Thursday, May 5, 2016

Captain America: Civil War Review - 2½ Stars


“Captain America: Civil War” trots out a dozen of Marvel’s superheroes, all of whom will most likely show up in franchise films for years to come. The plot boils down to Chris Evans as Captain America, at odds with Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man over control of the superhero universe. An opening melee gets the attention of a world more than a little tired of the collateral damage of all those Superhero fights: I like that touch of reality. I mean really, who cleans up the mess these guys leave? Iron Man favors letting the UN sanction the Avenger’s missions while Captain America wants the freedom to decide on his own. What’s this, the 2016 election? Well, maybe a metaphor or more likely a nice plot device to pit two teams against each other and fill the screen with CGI fights and explosions. Two newcomers steal a lot of this show. Chadwick Boseman appears as Black Panther, itching for revenge for the death of his royal father: Boseman’s costume looks really cool. Boseman’s on the Iron Man team, as well as a rebooted Spider-Man played by Tom Holland as an immature "gee-whiz" super hero in the making. Boseman’s cool, and Holland’s funny. Scarlett Johansson joins Captain America’s freedom fight. Paul Rudd creates some nice moments as Ant Man. The two teams have at each other, due to several misunderstandings involving the Winter Soldier. Since it’s all a misunderstanding, I doubt Marvel fans will pick sides but rather wait for bygones to be bygones. “Captain America:  Civil War” joins “The Avengers” in pursuit of box office blockbuster gold. If you’re a fan and willing to embrace the two and a half-hour running time, get in line now. Does it deliver what it promises? Gigantic superhero blockbuster. Is it entertaining? Some great moments. Is it worth the price of admission? For fans.