Film Review | Captain America: Civil War

Uncle Ben once told us that “with great power comes great responsibility,” but here’s the big question: who keeps us responsible.

The Story

Following the destruction of Ultron in Sokovia, the world is once again openly questioning its safety in the hands of the Avengers. Although it owes much to the renowned heroes, many people who hold powerful positions feel powerless and see the Avengers as vigilantes.

The story adlibs much from the original comic in the sense that it moves away from identity and privacy crisis to a more personal look into why the Avengers do what they need to do.

We see Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) finding himself in need of a babysitter every time his ego gives way to his conscience. Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) finds himself fighting for and against his past and present friends. The internal moralisation of each team comes down to minimising damage to civilians – whether it be through being tethered or ostracised by them.

The Cast

Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. are pros after seven films. Arguably, Iron Man and Captain America are their most memorable – undoubtedly their longest – roles of their careers. After seven films, not to mention the rest to come, it’s not hard to see that these two know and love their characters.

Chadwick Boseman and Tom Holland are the new comers who need special attention seeing as their alter egos ignited excitement just by featuring in trailers. Boseman takes on Black Panther, a loving son who has his father taken away from him and is hungry for vengeance. Holland takes on a more challenging role by taking the mantel of (previously Sony-owned) Spiderman.

Both new comers did a great job in making their characters their own. Bringing Black Panther to life gave the film that darker edge and retained the need to avenge the loss inflicted upon a person. Spiderman on the other hand is a little harder to play seeing as we’ve just seen a reboot. But I have to hand it to Marvel, Holland gave an impressive performance as the prodigal son comes home.

Overall…comic enthusiasts will be saddened by the changes, but will have an amazing time anyway. Look, if you love Marvel and anything to do with comics there’s no stopping you from watching this movie. You will enjoy every minute. Personally, I was looking for Joss Whedon’s touch when it came to the fight sequences, but I will commend the Russo brothers for sticking with their flair from Captain America: The Winter Solider.

sL Star Rating: ★★★★

Next on sL: X-Men: Apocalypse

Film Review | Avengers: The Age of Ultron

Evolution. It’s what humanity was made to do…but what about our own creations? Are they meant to evolve? Are they meant ‘get better’? And if they do, are they supposed to surpass us? Is technology’s purpose to completely override humanity?

What if technology could think for itself? What if technology could walk? What if technology was on the verge of becoming humanity?

Welcome, to the Age of Ultron.

The Story

I’m not too sure how close to the comics Marvel Entertainment’s latest Avengers movie is, but from what I know and what I’ve read, it’s different. The whole idea of technology evolving and becoming its own “person” is an existentialist’s dream come true. Take the concept of, Her, and place it into the Marvel world and you’ve got yourself a recipe for and epic explosion!

You have the usual battle between good and evil, but this time it draws from biblical themes of sacrifice, grace and the crux of what it means to be a fallen human. True, it doesn’t exactly follow the play-by-play of the gospels and Genesis as Thor does, but it does echo several quotes from Exodus, Matthew and Revelations.

The story, as the early trailers have provided, do carry an abundance of poetic elements for the character of Ultron – with a running theme of puppetry. It was almost as if his craftiness with words made him more threatening than being made out of the same metal Captain America’s shield.

It was also great to see Jeremy Renner’s character, Clint Barton – a.k.a. Hawkeye, get a back story to give his character more meat. (Not to mention gain a few friends along the way - *cough-Quicksilver-cough-Scarlet-Witch-cough*.)

Overall, the story was packed with so many elements of past literature, along with element of the comic’s plotline, it’s one I literally have to see again just to wrap my head around.

The Cast (New Cast)

Step aside Downey Jr., Hemsworth, Ruffalo, Evans, Johansson, Renner and L. Jackson – it’s time for the newbies to shine. (Although, y’all did an amazing job reprising your roles, yes Robert, you all deserve standing ovations for your prowess.)

Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen are going to share the limelight for this review because they were pretty much joined at the hip playing the Maximoff twins. Now since Marvel are still possibly in negotiations with Sony for the rights to the word "mutants," Taylor-Johnson and Olsen have been given a different back story as to their linage and their powers - i.e. children of war and human excitements ('mutants' without using the word 'mutant'). They've become in-between characters who constantly need to make a choice to either be on the “good” side or the “bad” side – and sometimes, as this film clearly points out, it’s hard to tell who’s who. Taylor-Johnson and Olsen both carry and sustain their Eastern European accents very well and embody their characters completely. They’re both very convincing and they draw you in like a moth to a flame almost instantly.

James Spader’s debut as Ultron’s voice has you shivering from the moment he is brought to life. His poetic streams that are truncated by comic relief bring a delicate mixture of both light and dark to the film. The intricacy of his character is nothing without Spader’s passionate delivery of every line he utters. I am in awe.

Paul Bettany grabs your absolute attention, but I feel like if I praise him too much I would be giving too many spoilers. Yes, he is brilliant as Jarvis, but he is also brilliant as Jarvis’ alter ego. The way that Jarvis evolves in this film is so compelling that I’m still in shock with how his character has been developed in this film. Let’s leave it at that – great job Bettany!

Overall, for all you thinkers, see this movie twice – I will be! There’s so much in it to just take-in in one sitting. For all you Marvel fans, it will not disappoint. You will love every minute of it – I did! I do recommend watching all the other films before watching this one to tie some loose ends to jog the memory.

Star Rating: ★★★★★

Next on sL:  Pitch Perfect 2