Wick's Review

Summary - Really Great 4.5

Tony Stark has been the verbal superpower behind the Avengers, till now. Yet the motormouth of Robert Downey Jr. is MIA in Captain America: Civil War and the movie doesn’t suffer. His novel reticence in Civil War is in service to a well executed Civil War story, but it’s a risk nonetheless. For Marvel, it works.

Indeed, Marvel demonstrates how a Civil War story should be done, clearly showing-up the recent Batman v Superman. Sadly, BvS cemented DC’s inferiority to Marvel. And I like both Batman & Superman!

Four previous Avengers movies led up to this one, which is effectively Avengers 3.

• Captain America: the First Avenger
• The Avengers, aka Avengers 1
• Captain America: the Winter Soldier
• Avengers: Age of Ultron, aka Avengers 2

Avengers 3 reflects back on the earthshaking events of Avengers 1 and Avengers 2, not to mention the ancillary Iron Man & Captain America movies, pretty much all of them great, some of them perfect.

Civil War wrestles with weighty civic issues of security and control. Yet it’s all comic-book guano crazy, don’t forget. It falls to Tony Stark to lead the oversight side against the initiative side. Bully for that.

Marvel never flops however, so CA:CW is a near perfect example of Humongous Movie: deep and oh so shallow all at the same time. It even teases Marvel’s Peter Pan – Peter Parker in red tights. Oops, spoiler.

Acting - Really Great 4.5

Chris Evans & Robert Downey Jr. are like John Wayne & Dean Martin in indestructible nanotech suits.

• Downey still stands as the single greatest actor in Marvel’s stable, the superstar who inaugurated Marvel movies as we know them today with the best debut since Are You Experienced.
• Evans has grown into his role well beyond the phony-baloney transformation that begins Captain America: the First Avenger. Cap is now an experienced leader. Evans wears it well.

Avengers Members

• Scarlett Johansson gets in a good turn as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow.
• Sebastian Stan comes in from the cold as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier.
• Anthony Mackie gets his most action yet as the sweet-flying Sam Wilson / Falcon.
• Don Cheadle gets to fly War Machine as Lieutenant James Rhodes, aka Rhodey.
• Jeremy Renner actually carries a bow & arrow as Clint Barton / Hawkeye.
• Paul Bethany as an omniscient being named Vision. Omniscient but still follows rules. Interesting.
• Elizabeth Olsen is super-pretty as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch.
• Paul Rudd is always welcome as Scott Lang / Ant-Man.
• Chadwick Boseman introduces a new Avenger, T’Challa / Black Panther, an African superhero. Big Black Cat: how cool is that!
• Tom Holland is the latest kid who gets to play Peter Parker / Spider-Man. Disney insists on introducing a new one every 5 years, which is apparently the length of a moviegoing generation.

Others

• Emily VanCamp is Steve Rodgers’ love interest & daughter of his first love interest. Don’t ask.
• Daniel Brühl … Memo
• Frank Grillo … Brock Rumlow / Crossbones
• William Hurt … Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross
• Martin Freeman … Everett K. Ross
• Marisa Tomei makes a sweet appearance as May Parker. Let’s see more of her. Peter Parker’s got himself a fine aunt. Can’t wait for Spiderman: Homecoming in 2017.
• John Kani … King T’Chaka
• John Slattery … Howard Stark
• Hope Davis … Maria Stark
• Alfre Woodard … Miriam

Stan Lee appears as a FedEx guy delivering a very special package.

Film - Perfect 5.0

Anthony & Joe Russo deserve hosannas for directing Captain America 3, after doing an equivalently outstanding job on Captain America 2, the Winter Soldier being the common element.

Edge - Risqué 2.1

Reality - Fantasy 4.7

Conservation of Energy is the least Law of Science flouted in Captain America 3.

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