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AP2HYC Reviews Captain America: Civil War

Pretty much anyone with a wallet and within driving distance of a cinema has now seen Captain America: Civil War. Ever since its release, many fans have been quick to jump to its defence, acknowledging that the film isn’t a wholly perfect affair. Why this reaction though? Is it related to that other superhero juggernaut of 2016, DC’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice? Both films present super-powered characters clashing over ideological differences, but both have gained praise and criticism from all corners of the world.

One way in which Civil War scuppers Batman v Superman however is the attention to detail placed in its characters. It may be impossible to fully embrace Civil War is you haven’t been watching the MCU since its beginning, but if you have, Civil War rewards MCU fans in spades. Here’s what A Place To Hang Your Cape made of Captain America: Civil War!

Captain America: Civil War was my favorite superhero movie of the year so far. Then again, I actually enjoyed Avengers: Age of Ultron very much, so I guess my standards aren’t that high. The action was phenomenal, the performances were solid, and the overall movie was just a fun time. My only major complaint is that the bad guy felt under-utilized (not exactly a foreign concept in the Marvel Cinematic Universe – the film villains tend to get shafted when it comes to development). At the same time, who needs a Big Bad when Iron Man/Tony Stark fills the role of antagonist so well? In the end, even if you don’t enjoy the story or the overall ‘Marvel’ness of it all, you can at least enjoy the action sequences of Captain America: Civil War.” – Alex Reale, former Junior Sidekick

“Excellently written humor, some real and tangible bonds between characters and well developed narrative. Epic fight scenes befitting a film so full of super heroes. The same running time as Batman v Superman yet never feels too long. Utterly wonderful. And Tom Holland is the best Spider-Man I have seen.” – Stuie Greenfield, Contributor.

Captain America: Civil War is everything you hope it to be, whether or not that’s a good thing. It channels the best of the MCU with sweeping action, generous amounts of humour sprinkled throughout, and a super hot Aunt May. If you’re looking for dire consequences, this may not be the franchise for you. And can we get the Black Panther and Spider-Man movies now??” – James Leggett, Contributor.

“It’s not perfect. And a lot of people have pounced on that. They see it as a weakness to exploit. ‘It’s not perfect so it’s not good’, seems to be the general consensus in the negative camp. Here’s the thing though. In 24 years of plodding around on this world, with two screenwriting degrees under my belt, and a mild obsession with watching movies…I have never, not once, seen a perfect movie. Citizen Kane? Not perfect. Star Wars? Not even close. The Godfather? Nope. All a film can do is try and get as close to perfect as it can. This film does just that. It’s as close to perfect as it can get. Why? I could go on and on. But at the end of the day, all that matters is… it makes you care. You care about these characters. You care about their relationship with each other. You care about the wider implications of their actions. Because this is a movie worth caring about. It’s not perfect. And that’s okay.” – Scott Meridew, Senior Writer.

“From the opening scene, Civil War is a hard-hitting, thought-provoking, and a particularly emotional film that has a lot more going for it beyond Spider-Man being in the movie. Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans are phenomenal in the film, Black Panther is a welcome addition, all the characters have a reason to be involved in the story, and the big fights are just fantastic. I can safely says that Civil War is possibly the fourth greatest superhero film after Spider-Man 2, the original Superman, and The Dark Knight.” – Mark Russell, Senior Writer.

“For me Civil War was an antidote to the superhero-fatigue I felt setting in after a disappointing Avengers sequel, an underwhelming Batman v Superman and a general saturation of heroic movies. The fights were fantastic, the emotions were raw & real, and the humour actually felt fresh. Who couldn’t love Cap and Bucky together again, after all?” – Grace Davis, Senior Interviewer.

Captain America: Civil War was ten times better than Batman v Superman. Ant-Man and Spider-Man totally stole the show during the big fight scene. Even though I am tired of superheroes letting their ego get in the way of fighting the actual bad guys, I still enjoyed Civil War.” – Dara Berkey, Contributor.

“Can anybody get over Martin Freeman‘s fake accent? The man has got involved with so much over the course of his career, from romantic comedies, to Sherlock and The Hobbit, and yet this newest jaunt of his created giggles in the cinema, mostly from myself. Each time this cracker of an actor came on screen and opened his mouth I burst into laughter, to the disappointment of my partner and the rest of the audience. The hilarity of Mr. Freeman was not all that had me rolling on the floor, Spider-Man, who seemed about twelve, with his childish “don’t tell May” his adoration of the other heroes, and his constant chatter- which really seemed to annoy the other Avengers- made me want to squeeze his cheeks, tell him to go back to school, and chortle all at once. The last character of laughs is Ant-Man. Paul Rudd is another great actor, I loved him in Ant-Man, which my Fiancé made me watch before we saw Civil War, as I’d not been able to see it in the cinema, and he was even more brilliant in this. Simply put “thank you for thanking of me” is the silliest line in the film. Of course the new Captain America film is not just a barrel of laughs, I cried at Peggy Carter’s funeral, wanted to shake Black Panther’s hand for breaking away from vengeance, and shake Iron Man for being so egotistical (of course, Tony Stark is just like that at times). The film’s ups and downs get a big thumbs up from me.” – Eleanor Young, Contributor.

Captain America: Civil War has proven to be an eloquent sequel to its predecessors. While not exactly faithful to the original source material, Captain America: Civil War creates an interesting turn for the MCU while also providing the non-stop action we so desperately desired.” – Jillian Diblasio, Contributor.

Civil War was a triumph. I must admit I was a little apprehensive after watching the trailer because it ran the risk of becoming an all-out action flick with little or no substance but I was relieved to find that wasn’t the case. This was a chance to get to know our favourite heroes on a deeper level and it exceeded my expectations. The Russo Brothers really know what they’re doing, don’t they? I mean, it’s pretty difficult to condense a major comic book event into a two-and-a-half-hour film (glossing over for a moment the sheer number of heroes missing from the original storyline) but I think they pulled it off quite well. Add that to the fact they introduced a character regular audiences are all too familiar with, as well as one they are completely unfamiliar with and gave them enough screen time to establish a backstory and character development without it feeling rushed, I feel it’s fair to say Captain America: Civil War was an excellent start to Phase III. Now please excuse me while I book tickets to watch it again.” – Zaibien Hunter, Contributor.

“Like Batman v Superman, Captain America: Civil War is an grand and epic take on the superhero genre. Flawed? Yes, but very fun and filled to the brim with interesting philosophies that are fun to chew on once the credits stop rolling.” – Eric Dodds, Contributor.

Civil War was everything you have come to expect from Marvel movies – engaging storylines, great dialogue, and tons of action. In regards to that latter category, Civil Was is perhaps the best instalment yet of any comic book movie. The problem with Civil War, as with most of Marvel’s movies, is that in the end nothing has happened. Iron Man and Captain America are still friends, no one has died, and Rhody is even walking again. So what was the point? Granted, the introduction to Spider-Man was fantastic, and Black Panther was good too. But on the whole, the movie felt like filler material. An enjoyable waste of my time, yes, but a waste none the less. It is clear that the Chris Nolan movies continue to be the high water mark for this genre.” – Scott Austin, Contributor.

“No expectations, no disappointments. That kinda rings true for me in this case. The massive build-up to Civil War left me feeling a little meh after watching it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I didn’t enjoy it – I just think it wasn’t as good as it could have been. For me, the “war” between the two sides didn’t evoke any particular feelings of heartbreak, as I had expected it would. Maybe because it just didn’t feel real – which is probably due to the fact that the characters’ sudden shift from the bantering Avenger buddies we’re used to, felt a bit too drastic. In addition, the villain and his motivations were neither original nor satisfying in my opinion (though it had the potential to be – if only those other winter soldiers had been left alive). That said, the film had some definite highlights in Black Panther and Spider Man (best casting of Spidey so far!). Those bromance bonding moments between Cap and Bucky didn’t disappoint either.” – Lisa Montgomery, Contributor.

Civil War’s deft handling of a complicated story while staying true to each character’s unique personality made Batman v Superman look like a child’s cartoon. However, the action sequences’ quick cuts, shaky camera, and jittery frame rate look cooler flat and do not complement 3D well at all so avoid 3D if possible.” – Jason Wong, Contributor.

“Despite my fears that an over-abundance of superheroes would render this third Cap movie an unintelligible mess (see The Amazing Spider-Man 2 for reference) the Russo brothers have managed to craft an excellent addition to the Marvel collection. It might be a bit too long and they might have (SPOILER) lacked the balls to kill off any of the main characters, but it does more than enough to earn its place as the best superhero smack-down movie of the year. Marvel FTW!” – Zoe Butcher, Contributor.

“Cap v Iron Man… The ultimate showdown and it did not disappoint. It was like your ultimate superhero fantasy with all your favourite superheroes together, whether they be on different teams or not. Cap and Bucky were of course, brilliant and Spider-Man stole the show. Meanwhile I want to give both Tony and Steve hugs. Overall Civil War was the best Marvel film so far.” – Sophie-Jane Davis, Contributor.

“Both Captain America and Iron Man have been driven to opposite perspectives, with Cap no longer trusting the government whilst Iron Man no longer trusts himself, resulting in the gritty events of Civil War. With superheroes fighting superheroes it’s fair to say that the stakes have never been higher as friendships fall and the way of heroism is turned upside down in the wake of political interference and differences in opinion. The climatic showdown between Cap and Iron Man is both tense and shocking. This is one Marvel experience that doesn’t leave you with a happy ending and results in the tearing of the MCU through acts of manipulation that attacked our beloved heroes in the most personal battle to date.” – John Hussey, Contributor.

Captain America: Civil War has officially raised the bar for all superhero movies! Never before have we ever seen so many iconic Marvel heroes on one screen and for the first time, it actually works! Rather than feeling overcrowded or rushed, this movie gives each character their own time to shine and they are truly represented to their fullest potential. This is one action packed and emotional comic book film that is guaranteed to entertain all fans and ends on a note that feels much more earned and satisfying than your simple ‘MARTHAAAAAA’ conclusion. An excellent job by Marvel, Kevin Feige, and the Russo Brothers!” – Jesse Acevedo, Contributor.

Captain America: Civil War is one massive middle finger to Joss Whedon.” – Fred McNamara, Official Sidekick.

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Fred McNamara