By Michaela Peterson
Image Courtesy of Marvel
The much hyped 3rd Captain America Movie, Civil War, hit theaters on Friday May 06. Personally, I thought the movie was almost perfect, with the exception of one major flaw: the plot.
If that sounds like a big deal, well, it is. It felt like there were fourteen different plots running throughout the movie, and all of the barely connected, if at all. Of course there were other things, forced romances between characters, people showing up and then completely disappearing, etc. But nothing ruins a movie more than a plot that doesn’t know where it’s going.
However, despite this problem, I can’t bring myself to hate it. The characters and their relationships were, for the most part, beyond anything I’ve seen before in a Marvel movie. Characters like Black Widow, whose characterization has changed throughout the movies, stayed strong and consistent, true to who she was in prior films. Even with the infighting between the two groups, no one wanted to hurt each other. They were still a team. And the new characters were something else entirely, bringing audiences whole new set of superheroes for us to admire. Chadwick Boseman’s Black Panther was incredible. I don’t think there was a person in the theater who didn’t find him humorous and surprisingly well developed. He is a diplomat who hates diplomacy. He is a warrior and a King. He is also unafraid to admit to his mistakes and correct them. The same goes for the new Spider-Man. Like most, I was sceptical when Marvel announced that they were, once again, recasting Spider-Man. I didn’t know how I felt about Tom Holland, who is so young with little experience, playing one of my favorite superheroes. He was INCREDIBLE. He combined the quirky, dorky, very teen-like aspects that Toby Maguire brought to Spider-Man, with the sass and light-hearted jokes that Andrew Garfield provided- while also reflecting the actual age of his character, only around 16 or 17. He really did play the part incredibly, making the truest-to-the-comics Spider-Man yet. With very little screen time, Tom Holland has already earned his place in the hearts of many Marvel fans.
And then, of course, are the three biggest players: Captain America, Iron Man , and the man who created the conflict, Bucky Barnes. The conflict is mostly driven by Zemo, a Sakoian general who has been actively searching for Bucky. Once he gets to him, the real conflict begins. Spoiler Alert! He uses Bucky to find the other Winter Soldiers who were created after Bucky stole the serum from the Starks, whom he had just killed. This fact is what leads to the final fight between Tony, Steve, and Bucky, ending with Steve dropping his shield and leaving with Bucky.
Although I was unimpressed by the plot, it was still a large improvement from Age of Ultron, and in the end the film was redeemed by the amazing characters and their relationships. With only a few minor flaws in terms of character development and interaction, this may have been one of the best Marvel films yet.
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