to understand what it's like for his human companions. He truly is a compassionate character, especially to Wanda, but at the same time since he isn't a human he doesn't really have the ability to make decisions for himself and, as a result, does what he is programmed/ordered to do. That causes probably the biggest conflict between members of the opposing teams (outside the actual battle, of course).
While this might not be the #1 best Marvel movie ever made, it DEFINITELY is the one that ends with the biggest cliffhanger!!! While the end of "Thor: the Dark World" did leave us with some questions (which aren't going to be answered until later next year! :( ), it doesn't leave us with half as many as "Civil War" does by a long shot. What the heck is going to happen to the team now??? *sigh* Oh, well, I was able to hang in there between when "Age of Ultron" and this movie came out, so I guess I'll be ok until "Thor: Ragnarok" comes out. And what will help a little is...
BONUS!!!
You know I couldn't do a post like this without including a funny moments clip. ;) For some reason the bloopers from this movie (and the past couple, actually) haven't been all that great, in my opinion, with the only real good one from "Civil War" being Jeremy Renner cracking up over the way Scarlett Johansson was looking at him (there we go with Hawkeye being wonderful again). BUT...the interview combo of Sebastian Stan and Anthony Mackie is pure gold. They both are really funny, and they play off of each other so well. It's just a joy to watch. Have fun!
