Plot, plot, plot. Sometimes you never even really notice it as a movies leads you through twists and turns, and other times it can really hurt your head. When you take a second to think about the plot structure of some films it can be like eating every morsel of chocolate from a Snickers that has sat on the dashboard of your car on a hot and humid July afternoon. No matter how hard you try, you may not be able to get everything off the wrapper, and you will be making a mess of your hands and mouth.
Captain America: Civil War has both of those. The film moves at a brisk pace with fun action scenes and entertaining dialogue, but if you dare take pause to dissect the story you will end up with the same frustration as trying to solve a Rubik's Cube in the dark. We are talking about a scale of convolution that is reminiscent of Skyfall. But, much like the James Bond blockbuster, there is enough of a flow to the film that can distract you from the reality of what you are watching.
In the movie we find our heroes facing scepticism and outrage over the collateral damage of their crime fighting antics, with the world wanting them to be held accountable. This is not something too crazy to ask, and the team is divided over whether or not it is a good idea. Scriptwriters Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely do a great job at allowing the audience to see both sides of the argument, which goes a long way in justifying why rifts begin arising between The Avengers.
When a nefarious plot (enter the convoluted nature of the film) begins unfolding, the divisions grow even more. Captain America (Chris Evans) does not believe events at face value and feels there must be more to what is happening. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) is more hard lined about it all, and the team finds themselves picking sides. Eventually there is a showdown where many super powers are wielded, and audience members looking for a sensible pee break are out of luck for a good long while.
This division among the superheroes was to me the most entertaining and fascinating aspect of the movie, and I felt that it was handled very well. The increasing tension and stakes at hand played into it well, and directors Anthony and Joe Russo handle the material with precision. We find that there are personal reasons for each of the heroes to act and behave in the ways that they do, and nothing really felt forced to me. This is the hallmark of a great film, when we can connect with differing stances.
Captain America: Civil War also marks the re-launching of the Spider-Man franchise. He is recruited to assist in the happenings, although (thanks to the convoluted plot) we never really know how Tony Stark is able to figure out that Peter Parker (Tom Holland) is the web slinger. I was ever sceptical over having yet another Peter Parker on cinema screens, but, and this is confession time, Holland may be my favourite Spider-Man yet. He was nerdy and insecure without the suit, and overly talkative and happy-go-lucky while in it. It was a bright and colourful addition to the film, and added a lot of humour.
From a technical standpoint, there is a lot to praise with this film. The sets looked great, the action sequences were tight and fun to view, and the score went a long way in building the excitement. While I was a big fan of how it looked, I would have preferred to see it in 2D. There was not a lot of reason for the 3D screenings in this one, as it did not use the third dimension as a story telling technique, relegating it to the ranks of many other films that seem to do it just because.
With all of the enjoyment, come the end I could not help but realize just how messy that damned Snickers was. In the final climax that had been masterminded by the villain Zemo (played well by Daniel Bruhl) I could not help but continually think of just how silly it was that the plan worked out and the coincidences that got us there. I should not have been thinking about it, but there I was with chocolate all over my hands and/or face. It really was a mess and I found that I could not get into the climax in the way the filmmakers intended me to.
Still, that's not a huge drawback from the film. The rest of it was golden goodness. You just really need to shut your brain off to enjoy this movie. Even with mine working at full speed, it was still well worth the price of admission.
Rating - 3 out of 4 stars
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