Captain America – Civil War: Blu-ray Review
The Movie:
Political pressure mounts to install a system of accountability when the actions of the Avengers lead to collateral damage. The new status quo deeply divides members of the team. Captain America (Chris Evans) believes superheroes should remain free to defend humanity without government interference. Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) sharply disagrees and supports oversight. As the debate escalates into an all-out feud, Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) must pick a side.
Marvel Studios has a formula set in place for their films so I went into this movie with high hopes already. The opening sequence was amazing and was so fast paced and action packed. The teamwork between the “New Avengers” that was shown made me smile the entire time. The person that choreographs Captain America’s fight scenes needs to be rewarded handsomely because they are so perfect. The shield work that was shown made me giddy like a little kid, especially when he would ricochet it off of walls. So good! I loved the inclusion of Crossbones and the reasoning for him being there was ESSENTIAL to the story but I do wish there would that they wouldn’t have killed him off just yet. Marvel does have a tendency for killing off a lot of their villains (or leaving a big “?” on them) so I should’ve known better but his death does catapult everything along. The Sokovia Accords that are put in place to hold the heroes accountable for their actions are introduced and at that moment you can see the division between the heroes. The Russo brothers managed to create some of the best tension that I’ve ever seen within the Marvel Cinematic Universe because of this. The Accords bring out some of the best character development that I’ve seen in a superhero film and it definitely made me question what team I was rooting for. On one side I could totally understand where Tony Stark was coming from and why he would want such a thing. I mean, what would you think if super-powered beings started to cause immense destruction and wouldn’t be punished? On the other side of things I can see Captain America’s point because having the Accords in place could potentially stop them from saving lives. The Russos definitely did a great job there. The inclusion of Spider-Man in the MCU is something that we never thought would ever happen but our dreams came true. I love what they did with the character and Tom Holland completely embodies what Peter Parker should be. He’s awkward and not totally comfortable with himself just yet but at the same time he has this confidence and cleverness as soon as he puts on his suit. He was such a fun addition to the film and watching him on screen interacting with the other Avengers was awesome. The airport fight scene was my favorite part (I’m sure it’s everyone elses too) and was just as good as I expected. Avengers vs Avengers. Friends vs friends. It was action packed and I literally had a smile on my face the whole time. The one thing that I was concerned about going in was that ability to keep the balance between the characters but within the first 15 minutes of the film you could clearly see that there was nothing to be worried about. I loved this movie from beginning to end and even though it isn’t my favorite of the three films it most certainly is the film that catapults the rest of the MCU to a different place. I can’t wait to see what comes to pass in the fallout of this movie and I easily suggest picking this up without a doubt. 9/10
Special Features:
United We Stand, Divided We Fall – The Making Of Captain America: Civil War Part 1 & 2 – A really fantastic feature that digs deep into the making of the film. The first part details the overall concept of the film and the second part is mainly about the big fight scene and the intentions of Zemo.
Captain America: The Road To Civil War – A look at Captain America and the journey he took that leads him to this film.
Iron Man: The Road To Civil War – A look at Iron Man and the journey he took that leads him to this film.
Open Your Mind: Marvel’s Doctor Strange Exclusive Sneak Peek – A great extended look at the upcoming film and a little backstory on who this character actually is.
Audio Commentary
Gag Reel – A hilarious look at the cast goofing off during filming.
Deleted & Extended Scenes – About 8 minutes worth of scenes here that are really interesting to see and add a tad bit more to the story but leaving these in would’ve caused a slow down in the pace of the film. The final scene however was a good one with Bucky flinging Cap’s shield then telling him “I have to get me one of those”. A hint of things to come possibly?
