Hands down, the latest addition to the Marvel film franchise, Captain America: Civil War serves up more than your average—and almost predictable—superhero movie plot of good versus evil proving that the Russos have once again raised the bar of expectation and satisfaction far higher than anyone may have anticipated.
After a brief prologue that ties this up with Captain America: Winter Soldier, the film starts in Lagos where Captain America (Chris Evans) and selected members of the Avengers team, including Wanda “Scarlet Witch” Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen) introduced to the Marvel film franchise in The Avengers: Age of the Ultron where doing very much what they have always done—keeping the world and its citizens safe from harm. That was, until a slight miscalculation resulted in things going horribly wrong, causing the whole world to shift their views towards this band of “enhanced” individuals and resulting to a decision for them to be regulated and controlled.
The mandate given splits the Avengers into two camps. One group comprised by Tony Stark aka IronMan (Robert Downey, Jr.), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Rhodey Rhodes aka War Machine (Don Cheadle). Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) join Captain America’s side.
As the story unfolds, writers Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely spun a captivating plot that displays an entertaining blend of elements expected from any superhero film, current political and social issues and surprising, yet calculated, twists and turns. To lighten things up, Markus and McFeely attempted to interject some bit of humor, particularly at the height of the confrontation of the two factions of the once solid team with the introduction of two additions to both sides: Atom Ant (Paul Rudd) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland).
However, this is where Markus and McFeely felt short on their delivery. The constant—almost seemingly never ending—ramblings of the two new characters bordered on exaggeration that it dampened the delivery not just of the witty (and often, sarcastic) comments expected to be heard from IronMan during such events, but the impact of what could pretty much be considered a pivotal part of the entire film. Thankfully, Markus and McFeely were able to redeem themselves with a final twist in the end that did more than just tie up the loose ends that seemed to be all over the film.
Initially, the title appears lead one to assume that this would address many political issues currently faced. However, as the film artistically portrayed, the question of whether the end really—and truly—justifies the means goes beyond the realm of politics. Indeed, it goes down right into the very character of each and every one of us, exposing many underlying factors can complicate what many perceive to be a straightforward solution: understanding, personal involvement, principles, and diplomacy. It’s a delicate balance that when one gets tipped ever so slightly can greatly change the whole scenario, and always with consequences and a price to pay.
This is what clinches it for Captain America: Civil War to become one of the best Marvel films released to date. Yes, there was a villian in the form of Baron Zemo (Daniel Brühl) lurking all throughout the film. But really, in the end, it shows that the enhancement of each and every one of the superheroes featured in the film does not include their personal emotions. In fact, they are no different than the ordinary folks that they try to protect. In the end, this is why saying that the end justifies the means may not entirely be justifiable at all.
