Surely there’s some sort of esoteric algebra at work in the business of superhero ensemble movies—some fateful tipping point where x equals too much backstory to wrangle and y equals a cast that’s too unwieldy to juggle. Toss in too many of these screen-hogging punchbots and they just become collections of facile traits stuffed into digitally augmented costumes, right?
At least, that’s how it seemed to work out for DC and Warner Bros., who found that y apparently equals three—the tally that turned Batman into a sadistic checkbook with dead parents and reduced Wonder Woman to excellent timing in a slinky outfit.
Marvel must be cooking the books, though, because Captain America: Civil War ropes in no less than a dozen costumed characters—each of whom has, will, or could carry his or her own movie—and yet it somehow manages to give them all plenty of room. New characters join the fray, but never at the expense of the ones who’ve already staked out their territory in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
In fact, some of Civil War’s best moments come from the interplay between veteran Avengers and the newcomers who are vying for a spot on the playing field. The plot centers on the tension and eventual conflict that arise when Captain America (Chris Evans) and Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) disagree about whether they and other “U.S.-based enhanced humans” should submit to government oversight. But the movie really shimmers and pops when it introduces its two new characters: Chadwick Boseman’s regal and immensely appealing Black Panther and Tom Holland’s energetic, wide-eyed (and also immensely appealing) Spider-Man. It’s an embarrassment of superheroes and somehow, improbably, it works.
There are a lot of reasons for the film’s success. Besides an uncanny knack for casting characters rather than filling out suits, Civil War showcases Marvel’s ability to break down potentially chaotic action sequences into clear, character-centric beats that are simultaneously spectacular and intimate. Never has that been more evident than in Civil War’s pivotal set piece, a six-on-six melee that, for my money, is the greatest superhero action scene ever committed to film. It’s a master class in the art of comic-book moviemaking—a gobsmackingly entertaining cinematic splash page that balances wit and spectacle in equal measure, and pretty much represents everything that’s appealing about superheroes in the first place.
With more than a dozen titles in the can and nearly as many officially in development, the MCU has reached the point where its directors must be tempted to simply assume stewardship of a franchise rather than attempt any real auteur business. Endless credit, then, to Civil War team Joe and Anthony Russo for aiming higher than just not screwing anything up. Civil War is their second Captain America film (the brothers also directed the excellent Winter Soldier), but for all intents and purposes it’s their first Avengers movie—they’ll be taking the reins of that franchise with the Infinity War two-parter slated for 2018 and 2019. Those movies will present the Russos with a task that seemed almost insurmountable to me a few days ago, as they’ll presumably be the point where the Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy franchises converge. It’s hard to imagine how such a sprawling cast and storyline could be managed without crumbling under its own weight, but Civil War proves that Marvel’s dream teams are in the best hands imaginable.
Forgive me if my praise teeters on the brink of hyperbole. To be honest, my enthusiasm for super-team movies had begun to wane a little in the wake of Age of Ultron—not a bad movie by any means, but certainly not an elegant one, and arguably the closest Marvel Studios has come to a wrong step—and the bleak, assaultive depress-a-thon that was Batman v Superman. But Civil War has brought that excitement back in full force. A deftly orchestrated ensemble adventure that manages to be weighty in theme, breezy in tone, and nimble in execution, it stands shoulder-to-muscled-shoulder with the very finest superhero flicks ever made, and it’s a reminder that a comic-book movie can still make me feel like a kid while thinking like a grown-up. It’s fast-paced, funny, and affecting, and it’s unwaveringly devoted to fulfilling, rather than subverting, the most satisfying pleasures of its genre.
April Snellings is a staff writer and project editor for Rue Morgue Magazine, which reaches more than 500,000 horror, thriller, and suspense fans across its media platforms. She recently joined the lineup of creators for Glass Eye Pix's acclaimed audio drama series Tales from Beyond the Pale, an Entertainment Weekly “Must List” pick that has been featured in The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times.
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