I had heard before that the theme of the infighting concerned new legislation that would put the Avengers under UN oversight, with Captain America leading the antis and Iron Man leading the pros. (Only Thor and the Hulk are sitting this one out.) But that conflict is rather incidental to the real reason: Bucky Barnes, a.k.a. the Winter Soldier, formerly Hydra's greatest brainwashed assassin, is the #1 suspect in a subsequent UN bombing. Cap wants to give his old friend Bucky more of a chance than the conventional authorities would. There's actually a third side: Newly minted hero Black Panther, wishing to avenge his father, would rather kill Bucky than let him get arrested. As it turns out, vengeance is a bit of a running theme....
As a rule, I favor the less authoritarian stance on issues, but CA:CW does a good job of making me wonder which side makes a better point. I have little trust in the real modern UN and less still in the UN of a world where Hydra permeated SHIELD, but would I put more trust in the unsupervised judgment of a dozen elite fighters who had failed to avoid major lethal collateral damage? Basically, it's the same conundrum I see in all sorts of political debates: No matter what system we choose, the decisionmakers are only human. (And demigod at times.)
The main factor keeping my optimism for this film in check was the whole thing about superheroes fighting each other. It's been common in this series, among others, apparently because they're powerful enough to defeat most foes pretty easily. The trouble is that (1) it's hard to enjoy when you don't know whom to root for; (2) sometimes a hero will seem too out of character; and (3) no one is trying to kill or permanently disable anyone, so how high are the stakes?
Fortunately, CA:CW keeps just about everything both exciting and, for its world, credible enough. The teams, not counting forces like the police, are about evenly matched all told. And directors Anthony and Joe Russo, while not as gimmicky, probably clear the bar for humor raised by Joss Whedon.
I only wish the camerawork weren't so hectic, however unsurprisingly. During action scenes, the view tends to shake too much for good focus, and the short shots don't help. (I'll give kudos to the first director who makes a real superhero flick with Birdman-style long shots.) In truth, the most confusing moments may be among the quiet scenes, tho at least all becomes clear eventually.
Part of the fun comes in the dynamics of the newer heroes. Everyone gets a fair turn to show off this time, and it's hard to predict who will attack whom next. The Falcon and War Machine are finally as cool as they ought to be, but Black Panther may be cooler still. I'm not sure whether Vision or Scarlet Witch is most powerful. Ant-Man outdoes what I recall of his performance in his eponymous movie (not reviewed on this blog because I was jet-lagged when I watched). And a novice Spider-Man almost steals all his scenes with adorkability, even if I wish he and his aunt weren't getting younger all the time.
Ultimately, I'm afraid it's the old pros who come out looking the worst, especially in the anticlimactic final action scene. Apart from Cap's famous "No, you move" speech (delivered here by Sharon Carter, niece of his late ex-girlfriend, who appears to be his next girlfriend and a capable agent in her own right), I never figured him for quite such an unlawful type. And when the genius billionaire ex-playboy philanthropist with unusual equipment (whose beloved Pepper Potts is again written out, for reasons I can imagine) started angsting over his murdered parents, I thought, "Congratulations: You've gone back to being a Batman knockoff." I guess the Black Widow and Hawkeye break even for our esteem.
What started out smart and invigorating couldn't help but leave us on an unsatisfying note. Much like in Captain America: The First Avenger, Marvel wants to whet our appetite for something even bigger. And considering the record length of 2 hours and 27 minutes, much of it intense battle, what comes next may just reach my personal limit for stimulation.
Overall, I still give CA:CW high marks. Maybe it's about average for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You should know what that means for you. If you do see it, just be sure your bladder doesn't make you miss the mid- and post-credit sequences.
Fortunately, CA:CW keeps just about everything both exciting and, for its world, credible enough. The teams, not counting forces like the police, are about evenly matched all told. And directors Anthony and Joe Russo, while not as gimmicky, probably clear the bar for humor raised by Joss Whedon.
I only wish the camerawork weren't so hectic, however unsurprisingly. During action scenes, the view tends to shake too much for good focus, and the short shots don't help. (I'll give kudos to the first director who makes a real superhero flick with Birdman-style long shots.) In truth, the most confusing moments may be among the quiet scenes, tho at least all becomes clear eventually.
Part of the fun comes in the dynamics of the newer heroes. Everyone gets a fair turn to show off this time, and it's hard to predict who will attack whom next. The Falcon and War Machine are finally as cool as they ought to be, but Black Panther may be cooler still. I'm not sure whether Vision or Scarlet Witch is most powerful. Ant-Man outdoes what I recall of his performance in his eponymous movie (not reviewed on this blog because I was jet-lagged when I watched). And a novice Spider-Man almost steals all his scenes with adorkability, even if I wish he and his aunt weren't getting younger all the time.
Ultimately, I'm afraid it's the old pros who come out looking the worst, especially in the anticlimactic final action scene. Apart from Cap's famous "No, you move" speech (delivered here by Sharon Carter, niece of his late ex-girlfriend, who appears to be his next girlfriend and a capable agent in her own right), I never figured him for quite such an unlawful type. And when the genius billionaire ex-playboy philanthropist with unusual equipment (whose beloved Pepper Potts is again written out, for reasons I can imagine) started angsting over his murdered parents, I thought, "Congratulations: You've gone back to being a Batman knockoff." I guess the Black Widow and Hawkeye break even for our esteem.
What started out smart and invigorating couldn't help but leave us on an unsatisfying note. Much like in Captain America: The First Avenger, Marvel wants to whet our appetite for something even bigger. And considering the record length of 2 hours and 27 minutes, much of it intense battle, what comes next may just reach my personal limit for stimulation.
Overall, I still give CA:CW high marks. Maybe it's about average for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. You should know what that means for you. If you do see it, just be sure your bladder doesn't make you miss the mid- and post-credit sequences.
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