The third Captain America movie has unsurprisingly caused a division among fans, matching the rivalry between Tony Stark and Steve Rogers.
Anyone who knows me, knows that Marvel is one of my hobbies, if following a franchise can be classed as a hobby? I guess what I’m trying to say is that I am very emotionally attached and I will fight for my favourite characters. Yes, I have been genuinely angry at friends who have said something negative about Bucky Barnes.
The whole Team Cap and Team Iron Man drama was inevitable but the press tour was genius; I've never seen a cast interact with fans on such a large scale, and being a very involved Marvel fan myself, I really felt like I was a part of something.
One thing I will say is that your opinion could go one of two ways; you could go into the movie on one team, but walk out completely confused, or alternatively you go in confused and leave having decided firmly on a team. Personally, I was Team Cap right up until a very particular moment towards the end which I’m not going to mention, but if you’ve seen the movie you’ll probably work out which scene lead me to be very disappointed in Cap.
Despite my disappointment in Steve Rogers, I didn’t sway towards Team Iron Man and instead, after being presented with solid arguments on both sides and no clear right or wrong, I couldn't help but respect and appreciate both perspectives and I left the cinema feeling completely torn.
This leads me on to one of the best aspects of the movie in terms of storytelling; the fact that neither team is shown to be right or wrong allows us to make up our own minds. It’s unbiased, something that doesn’t seem possible with a plot of this nature and the title ‘Civil War’.
I had previously been reading that a lot of people were skeptical that Civil War would turn out to be more of an Avengers movie since it features so many of our favourite superheroes but I promise you, this is a Captain America movie through and through.
You want to know how it’s so obvious? Steve and Bucky. Fans cling onto their relationship, and rightly so. The First Avenger is what drew us in and caused us to fall in love with them both, The Winter Soldier broke our hearts, leaving us in mourning for James Buchanan Barnes and Civil War was like a therapy session in which we were reunited with the Bucky we all know and love.
The connection between these two men is something that we take a great interest in and their relationship is developed even further in this movie; you can really see the change in Bucky and it’s interesting to see how they interact now that he has a better grasp on reality and realises that The Winter Soldier hurt a lot of people. His character development is an extremely valuable aspect of Civil War, after all, he is the motivation behind a lot of Cap’s actions.
I truly commend Anthony and Joe Russo for making sure that every single character had their moment to shine, but all the while still being sure that the focus is not solely on Tony and Steve's disagreement, but more on Steve's inner battle because like I said, it’s still a Captain America movie.
I am absolutely relieved that Joss Whedon had nothing to do with this movie and especially with Bucky, the Russo Brothers did him and most of the other characters justice.
I think most fans will agree that each character worked perfectly, although we’re mutually angry that Sharon Carter aka Agent 13 is portrayed as Steve’s love interest. Number one; she deserved more screen time and number two; she deserved more, period. She is not just a love interest, she is a valuable character and one who most definitely did not need to be placed in the movie just for the benefit of Captain America himself. Despite this, she still proved herself as a complete badass.
I really wanted to love T'Challa/Black Panther but I just didn’t. Sure, he’s great in the fight scenes and he was dealing with a lot of emotions, so I can see why others loved him, but to me, he was just sort of..there. He didn’t make any kind of an impact on me, which leads me to hope that I’ll grow attached to him further down the line.
I also wasn’t keen on Spiderman before the movie, but either Tom Holland himself or Spidey himself completely swayed me by the end. I say that maybe it was Tom Holland because I was watching the London Premiere live and I saw how enthusiastic he was to be there and my heart melted.
Someone else who fits in perfectly is Ant Man. You would almost expect him to be a little out of his league but it just worked. He and Spiderman, along with Sam and Bucky’s interactions, brought a lot of humour to the movie, but as Chloe says “theres a good mix of humour and seriousness, it wasn't just full of sarcastic responses.”
Scarlet Witch has been in my top five from the first time we saw her, even though she started out as a villain. Her development is often overlooked but she was incredible as always in Civil War and I loved the dynamic between her and Steve with him wanting to protect her. I wish there’d been more interaction between her and Bucky because they’re actually pretty similar.
Can we get more of Wanda and Vision please? Although God bless the Russo Brothers for not giving us another Bruce and Natasha situation. Don’t get me started on that.
Since I’m on the topic or romantic relationships (I couldn't not mention this, sorry), Sebastian Stan who plays Bucky has been hinting at a relationship between Bucky and Nat in almost every interview on the press tour, and the few scenes they share in Civil War, one in particular, are intriguing and open up the possibility. I know that Buckynat is in the comics and that the MCU is different but even so, Marvel could definitely go down that route if they wanted to (a large percentage of the fans want it, as does one of their lead actors…)
PS hello Marvel, if you’re reading, this gives you yet another reason to give us our Black Widow solo movie (as if you even needed another). Thank you.
In the early days, before the press tour, fans were upset over Thor and Hulk not being in Civil War but I feel like it would’ve been too much; the teams as they were, were perfectly balanced.
In the big fight scenes, I did feel like there was often a lot going on and that I’d need to watch the movie multiple times to see everything but hey, I guess that’s what Marvel wants and it worked because I’m going again tomorrow.
The funeral scene was handled well (I’m not telling you who dies but I think most of you will already know because it’s pretty obvious), but I almost feel like there should’ve been a little more emotion behind it all rather than just a text and a speech. It's as if the funeral happened and then that was it, no more dwelling on the huge loss. The person who died was a very important part of the two previous films and I believe they should’ve had a more heart-wrenching send off.
One thing I think is vital to mention is that Tony Stark is not a villain which is what far too many people are saying. He's broken and emotionally damaged, as are the majority of the Avengers, and once you pay attention to his history, it’s very easy to see where he’s coming from. The same goes for Cap and Bucky and everyone else, they have their reasons which are all very respectable.
I have to say that although I absolutely adored Civil War, it’s The Winter Soldier that still has a special place in my heart. For me, nothing can beat it but this next (and final) instalment of the Captain America trilogy comes very close.
If you’re a diehard Marvel fan, you will not be disappointed. The cast and crew have done us proud.
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