Saturday, May 7, 2016

Thoughts on Captain America: Civil War

Yes, I just got back from my 2nd viewing of Civil War. I have already spilled my thoughts in a so-called review here, but it was only my first time watching, and that time I was too busy fangirling and having so much fun that I didn't give the movie an objective view. So, this time I'm going to share my deeper thoughts about the movie. There will be some mild spoilers, but I will try not to give away too much in order to honor those who haven't seen it or those who simply hate spoilers (like I do haha).

Please allow me to inform you that I haven't read any Marvel comic books. I only watch the movies -- which I really love -- and as a huge fan, I know that's not enough. But as of this time, I don't really have a plan to read them (I still have so many unread novels on my bookshelf). So, this opinion is purely from an MCU audience's perspective. This will be a long post, so bear with me.

Before we get started... Does anyone want to get out?

(Please tell me you get the reference above so I don't get to have all the fun by myself)

(screenrant.com)



It's surprisingly 'light'
I might not read the comic books, but I know what "war" means. Sure, the fights are pretty awesome, but it's still classified as light. In the comics, there are more characters involved and the storyline is darker. I guess the movie doesn't take the dark path because the Marvel/Netflix shows are doing that for them. I think it's lightened so that even the little kids can watch it.

Cap's suit in The Winter Soldier looks better
This is just my opinion and others may disagree, but I really like the simplicity of the suit in Winter Soldier. I was thinking about this because just before the movie started, I saw a 9GAG post about all Cap's suits, so I couldn't help but comparing it.

Falcon and Redwing
Love Falcon's new look and new drone called Redwing. But I'm kinda tired seeing red in the Avengers. Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Ant-Man, Vision, even Thor's cape are red. But that's just a color. Falcon's look is still sooo freaking cool.

Crossbones' appearance was too short
You know, I actually thought he was going to team up with Zemo as the main villains for this movie. People were more excited for his appearance than Zemo's because he held an important role in the comic books. But even if they didn't follow the comics, Rumlow/Crossbones appeared for a very short time. Good thing he had a great fight scene.

Young Tony
I don't know if it was all CGI or just part-actor, part-CGI -- THEY NAILED IT! I've watched some of Robert Downey, Jr.'s earlier movies, and I think young Tony Stark was really spot on, almost as if RDJ went back in time and kidnapped his younger self to appear in the movie.

Where's Hulk and Thor?
I mean, even General Thaddeus Ross is here! I've heard a rumor before that Mark Ruffalo was spotted on set, and then another rumor about his part being cut off. True or not, at least he was considered to appear. What about Thor? Well, I take it he was afraid of losing the race from Zemo. Oh, wait, that's Rush.

Oh no, he is actually #TeamZemo! That's why he didn't show up! Freaking trai-Thor! (zimbio.com)

Seems like I will like T'Challa/Black Panther in future movie(s)
There's just something about him that captivated me. The Black Panther costume sure looked cool and simple, and I love it. At first, I thought he was going to be a boring character, but he wasn't, at least for me. In such a limited screen time, we could already see a character development -- from a grieving and revengeful son to an understanding man. Now I'm more excited for his solo movie. Go, Chadwick Boseman!

The tunnel scene looks awesome and ridiculous at the same time
I don't know if anyone notice this, but when they were running, it looked like a bad SFX, as if they were running on a travelator. But I'm sure you were already focused on the coolest chasing scene ever, so let's just talk about Bucky and how he took that motorcycle in a slow motion. My God. I left my jaw hanging for a second.

Martin Freeman
I laughed whenever this guy showed up. Also, I didn't realize he was that short until the scene where he walked in the hallway with other characters. I just laughed again.

Daniel Brühl in glasses is hot af!
Enough said.

I SAID, ENOUGH! (fuckyeahbruhl.tumblr.com)

Steve vs Helicopter
We all know he was incredibly strong, but this scene just marvelous. Chris Evans' facial expression looked genuine. And the last thing... BICEEEPPSSS!

Love Tom Holland, but...
...too much stuttering and he sounds like a little kid. Maybe it's just the character (as they'll make Spidey 15-ish) and we ain't seen nothing yet, but my first impression about this Peter Parker was actually, "Uh.....?" But, it did get better as the movie progressed, thank God, especially the airport scene. Can't wait for Spider-Man: Homecoming. That kid's gonna nail the role, hopefully better than Maguire and Garfield.

Tony and Peter walking to a room... H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S
This was one of the 'progresses' Peter had in the movie. RDJ is a great actor, and anyone who acts with him will look good too. I gotta admit both RDJ and Holland have a great chemistry, thus making this scene more fun to watch. When I was watching this the first time, the whole theater laughed so hard during the scene. But the second time, they just laughed in some parts. But still, Tony and Peter made a great partner. It seemed as if the actors have known each other for a long time. Also, I was wondering about the fate of Peter's homework.

Tony's logic
"We got a boy killed in Sokovia! I feel bad about that, so I have to sign the accords, protect the world! The only was to do that is to recruit another boy to fight with me in a dangerous situation!" Come on, Tony. (But his expression in the end of the fight showed that he actually cared and felt responsible about Peter. Aww.)

What bugs me about the jokes is it comes from the bugs
Not literally, but most of the funny parts in the movie did come from our superbugs, I mean, Ant-Man and Spider-Man. I'm not complaining, not at all. I love the humors, they were placed perfectly to the scenes that needed them the most. But, it was one of the reasons why I called the movie 'light'. Again, I'm not complaining because it feels right. Even the delivery Scott/Ant-Man did of the line, "I believe this is yours, Captain America!" cracked me up. Or that moment when almost everyone reminds Spidey to shut up when fighting. Priceless. Just bring it all on!

Wanda and her relationships to other characters
I like how they make the character important. She was the youngest Avenger, and the recent event just made her more vulnerable than before. It was understandable that everyone wanted to look after her. Steve acted like a caring big bro and stood up for her in front of Tony, who also tried to protect her by keeping her in the mansion. Clint 'rescued' her from there because he felt like he still owed her after everything that happened in Age of Ultron. But the most important, the relationship between her and Vision. I've read somewhere that in the comics, they actually got married (correct me if I'm wrong). This could be a little easter egg, as we don't know if the producers will use that storyline or not.

Sorry, Vision, but somehow I like this duo more :3 (moviepilot.com)

The fighting scenes are the best in MCU so far
It's beyond awesome! Civil War is action-packed and the fighting scenes are just remarkable. Plus, that Star Wars reference by Spidey... Marvel and Star Wars? That's dope!

Black Widow is still badass... but that's about it.
I'm disappointed of how this character turns out. We all need female heroes (or heroines), but I'm getting tired of Black Widow already. Is it just me or is it the writing? It's definitely not Scarlett Johansson because she's always ok. If they can mock Hawkeye for relying on his arrows, why can't they do the same to Black Widow? Sure, she's a highly trained assassin-turned-agent. But her story arc is just stagnant. Going nowhere. I mean, in Age of Ultron, we found out that Clint/Hawkeye actually has a family, that's one interesting character story arc. I just need the same one for Natasha, other than her kind-of-forced romance with Bruce Banner/Hulk. Thank God we have another badass females in the form of Wanda/Scarlet Witch and Sharon Carter.

Wait, Hawkeye was retired?
If they said he was taking a break, it wouldn't be such a big deal. But 'retired'? That sounds like "I'm totally done with this." Does that mean Clint Barton already gave Hawkeye up before being recruited to #TeamCap? I get that he wanted to spend the time with his family, but if he really was retired... and considered to do that again after this... *frowned* Well, if he was willing to disappoint his kids by helping Cap, it meant he was always ready to get back on the field again, right? So, no real retirement, right? *smiles*

"The Futurist, gentlemen! The Futurist is here!"
Unless you're a big fan of Robert Downey, Jr., you probably don't know that the actor made an album back in 2005. His first and only album was called, you got it, The Futurist. So, when Clint called Tony that, I was excited because I knew the reference right away. No one in my theater(s) seemed to get it, that's a bummer. The Futurist has great songs that you need to listen to, plus it's RDJ singing!

Robert Downey, Jr.'s The Futurist album cover (wikipedia.org)

The Fallen Avenger
Literally. I almost cried seeing this because RDJ's expression is just so heartbreaking.

Zemo is not that weak of a villain
Maybe I'm the minority, but I don't think Zemo is just another failed Marvel villain. Yes, I am a Daniel Brühl fan, and yes, you might find this a little bit biased, but please hear me out. I want to get off of the 'fan' label for a second to express my opinion about the character, and maybe a little explanation for those who 'just don't get it'. Mild spoilers ahead.
In his first appearance in the movie, Zemo was a seemingly vicious man with a mission of his own. At first, his actions didn't make much sense, but when we learned what his actual goal and the reason behind it, I just... got it. I figured out why he did what he did. When I was watching the movie for the first time, I was kinda disappointed because I thought the role would be much 'bigger'. But then I watched it again and gather all the thoughts, and oh, I see! He had a pretty solid motive, even though it was none other than revenge. Some people might find it cliche, but it was still logical. Revenge, betrayal, and trust were the main issues of the movie, so I didn't see why I had to complain about his motivation. When Steve asked him what he wanted, he simply replied, "To see an empire falls."
And guess what? He got it. He tore down the Avengers, he made #TeamCap vs #TeamIronMan fight until one of them was critically injured -- his plans actually worked without getting his hands too dirty! It's a simple logic: if the super-powered humans can't even defeat them, then the only way to do that is to make them defeat each other. That's what Zemo wanted to see, a fallen empire, to make them feel what it was like to lose everyone. He was an ordinary man without super power whatsoever, but he was both smart and cunning. He won. Now, let me ask you: how many villains actually have their whole plans succeeded and win?
I'm not saying Zemo is a perfect villain, but he's not as underwhelming as everyone says. Besides, it's heavily hinted that he could be coming back in future movie(s) and it means there are always a room for some character developments, but I could be wrong. I understand what the mixed reactions are about, because this Zemo and comic book's Zemo are two different characters sharing the same name. People are raging over it. Since I don't read the comics, it's totally fine with me. In fact, he is better than some of the villains Marvel has been giving us this whole time. And Daniel Brühl's performance just sealed the deal for me.

Stucky > Staron (or whatever the hell the ship name for Steve and Sharon is)
It was both weird and cute to see Steve and Sharon embracing each other, but this made it seemed like Steve was thinking, "Ugh, I didn't get the aunt. Let's go after the niece instead!" I'm not the only one who thinks so, right? Haha, but just admit it, you either laugh seeing Sam and Bucky's reaction to that, or have the same exact faces. Otherwise, the romance seemed rushed. It's not that I don't like Sharon (I really love Emily VanCamp!), but Steve and Bucky remain as my favorite pairing in the movie. Best friends always come first. They shared a great chemistry. It actually broke my heart when Bucky didn't remember Steve in The Winter Soldier, and then in this movie when they met in Bucky's apartment. Steve's choice of defending him even when he didn't want the help just moved me, simply because, "He's my friend." Aahhh! We need friends like Steve Rogers, especially if we're always acting crazy like James 'Bucky' Barnes.

That last scene in Siberia
While I still have many questions about some certain things, the whole scene is just too awesome for words. The reveal, the fight, even the redemption scene between two of the characters involved, they were all perfectly shot.

Iron Man vs Captain America vs Winter Soldier... couldn't ask for more. (moviepilot.com)

Everett and Zemo
I was excited to see them finally sharing a scene. But something is missing here...... Doctor Strange! Too bad, we could've had Sherlock x The Fifth Estate crossover. And Zemo's "Did it?" line got me chills.

That ending and post-credit scenes
I can't sit still if my mind suddenly thinks about the ending. We already know the fates of #TeamCap and #TeamIronMan after the last fight, but the ending sparked many questions. What would happen to them? What should we expect from future movies? Yes, the events in Civil War change the whole Marvel Cinematic Universe. The movies will have different tones from now on, probably darker. But as darker as they can be, it won't be in the same level as Netflix shows, right? I mean, Disney is involved...
And also, who else likes the mid and post-credit scenes? They both help setting up the solo movies for two of the newcomers, Black Panther and Spider-Man. I can't wait to see how they turn out!

---

Those are my thoughts and my opinions. If we don't think the same, that's okay because people see things differently. Oh, and if you find any mistakes/errors/wrong facts regarding the movie in my writing above, please don't hesitate to tell me.
What do you think about the movie? What's your favorite moment? And, since mine is pretty obvious (or not, depends on how well you know me haha)... who is your favorite character from the movie? Oh, better yet, which one is your favorite joke? :D

This is very long, I know, but I'm relieved to finally write this. Now, it's time to get back to my school assignments...

TO THE ASSIGNMENTS! (dailysuperhero.com)

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