Saturday, May 14, 2016

Movie Review … Captain America: Civil War

There have been so many superhero films recently, it’s been hard telling them apart.  Many have the same template of high-octane thrills and an abundance of CGI-fused action.  It would be very easy to cynically think ‘Captain America: Civil War’ would just be the same.  To a degree it is, although the strong direction and solid characterisation make it more than diverting.  With an emotional and personal involvement in the story, ‘Captain America: Civil War’ ensures its many masked heroes leap through the comic book pages with mighty abandon.

When collateral damage is caused by The Avengers, led by Captain America/Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) the government steps in.  Creating a system of better accountability which leads to a shocking split.  With Rogers wanting to continue a path of individual freedom, his views are opposed by Iron Man/Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jnr).  Battle-lines are quickly drawn as hero vs. hero with the game of brinkmanship used by sinister forces determined to eradicate the heroes forever.

Having directed the previous Captain America film ‘Winter Soldier’ to great acclaim, the Russo Brothers do the same with ‘Civil War’.  The title is a little mis-leading as this is more an Avengers tale than a genuine solo Captain America outing.  This somewhat de-values the title character’s contribution although overall ‘Civil War’ delivers glossy spectacle.  Injected with intelligent plotting exploring issues of trust and loyalty, the story zooms along at break-neck speed disguising its gargantuan run-time.

For long-time Marvel comic fans, ‘Civil War’ provides a blancmange of super-heroics. Spider-Man and Black Panther make their debuts in the official Marvel cinematic universe, infusing a freshness the script needs.  Their contribution to the action sequences make them watchable even if perhaps watching constantly fighting heroes becomes a little tedious.  The strength of the direction and story make up for it, giving the solid cast plenty to get stuck into in between wearing outrageous outfits.

‘Captain America: Civil War’ is what you’d expect from a Marvel movie.  It has style, pace and excitement wrapped in an easily viewable package.  The cost of a cinema ticket would be well spent for an escapist night-out with the big-screen surely invented for a massive block-buster such as this.




Movie Review Rating out of 10:  7

Movie Review by Patrick Moore

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Patrick Moore's Movie Review is an alternative look at movie releases in Australia.


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