Marvel Melodrama not for the Uninitiated
May 10, 2016
Captain America: Civil War (2016).
D: Anthony Russo & Joe Russo. DP: Trent Opaloch. W: Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely. Starring: Chris Evans/Robert Downey Jr./Anthony Mackie/Scarlett Johansson/Sebastian Stan/Don Cheadle/Paul Bettany/Elizabeth Olsen/Chadwick Boseman/Emily VanCamp/Tom Holland/Daniel Bruhl/William Hurt/Martin Freeman/Marisa Tomei.
I know you probably feel like you just sat down to watch a Marvel movie only a month ago because, well, you did. Deadpool can still be heard laughing at the X-Men who incidentally have another theatrical installment of their tale in theaters this weekend. Yet this month we return to the world of Captain America in Chris Evan’s third stand alone film as the flashiest boy scout there ever was.
2011’s Captain America: The First Avenger laid most of the groundwork of who Steve Rogers was before and after the creation of his war-time costumed hero. Moving the timeline forward 2014’s Captain America: The Winter Soldier sees the return of Steve’s friend Bucky (Sebastian Stan) whose ampted assassin status has him become a fugitive from justice. Now in Captain America: Civil War we find Steve and his Avengers friends grappling with consequences of their well meaning interventions in world catastrophes. Given the chance to sign over their duties to the government, Steve’s stance on this becomes more complicated when Bucky resurfaces. Will vigilante behavior ensue?
Is that a lot to follow? Maybe. At this point if you have not seen an Avengers or Captain America film I would not start with this one. However, if you are not into Marvel then you probably will not bother, right? In essence though Civil War is more like Avengers 2.5 and less like a Captain America stand alone film, which actually makes it stronger. Steve’s goody-two-shoe quality is best when balanced with other characters, especially the complexity of Bucky. Addressing the same issues Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice attempted to discuss, as a group Steve and more Avengers cope with the personal and public fallout of violence. Who can make the call to step in and whose agenda does this powerful group adhere to. Rather than be clunky about it the film splits the group keeping the internal threat to friendship and loyalty the focus of the drama and action.
Bucky’s reappearance luckily means more Stan onscreen. His Winter Soldier is greasy and sullen, the thankful opposite of clean-cut Evans. The distaste he has for Falcon (Anthony Mackie) injects humor into their not so bromance friendship triangle. Mackie takes on a larger role as does Scarlett Johannson as Black Widow. Clearly the Marvel heads heard the shouts about her needing her own film as one of the few female Avengers. Here she has some great fight sequences–twisting the necks of most of the men she fights. Other Avengers do appear, but I have left them out to not spoil the make up of the competing parties. Civil War does its diligence in introducing not one, but two additions to the Avengers world. Tom Holland is a rightfully youthful Peter Parker aka Spider-Man. He brings new energy and has a nice dynamic with Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.). But don’t forget that Columbia Pictures owns the rights to Spider-Man, hence why there will be another set of films so they can retain those rights. Chadwick Boseman also appears for the first time as Black Panther. Boseman’s own Black Panther film will not hit theaters until 2018 and has Creed director Ryan Coogler on board.
Civil War is directed and shot by the same team behind Winter Soldier and it clearly shows. Lightness and humor are not lost amidst a plot that grapples with serious ideas. The Avengers team essentially works as an extended family for its characters whose abilities isolate them from the general population. It is the perfect recipe for melodrama and the familial showdown and closer hand-to-hand fights are woven well into the personal conflicts. There are surely weaknesses like Emily VanCamp’s silly appearance or Elizabeth Olsen’s inconsistent accent as Wanda aka Scarlett Witch. Yet, ultimately the film is a solid addition to the Marvel world for those already indoctrinated.
A Villian’s Movie
April 12, 2014
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014).
D: Anthony & Joe Russo. DP: Trent Opaloch. W: Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely. (Based on the Marvel comic books by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby.) Starring: Chris Evans/Samuel L. Jackson/ Scarlett Johansson/Robert Redford/Anthony Mackie/Sebastian Stan/Cobie Smulders/Emily VanCamp/Hayley Atwell/Toby Jones/Frank Grillo.
This will be a season of sequels, now to be expected from American movie studios. As comic book movies get bigger and louder and more expensive, is there really anything left to see?
Like with most sequels, comparisons to the first movie are inevitable. So when my younger brother got super pumped about watching a double feature of Captain America I went along. So not only would I compare the two movies, but was encouraged to do so. The verdict? I liked the second more.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier picks up where The Avengers left off, sort of. Chris Evans’ Steve Rogers is acclimating to his life in Washington DC, working for Shield, and building a tense rapport with Natasha (aka Black Widow) played and pouted by Scarlett Johansson. Evans’ moral compass continues to wreck havoc on his relationship with Shield and his boss, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). Which ultimately becomes the driving question behind this movie, who is good and who is bad and the company you think is good may in fact be bad. Total snoozefest.
However, what saves this boring basic plot line is the silent, conflicted, and menacing presence of Sebastian Stan as the winter soldier. Without giving anything away that the promos haven’t, his relationship with Evans’ Captain America brings this action movie into a more personal space. What is boring about Steve Rogers is his lack of any sort of inner conflict or darkness. Even if something is morally grey, everything is processed externally for him and quantified. This makes him feel outdated and forces the script to fall back on silly fish out of water jokes to build his personality. Rather Stan’s performance is everything non existent in Evans and is not only the perfect foil for the hero, but much more fun to watch. Not nearly as creative or as fleshed out, the winter soldier is akin to Heath Ledger’s Joker in The Dark Knight in plot functionality and narrative dimension.
What is also very successful here is the hand to hand combat. Although there is far too much excessive violence, much like last summer’s Man of Steel, the non CGI fighting between Evans and Stan is tense, intricate, and masterful. Clearly the Russos knew that this story would have to be fought differently than its predecessor. There is one sequence in an elevator that is action movie fighting at its best and most fun. Thankfully Anthony Mackie’s Falcon was also there to bring some color and freshness to the world along with a impeccably wardrobed Robert Redford as a Shield big wig. I consider this an improvement over the first film and not a waste of time, so a win?
A Heroic Attempt
August 29, 2011
Captain America: The First Avenger (2011).
D: Joe Johnston. DP: Shelly Johnson. W: Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely. (Based on the Marvel comic books by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby.) Starring: Chris Evans/Huge Weaving/Tommy Lee Jones/Stanley Tucci/Dominic Cooper/Hayley Atwell/Toby Jones/Sebastian Stan/Neal McDonough/Derek Luke/Kenneth Choi/JJ Field.
As summer slowly winds down, the last of the comic book films makes it onscreen. Summer audiences have already seen my favorite, X-Men: First Class, Thor, and the disastrous Green Lantern, which I chose to pass on seeing. Already set for release next summer are The Amazing Spider-man (a remake so laughable it is sad) and The Avengers, which is nicely set up by the end of this last film, Captain America:The First Avenger.
Captain America immediately has a leg up on other franchises as it is not set in modern day. The period setting, in this case the heat of World War II in 1942, gives the “superhero” premise some release from having to attempt to fit the plot into a modern landscape. Rather the “superhero” element of it all is rooted in patriotism and the scientific progress made during the war. A plausible context for CGI scrawny Chris Evans’ desire to join the army despite his repeated ineligibility and turn his character, Steve Rogers, into the genetically improved Captain America. This is not Evans’ first comic-book character he has brought to screen. He previously played Johnny Storm or Human Torch in 2005’s Fantastic Four and 2007’s Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer. However, this is definitely the better role and film. So although the project doesn’t seem like much of a challenge for Evans, he gives a decency and shine to Steve that gives the whole project the human strain it needs.
Amidst all the changes Evans undergoes, he is shepherded by a charming Stanley Tucci as a German scientist and then managed by a gruff Colonel played by Tommy Lee Jones. Dominic Cooper makes a delightful turn as Daddy Stark, the aviator and brilliant engineer whose son ends up as Iron Man. His friend and eventual fellow soldier, Bucky, is amply played by Sebastian Stan. Evans and Stan have a nice camaraderie and thankfully no obligatory romantic interest character shows up. Rather Brit Peggy (Hayley Atwell) works with Evans since the beginning and whatever romance is there can be read more as new found stud Evans realizing how his chances might have changed. Atwell is charming and beautiful and her character thankfully makes sense as her unit is so specific a woman’s presence is plausible.
The only elements that truly identify the film as a “superhero” one is the outfit Evans must don for his beginning charades as a symbol for wartime bond buying. Once again the setting allows details like this to be taken in stride and actually given more meaning. Another element would be Hugo Weaving’s performance as Joann Schmidt or Red Skull, a German military man who takes his own science to the next level during the war. This is also not Weaving’s first involvement with a comic-book adaptation. He previously starred in 2006’s memorable V for Vendetta based on a graphic novel. Weaving does wonders with neuroses here and adds weight to the crazy he must contend with for his character. Unfortunately, it is only his look that really ruins the mood. Also, one can only wonder that Evans never has any medical or mental side effects from his new situation? Once again, the “superhero” element takes over.
Overall, Captain America ends the summer on a nigh note. From start to finish it is enjoyable, with enough action and drama to hold up its wartime setting. The true test for most audiences will be to see how memorable a character Captain America actually is. Having not been very present these last few years or successful with its previous incarnations, we shall see how this all plays into the new Avengers film next year. A film which I do hope knocks all the rest of this genre out of the water. But one can only hope.