Yippee-ki-yay, movie lovers, it's Jan here.
In Captain America: Civil War, we learn that with great power comes a great deal of government
supervision.
Team Iron Man's ok with that; Team Cap, not so much.
And so the scene is set for the third of this year's ideological bust-ups between comic
book characters.
First we had Daredevil versus the Punisher in Season 2 of Marvel's Netflix show, and
then we had Batman v Superman.
But now it's time for two of the lynchpins of the Marvel Cinematic Universe to face off
in Captain America: Civil War.
And it's been well worth the wait.
Captain America: Civil War certainly has a lot of plates to keep spinning, between being
the third instalment in a Captain America trilogy, a sort of sequel to Age of Ultron,
an introduction to several new superheroes, and an Avengers movie in everything other
than name.
But don't worry as directors Anthony and Joe Russo and screenwriters Christopher Markus
and Stephen McFeely deftly keep those plates in pretty magnificent motion throughout.
The chemistry between the movie's many actors and the connection you feel to their characters
has been slowly and steadily cooking for a number of years now, and Civil War makes the
very most of that.
At the heart of the movie are powerful, pitch-perfect performances from Chris Evans and Robert Downey
Jr.
Each actor is so obviously at ease in their roles and has developed their respective characters
of Steve Rogers and Tony Stark so well over the course of numerous films that it's a real
pleasure to watch them on screen as they battle not only each other but their own inner conflicts.
And it's fantastic seeing the welcome return of so many other familiar faces too.
Scarlett Johansson's Black Widow, Anthony Mackie's Falcon, Don Cheadle's War Machine,
and Jeremy Renner's Hawkeye all get their moments in and out of battle, though inevitably
some get more time to enjoy the spotlight than others.
Sebastian Stan is superb as Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier and his rapport with on-screen
best friend Chris Evans feels wonderfully real.
As the mysterious Zemo, Daniel Brühl gives a nicely grounded, understated performance.
Paul Bettany continues the fine work as Vision he started in Age of Ultron, and he and Elizabeth
Olsen get some delightful scenes together, which both actors cleverly underplay as they
build their characters in intriguing ways.
Paul Rudd's arrival as Ant-Man is a real joy and he contributes some great moments to the
movie.
I also really like Emily VanCamp as Sharon Carter, aka Agent 13, and though her role
is a smaller supporting one compared to the movie's many superheroes, she does get more
to do in this movie.
However, one particular moment between Carter and another character feels lacking in credible
build-up.
And, as Everett K. Ross, Martin Freeman feels a little wasted.
Right from the very start, the action is full-on, with plenty of wonderfully choreographed and
shot scenes that show the influence of movies including The Raid and Bourne franchises and
demand your attention at every twist and turn of the camera.
And there's one particular action sequence that's utterly spectacular, and is right up
there with the very best superhero action scenes ever.
The movie contains a wealth of humour too which comes from a variety of sources including
Tony Stark, though he's necessarily more subdued than usual.
Falcon, Vision, Ant-Man, and new superhero kid on the block, Spider-Man, also add a hell
of a lot in the comedy department.
Speaking of Spider-Man and Peter Parker, his scenes are an absolute treat!
As the latest actor to sport the Spidey spandex, Tom Holland is simply outstanding, really
embodying the youthful spirit of the character.
Spider-Man has always been one of my favourite comic book characters, and I cannot wait to
see Holland continue the great groundwork he's laid for the character here in his own
film.
As for, Black Panther, our other new super-arrival, actor Chadwick Boseman makes a great first
impression in the role, playing some really interesting character-driven moments as well
as standing out in plenty of acrobatic action-filled scenes.
Based on this movie, I'm certainly looking forward to his first solo outing in 2018.
Oh, and Stan Lee gets the most fabulous cameo, which is now one of my favourites.
One thing the movie doesn't always get quite right is the level of consequences for some
of its plot points.
But I can't say more without spoiling it.
By the way, if you like Easter Eggs, then Civil War's got stacks to keep a look-out
for.
I've got a video about that on the way, and I'll make the link live here as soon as it's
ready.
So, to sum up: Captain America: Civil War is a compelling piece of cinema and one of
the MCU's best movies so far, which for me means it's up there with the first Iron Man
movie, the first Avengers outing, The Winter Soldier, and Guardians of the Galaxy.
Its action scenes are a breathless pleasure, its humour is on point, its cast is a delight
to watch, and its wealth of Easter Eggs is enough to send you to nerdvana.
It's a movie that deserves repeated viewings.
And I'm already looking forward to watching it again.
Captain America: Civil War gets 4 and a half out of 5 Flicks.
Now, I'd love to know what you're looking forward to about Captain America: Civil War,
and if you've already seen it, what did you think?
Let me know in the comments below!
I've got lots more Captain America: Civil War videos on the way including an Easter
Egg video and more spoilery discussion of the movie.
They'll all be in my Civil War playlist here along with tons of cast interviews.
If you enjoyed this video, I really appreciate your liking and sharing it and subscribing!
Thanks for watching and see ya next time.
Yippee-ki-yay, movie lovers!