Robert Downey Jr.

Captain America: Civil War

Marvel is only competing with itself at this point. A favorite at the box office and in fans’ hearts – the comic titan sits alone atop the superhero landscape, and it’s not even close. I personally don’t care for each installment (Thor 2, Avengers: Age of Ultron were rather lackluster), but overall Marvel boasts the most compelling, cool superheroes – both on the small screen (Daredevil, co-starring Punisher and Elektra) and big screen alike. Captain America: Civil War assembles an assortment of our favorite superheroes in a unique way, and for once the plot was not bogged down with confusing, unnecessary details.

The film opens with the Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan, The Martian), Captain America’s (Chris Evans, Avengers: Age of Ultron) familiar bestie/nemesis from his last solo film. The Winter Soldier’s brainwashing was neutralized when we last saw him, but he is easily triggered, or ‘activated’ into becoming a killing machine once again after hearing a sequence of certain code words. The movie flashes back to 1991, where we see him executing a mission involving the theft of what appears to be a chemical agent. We also see a brief scene involving a young Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr., Avengers: Age of Ultron) and his parents before their untimely demise, also in 1991.

In the present day, half of the Avengers thwart a plot to steal biological weaponry in Nigeria, resulting in significant but inevitable collateral damage. This has become a disturbing recurring theme with the Avengers and other superheroes, and the U.S. government and other global nations are fed up. The Secretary of State (William Hurt, Race) proposes to Stark that the Avengers and other individuals with special abilities submit to the control and discretion of a United Nations panel which would govern when and where they could execute any life-saving missions, surrendering their autonomy in an effort to avoid unnecessary casualties. Stark particularly feels guilty about his role in the inadvertent killing of a promising young student in Sokovia, so he’s primed to be on board with the Secretary’s demands. Captain America, however, doesn’t want to be hampered in his efforts to execute his patriotic duty and save whomever he can, whenever he can.

The stage is set for a civil war, as Iron Man, Black Widow, War Machine, Spider-Man, and Black Panther agree that the UN should hold sway over them and other superheroes. Diametrically opposed are Captain America, Falcon, Winter Soldier, Hawkeye, Scarlet Witch, and Ant-Man. I mentioned Black Panther, who makes his debut here. When the African nation of Wakanda is threatened by an act of war in response to their efforts to curtail the Avengers’ deadly global overreaching, a new superhero is thrown in the mix. Chadwick Boseman (Get on Up) emerges as T’Challa, also known as Black Panther. He swears vengeance on whoever is responsible, aligning himself with Iron Man in pursuit of the Winter Soldier.

The common themes running through Civil War were vengeance, loyalty, and guilt. It was guilt that drove Iron Man to vehemently advocate for what Captain America believed to be a dangerous chilling effect on their collective autonomy and his own very raison d’etre. It was vengeance that fueled Black Panther and Iron Man, in an explosive final act. Finally, it was loyalty that was either doggedly adhered to (Captain America and War Machine) or painfully questioned as new allegiances were formed. We don’t often see this plethora of ‘supes’ in one film, and of course there is just an initial WOW factor as this bomb ass hodgepodge occupies the same space. The humor injected into the dialogue was well timed and not forced. The introduction of new characters like Black Panther and Spider-Man (I’m referring to new actor Tom Holloway as our friendly neighborhood arachnid) was seamless. The storytelling was simple, yet strong. In short, Captain America: Civil War lived up to the hype – and what more could we ask for? Grade: A.

Iron Man 3

It’s time for the summer movies to start rolling in, the popcorn fare that entertains us during those dog days.  Iron Man 3, the third installment in Marvel’s popular franchise, kicks off what should be a promising season for super hero movies.  This time around we find Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr., Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows) recuperating from the otherworldly showdown that capped off last year’s Avengers.  He is physically fine, but his shaken mental state leaves him in a reflective mood.

The movie opens with Tony thinking back to a chance encounter on New Year’s Eve 1999.  After attending a glamorous party with then girlfriend Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall, The Town), Tony runs into a scientist, a developer named Aldrich Killian, who wants to discuss some exciting new ideas for his technology company.  Aldrich (Guy Pearce, Prometheus) appears nerdy and disheveled, not the kind of person who leaves an impression.  Tony snubs the man, unwittingly setting him on a course of scornful retaliation.

Fast-forward to the present day, and Aldrich has reinvented himself.  Gone is the meek intellectual who could barely a muster a sentence. With a new hairdo and some much-needed dental work, he is confident and bold.  His intentions have grown more nefarious since Tony spurned him all those years ago.  He has created Extremis, a chemical that could restore limbs to maimed soldiers returning home from war.

Unfortunately, Extremis can have terrible side effects, including spontaneous combustion, which would sort of defeat the purpose of regenerating a lost limb, wouldn’t it?  These spontaneous explosions are related to a series of terror attacks that have been charged to a radical extremist known as “The Mandarin” (Ben Kingsley, Hugo).  His relationship with Aldrich isn’t immediately clear, but the pair is up to something fishy.  When Aldrich kidnaps the president in a misguided attempt to further their twisted terrorist agenda, Tony and his buddy Colonel James Rhodes (War Machine aka Iron Patriot) (Don Cheadle, Flight) come to the rescue.

Hope I didn’t give away too much; I tried to keep it simple.  Iron Man 3 was exciting and entertaining, and I understand why it opened at number 1, given its format and the time of year.  The special effects were cool; particularly the way the Iron Man suit strategically broke away from Tony and then quickly reattached itself, piece by piece.  The movie was funny, and even though he’s a billionaire, Stark is one of the more accessible superheroes because he doesn’t seem to take himself too seriously.  There were lots of one-liners, and Robert Downey Jr. will be missed if it’s true that this is his last outing.  You know what though?  I was rather underwhelmed.  I actually dozed off for a quick second.  I can’t quite put my finger on it, but maybe I like a darker protagonist.  This was a feel-good movie for all audiences, which is great.  I’m sure I have the minority opinion, but I just didn’t love it.  Good movie, but no big deal. Grade: B+

 

The Avengers

My mom reads my reviews, so I’ll censor myself a bit for this one.  Suffice it to say that the excitement I feel when I see a good movie trailer is akin to the adrenaline that coursed through the veins of the women who used to throw their panties on stage at Marvin Gaye et al.  When I saw The Avengers trailer, I didn’t throw my panties at the movie screen.  But I could have.  Oh yeah, I wanted to.

This is my favorite movie going time of the year.  The Oscar movies tend to come out some time in the fall, but it’s the summer (and early spring) that gives us the popcorn fare we love.  There was no question I’d be front and center for The Avengers, even if I couldn’t swing the midnight showing.  The excitement in my theater was nearly palpable, and we were all in for a treat.  If you’ve seen Iron Man, The Hulk, or Thor – you’ll at least be somewhat familiar with these Marvel mainstays.  The movie begins with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson, Meeting Evil), head of S.H.I.E.L.D., a covert government organization charged with protecting American interests on domestic and global levels.   It picks up where Thor left off, as Thor’s (Chris Hemsworth, The Cabin in the Woods) nefarious brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston, War Horse) has obtained the tesseract, an otherworldly energy source that can destroy the planet.  He wants to harness its power and bring humanity to its knees, enslaving the populace.  Fury knows that he can’t stop Loki on his own, after witnessing him take out an entire room of armed security forces.  His first call is to the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson, We Bought a Zoo), a spy who is already in the fold.  The other members of the team will require varying degrees of persuasion.  Starks (Robert Downey Jr., Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows) is in.  Thor comes forward of his own volition to battle his brother and fellow Asgardian.  Captain America (Chris Evans, What’s Your Number?) is a soldier who is accustomed to taking orders and as such, requires the least prodding.  Bruce Banner/Hulk (Mark Ruffalo, The Kids are All Right) is the most reluctant of the bunch, as he’s spent the better part of a year trying to keep his cool.  Rounding out the group is Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner, MI: 4), a recently rogue agent who was temporarily under Loki’s powerful spell.  Hawkeye and Black Widow are a tandem, bound by a shared mysterious past.  The movie highlights each hero’s skillset, and by the end they have accepted the values of teamwork and cooperation while forming an unbreakable bond.

The plot wasn’t terribly important, and it’s about what you’d expect: good guys unite to defeat the bad guy, whose wish list includes the subjugation of all mankind.  Some have an issue with the simplified plot, but I don’t.  I mean, it’s always a variation of the same theme.  I didn’t have a problem with the plot but I did have an issue with Loki’s reasoning that humanity’s natural desire is to be enslaved.  Quite the contrary, humans have an innate desire for freedom – so I thought writer Joss Wheedon could have tweaked that element a bit more.  It’s my only very minor criticism in a movie that was otherwise perfect.  What I enjoyed most about the movie was the interplay between each superhero.  Each character in his/her own right is capable of saving humanity, but it will take a concerted effort to defeat a foe as formidable as Loki, who has enlisted an entire interplanetary army to help him.  There was a natural chemistry among all the actors, and I can tell they genuinely had fun making this movie.

The Avengers succeeded where other superhero movies have failed.  Just because a movie is family-friendly does not mean that it has to be corny.  Spiderman 3 was horribly cheesy, and Superman Returns was equally bad, for similar reasons.  There has to be a middle ground between the darkness that Christopher Nolan brings to the Batman franchise and the corniness of those two aforementioned movies.  I believe The Avengers had the right balance of heft and fluff, if that makes sense.  It wasn’t all smiles and sunshine, as Black Widow has a shady past, Captain America is woefully out of touch, Thor is dealing with the worst form of sibling rivalry, Hawkeye needs redemption, and The Hulk is just trying not to spazz out.  The dialogue and interplay between characters was well worth the price of admission.  I think people should refrain from superlatives though.  This was not the best superhero movie ever made.  As long as Batman is still considered a superhero, that distinction remains with The Dark Knight.  That being said, The Avengers is a must-see summer blockbuster.  Grade: A+