The First Avenger: Civil War

This movie could just as well have been called Avengers 3 (if you forget about the Hulk and Thor). However, the misleading title is the least of its problems. Civil War is dragged down by the myriad characters between whom the brothers fail to ignite and sustain the same spark as Joss Whedon. With many of the actors, it is patently obvious that they are here only so that they can play a larger role in any of the future Marvel movies (WTF cameos from Marisa Tomei, Martin Freeman and William Hurt, each of which barely covers half a minute). The most important antagonism, nourished in each of their film encounters, i.e. the animosity between Stark and Rogers, is fully played out only at the end, albeit skilfully enough to make you at least hesitate for a moment about who to keep your fingers crossed for. The last act, when the various narrative formulas (teamwork, whodunit, political/espionage thriller) come together to form a relatively well-ordered whole, greatly improves the final impression, despite the significant idiocy of the villain’s reasoning (or why do things the easy way when you can base your plan on the assumption that a certain character will behave in a certain way after certain information has been revealed). Much more so than in the relationships between the superheroes, the brothers are sure-footed in the action scenes, which are satisfyingly varied and clearly constructed, and in the well-thought-out concealment and revelation of information (so something will still surprise you by the end of the movie, even if you’re familiar with the needlessly revealing trailer). On the other hand, the action scenes always last longer than is necessary and the most epic scene is inserted into the film solely as a reward for fans who have seen all of the previous movies from the Marvel Universe. After a while, it all becomes a tediously long superhero showreel (particularly Ant-Man and the new Spider-Man show off everything that they can do) that even the actors don’t take too seriously, as they apologise to their opponents for every hard blow just to be sure (only poor Rhodes ends up a little worse for wear than would have been appropriate for the overall concept of the scene). The main thing is that innocent civilians, whose existence the Avengers have finally taken into consideration, don’t die in the course of the scene. After the preceding films, this hint of humanity comes across as an insincere attempt to meet a demand that changes according to society’s mood. And Civil War is nothing more than an honest effort to fulfil that demand. Aside from the greater demands placed on viewers, who this time have to find their bearings among the motivations and goals of a truly LARGE number of characters, the Marvel Universe is enriched especially by the additional characters, but less so by unique sources of inspiration (and stylistic choices) and the unexpected organisation of the narrative (like Captain America: The Winter Soldier). 80% (05.05.2016)

Marvel filled the hero cloning device and then turned on the uniformity generator. When these heroes, profiled long ago, spend the first hour verbally tapping each other to find out how much they prefer diplomacy over muscle, you somehow end up buying it, even though we know their motives and have an inkling of how and why they make their choices. Yet the action at Leipzig airport perfectly defines what's wrong with the MCU. The protagonists, who have stood together until recently, are suddenly about to face a massive battle and... nothing. Where's the personal drama when they manage to tell each other they're still friends between their fists landing on each other? Every move is predictable, every action guessable. The Siberian anabasis also misses a second chance in the same vein. True, in the individual aspects - the partial action moments, though none of them reach the Winter Soldier's momentum, the Black Panther, the Bourne-esque feel of the first half - it is strong and proves that the Russo brothers got it right, but as a whole, it’s absolutely draining, unsurprising, and you forget about it in a few days. Given what the film earned, there’s no reason for them to change anything for years to come. (05.05.2016)

Where are the times when I approached every new superhero movie with humbleness and I respected Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man. Then I waited half a year for X-Men to appear and in between some B-rated superhero movies appeared here and there, like Daredevil and Elektra,that didn’t play at anything because they knew perfectly well what stories they were telling. However, modern time is different and movies based on comic books are experiencing a boom. The boom is so big that the producers let the Russo brothers spend so much money on a movie that combines something that was incompatible until recently; they offered the role of Spider-Man to a third actor and wrapped it all into a typical, wannabe funny and digitally advanced package that pretends to be very expensive and cool but unfortunately is also reflecting todayʼs time. In reality, it is a mix of nonsense that combines The Avengers, Spider-Man, Captain America, Ant-Man, and Iron Man and there is nothing good about it. I find rather sad what is perceived to be the pinnacle of cinematographic pop culture. A cheap combination of comic book heroes with uninteresting characters and a mediocre story. (05.01.2017)

I'll say right off the bat that I liked the second Captain America better, but fortunately the Russos carried a lot of things over from that into Civil War. The action is still just as gritty and full of clever moments, and there's plenty of room for the other heroes, both newcomers and those from the other films, to show off their abilities. When the action starts, fans of Cap, Iron Man, Ant-Man, Hawkeye and the newcomers will come into their own – Spidey and Black Pather are excellent. The problem, however, comes when the action stops. The Russos are still great at handling characters and defining their perspective on the whole situation in one sentence, making you understand why Black Widow doesn't go with Captain and why Scarlet Witch is on his side. But it's too much. There are simply too many heroes, so while the shorthand works, few get the space to impress. In the end, this is a film in which Tony Stark and Bucky are at the center of the action and the others are more or less extras. Everyone has a chance to make an impact, but if half of the supporting characters were cut out, it wouldn't matter at all. They don't hurt, they don't step over each other, but there's just no time to resolve the conflicts of these secondary characters in a way that makes one really care. On the other hand, even two sentences tossed off by Vision in a silly sweater are still more interesting than the ramblings of Batman and Superman discovering that their moms have the same name. The third Captain is good, but the thing we feared was a bit of a factor. The Marvel Universe has swelled so much that the even best filmmakers simply can't make a movie out of the pile of characters and motives in a way they all get adequate space in. And it's a bit of a shame. The solos suit this franchise better than the team-ups. On the other hand, if the team-ups look like Civil War, I'll always be happy to be there. (15.05.2017)

Die neue Marvel-Ära läutet einen Civil War ein. Nicht nur deshalb, weil der Film neue Game-Player mit ungewöhnlicher Leichtigkeit auf die Bühne bringt, sondern auch, weil er definitiv die Tür zu einer Dimension öffnet, welche The Avengers im ersten und teilweise auch im zweiten Teil völlig außer Acht gelassen haben. Der Bürgerkrieg schließt somit die Lücke zwischen dem "down-to-earth“ Daredevil sowie des eskapistischen Blockbustern, außerdem zeigt er DC und den Warners, wozu denn ein sorgfältiger Aufbau von Charakteren und Geschichten dient. Vielleicht befindet sich irgendwo in der Mitte der Geschichte ein Klischee, jedoch Brühl ist als geheimnisvoller Drähtchenzieher ein ungewöhnlich ziviler sowie und glaubwürdiger (Halb-) Bösewicht. Zeitgleich nimmt sich Captain America definitiv seiner Rolle als Captain of Inconsistency an - eine Figur, welche dem ursprünglichen heroischen Gedanken von Comics so treu bleibt, bis sie während der Relativierungszeit ja quasi zu einem subversiven Element wird. Die Begegnung mit Stark ist viel besser motiviert und vor allem um einiges bedeutungsvoller als die von Batman V Superman. Das kammerspielähnliche und unerwartet beeindruckende Finale stellt einen imaginären Wendepunkt dar. In dieser Welt wird nichts mehr so einfach und klar sein wie einst. Marvel hat den Kampf gegen die Konkurrenz und gegen sich selbst mit überwältigender Mehrheit gewonnen. Nach dem Civil War fragen Sie sich vielleicht, ob Sie eher auf der Seite des Teams Captain America oder des Teams Iron Man stehen. Doch es gelingt nur schwer, nicht auf der Seite des Marvel-Teams zu stehen. Wer hätte das im Jahr 2012 noch gedacht? (05.05.2016)

Three long-term problems of the Marvel movies (if we do not count the uniform unisex kind of movies that Disney regularly produces) is the absence of proper respect for real respected bad guys with clear motivation, who do not only stare aggressively, depersonalized generic interchangeable CGI action and no consequences, impacts or personal sacrifices of the characters. It has always been the case that Marvel movies are better at squabble rather than at blockbuster action. The director brothers did try to change it in the Winter Soldier, and I must compliment them on trying to do the same in this movie too. They were successful in two cases (a scam in the form of the need for a bad guy, no matter how much potential this one has, and amazing action based on stunts) but terribly failed in one, because the unwillingness of Marvel movies to make main heroes any sacrifices has always been obvious but in this movie it is even more obvious in a silly way. In any case, this time the director's duo deserves more praise, because to handle so many characters in a way so that all their intentions are clear and understandable, that new players are properly introduced and do not act as useless as the fifth wheel, that the tension is tangible (unfortunately only in the final) and despite the escalation (although it is more required by the script than the movie itself) and the ambivalence of opinions of both parties, it kept the style of minor exaggeration and on top of all that, all the characters do their job and have enough space. Obviously, even much more experienced movie makers often fail in this department. On the contrary, they did not handle the footage well. It is not lengthy, but it has more sequences with very slow pace than would be appropriate. Other flaws include the epileptic camera in action scenes, and that the whole trifling dispute is more like a pub brawl of a few individuals than a war, let alone a civil war. (05.05.2016)

So many themes and subplots that I wouldn't be surprised if it was actually three movies edited into one. Nonetheless, even such a flood of information and plot twists doesn't hurt and makes Captain America: Civil War a dense 147 minutes. I am feeling a dizzyingly blissful feeling that it will be Anthony Russo and Joe Russo who will be orbiting around Avengers: Infinity War. Because here, so many characters are gathered that even Avengers: Age of Ultron seems almost intimate. But I love Steve Rogers' stories precisely because they are... well, simply, about Steve Rogers. Promoting Iron Man's participation to the second main character is a perfect idea, because Robert Downey, Jr. has never given such an amazing performance before, but the detour to Spider-Man, though perfectly functional and enticing, is too obvious a backdoor restart to not disrupt the pace. Something like that would fit wonderfully into an Avengers film, theoretically even into an Iron Man film, but here I felt a slight disappointment that this particular excursion takes away space from more important things. Fortunately, the rest of the newcomers (Baron Zemo, Black Panther, or at last larger roles for Sharon) and familiar faces, led by the perfect Ant-Man, fit into the stories wonderfully, and the incorporation of Wanda or Hawkeye into the plot brings me immense joy. Based on the reviews, I feel like writing that this is Cap's weakest solo film, but considering how much fun I had and the fact that even at its greatest ease, it simply isn't a solo film, it's not necessary to do so. It just seems that this time it enters the genre boundaries perhaps a bit too broadly. (10.05.2016)

Ich hatte Angst vor einer weiteren großen Zusammenführung so vieler Comicfiguren, denn bis heute bekomme ich einen Ausschlag, wenn ich an den zweiten Avengers-Film denke. Dieses Mal ist es jedoch anders. Der dritte Captain America hat einen etwas dunkleren Ton: Die Superhelden müssen für ihre Taten verantwortlich gemacht werden, wenn bei ihren machohaften Manövern mehr Unschuldige als Schuldige sterben - ähnlich wie bei Batman und Superman. Überraschenderweise gelang es jedoch, ein Gleichgewicht zwischen den Haupt- und vor allem den Nebencharakteren herzustellen, unter denen Ant-Man mit dem neuen Spider-Man am besten zum Strahlen kommt. Vielleicht deshalb wirkt der finale Kampf zwischen Steve und Tony eher kammermusikalisch und nicht vollständig final, im Vergleich zu der grandiosen und verdammt unterhaltsamen fünfzehnminütigen Szene, in der - ACHTUNG, ÄNDERUNG! - alle Helden sich auf einem verlassenen Flughafen gegenseitig den Hintern versohlen. Ja ja, der beste Moment. (05.05.2016)

Excellently filmed, almost as good as Winter Soldier, just with a whole load of extra frills. Perfectly balanced characters, clever story and a villain who...wins? Civil War is probably the most ambitious comic movie at the finale, but the most important thing is that it doesn’t disappoint. It doesn’t fall apart and it manages to stick to the skeleton of the original storyline (in the first version it planned just a small role for Iron Man, no huge battle of superheroes) which it then wraps in nutritious action. (04.05.2016)

Marvel was almost a write-off after their sterile, same old superhero movies, Civil War is a hit and a significant step forward. It plays on a dark emotional chord within reason, opens up interesting questions of international security and laws, goes against itself, and introduces the viewer to new fighters in a very elegant and unobtrusive way. It's almost similarly entertaining to the first Avengers, it just took that tiny little half-step forward, because after all, in those four years we've seen at least five major comic book movies that were all still on the same page. There is of course the traditional stuff like riveting action – it has the clarity from the second, but even better – and the chemistry of the main characters, and even though it's still as simple and without digressions, it's very entertaining because you just don't see that many parametrically interesting and diverse characters on screen. However, by far the only most interesting and emotionally truly fleshed out character remains Bucky, the Winter Soldier. (07.05.2016)

Einer der besten Marvel-Filme, vielleicht sogar der beste. Die Trailer haben zum Glück nicht alles verraten. Deshalb ist die Handlung von The First Avenger: Civil War überraschend (egal, ob Sie die Vorlage kennen oder nicht). Dabei ist sie aber überhaupt nicht überladen und fließt vom Anfang bis zum Ende sehr natürlich dahin, es gibt keine Spur von Krampfhaftigkeit… Kurz und gut das genaue Gegenteil (der ersten und zweiten) Avengers. Beeindruckende stille Dialogszenen wie aus Singers X-Men wechseln sich mit einer Action wie von Paul Greengrass ab, die Witze sind kein Muss, sondern ein willkommenes Gewürz. Das, was dramatisch und schicksalhaft sein soll, hat diese Eigenschaften. Und wenn emotionale Szenen kommen, ist es absolut rührend und keinesfalls lächerlich. Die neuen Figuren passen zu den vertrauten sehr gut (der sympathische Spider-Man) und Henry Jackman hat im Unterschied zum letzten Captain America eine wirklich schöne Musik komponiert. Endlich ist auch jemand auf die Idee gekommen, dass im epischen Finale des Films keine Flut von digitalen Tricks notwendig ist, die Großstädte vernichtet. Es gibt andere Möglichkeiten, wie man den Zuschauer*innen die Kehle zuschnüren kann. Erst jetzt wurde mir bewusst, was alles dem Film Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice fehlt, der übrigens einen sehr ähnlichen Plot hat. Er stellt ihn aber schlimmer dar. (05.05.2016)

The third (not only) Captain America movie offers a proper action-packed blockbuster that has balls and isn't afraid to take on the burden of involving a large number of heroes, with all of them given some space (some less, some more). The problematic question regarding the danger and death that the Avengers' actions bring to the forefront, which begins to divide the group of heroes into two distinct camps. The film is riddled with action from top to bottom, features plenty of plot (and really unexpected) twists, and alongside this, an incredibly charismatic bad guy comes on the scene played by Daniel Brühl, who has been drawing more and more attention to himself lately. I also liked the involvement of Ant-Man and the further unfolding of the story around Iron Man and Winter Soldier. On the other hand, I was a bit skeptical about the Spider-Man character. In short, so far one of the best films in the Marvel Universe, the plot is fast-paced, complex and multi-layered, keeping the viewer on tenterhooks from beginning to end, so I was supremely satisfied. (27.06.2016)

Marvel is struggling with material fatigue. As much as the sales of the second Avengers movie might suggest that this brand is out of the woods, the reactions and critical reception towards the latest addition have been rather reserved, and quite realistically there is a danger that it has already peaked and is due for a slump in interest down the line. The fact that this hasn't happened is mainly due to the treacherous studio whores at DC, who at the last minute screwed up their self-imposed trend of assigning adaptations to distinctive directors, which worked out well for Nolan, but with both Snyder and Ayer they’d had enough and cut the films into a shape even the last guy in the back row could understand, which in turn shifted the audience's interest back to the carefully crafted piece of utilitarian furniture that Marvel unquestionably is. Civil War attempts to step out of that box, and pretends to be who knows how wise at making gingerbread out of the themes that have been mined for sixteen years by the X-Men movies and addressed in Snyder's last Superman, namely trying to set the entire universe in some sort of global socio-political context in response to an aging target audience. But it doesn't work, and it never could, because Marvel. Paradoxically, in terms of its handling of issues of the impact of superhero battles on helpless civilians, Civil War is thus the most dehumanizing of the series, with the vast majority of all events confined to secret bunkers, government offices, or places under guard, completely disconnected from the outside world. The central battle between the Avengers doesn't work on multiple levels right out of the gate, and it's completely absent of any tension from seeing them scrapping with each other because, after all, they're still buddies, it cuts between multiple fights at once so we don't get a chance to immerse ourselves in any of them, and most importantly, it takes place in the completely dehumanized setting of a cleared-out CGI airport, which really gives the impression that we're watching kids busting each other's balls in a sandbox without anything actually at stake. Given how many relevant characters there are in the story with their various extra motivations, the film has already completely given up on any kind of exposition for most of them, and unless you live in the world of the Avengers series or if you have missed a few of the companion installments you end up feeling like Alice Through the Looking Glass here. Obviously, the loyalty of the series' fans is assumed to keep this whole franchise alive, but the joke is that, like this whole world, its fans are artificial and it's only a matter of time before they grow up to realize that their trendy, commercially-fueled "nerdiness" is about as authentic as orgasms in porn movies, at which point they'll take their interest elsewhere. (27.09.2016)

Well, I’ve always liked movies based on comic books, but I'm starting to feel that the story seems to be taking a backseat to the big-budget special effects. The main reason why I enjoyed the first installment was its retro vibe. Now I don't even understand why they're making Captain America as well as Avengers when they both look exactly the same. Why create two storylines? I was pleased with the casting of Niki Lauda as the main villain, but disappointed with how little screen time he got. Instead, it was taken up by various collapsing structures. The effects clearly won over the simplistic plot. (01.10.2016)

I wasn't particularly looking forward to this movie, but Marvel once again convinced me that they simply know how to make a film that won't just be a popcorn entertainment, but will also have something more that captivates you and keeps you engaged for those two and a half hours until the end. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire movie, and moreover, I had a desire to see more at the end. So, I can only rate it highly. (09.05.2016)

Teamplay wie bei den Avengers, mit dem Geist von The Winter Soldier blieb erhalten. Und das ist auch gut so. Die Kämpfe sind immer noch sehr schmerzvoll und deren Intensität wächst mit zunehmenden Mitgliedern des Universums. Die langjährige Arbeit mit einzelnen Charakteren, dank derer die meisten von uns sie kennen, wird voll ausgenutzt, und somit gibt es keinen Grund, sie hier jetzt ausführlich vorzustellen. Außerdem sind ihre Auftritte auf die Szene wirkungsvoll und in vielen Fällen auch recht lustig. Gleichzeitig verliert aber der Film nicht das Verhängnisvolle. Wohl oder übel gehen damit die Geschichten mancher Helden langsamer zu Ende, aber ich freue mich umso mehr darauf, was uns in Zukunft die neuen Gesichter zeigen werden. (04.05.2016)

Better than the mind-numbingly boring Avengers, worse than Captain America’s action-packed second installment. The predictability and effortlessness of the fights was frustrating at times, but this is not the fault of the directing duo, but of the extensive Marvel Universe and the impossibility of creating a major twist. It may sound cynical, but the whole series would absolutely benefit from the death of practically anyone. There are more than enough candidates who are simply dispensable, and the whole story would at least move on. I expected the final battle to be far bloodier. Not even the biggest battle of the movie is 100% convincing, but it is particularly this massive battle that shows off the biggest asset of (most) Marvel movies – it’s entertaining. Indeed, the whole movie is literally packed with funny scenes and moments that, when they are supposed to work, you can count on them to work. By far the biggest advantage is the clear motivation of the old characters and a great introduction of the new ones, in which DC sadly can’t measure up at all. Finally, I must add that I was apprehensive about the new Spider-Man, but my fears turned out to be completely unnecessary. He is absolutely excellent and steals the spotlight wherever he goes. (05.05.2016)