ViewGuide

Created May 20, 2016 10:57PM PST • Edited May 11, 2019 06:01AM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Really Great 4.5

   Tony Stark has been the verbal superpower behind the Avengers, till now. Yet the motormouth of Robert Downey Jr. is MIA in Captain America: Civil War and the movie doesn’t suffer. His novel reticence in Civil War is in service to a well executed Civil War story, but it’s a risk nonetheless. For Marvel, it works.

   Indeed, Marvel demonstrates how a Civil War story should be done, clearly showing-up the recent Batman v Superman. Sadly, BvS cemented DC’s inferiority to Marvel. And I like both Batman & Superman!

   Four previous Avengers movies led up to this one, which is effectively Avengers 3.

   • Captain America: the First Avenger
   • The Avengers, aka Avengers 1
   • Captain America: the Winter Soldier
   • Avengers: Age of Ultron, aka Avengers 2

   Avengers 3 reflects back on the earthshaking events of Avengers 1 and Avengers 2, not to mention the ancillary Iron Man & Captain America movies, pretty much all of them great, some of them perfect.

   Civil War wrestles with weighty civic issues of security and control. Yet it’s all comic-book guano crazy, don’t forget. It falls to Tony Stark to lead the oversight side against the initiative side. Bully for that.

   Marvel never flops however, so CA:CW is a near perfect example of Humongous Movie: deep and oh so shallow all at the same time. It even teases Marvel’s Peter Pan – Peter Parker in red tights. Oops, spoiler.

4. Acting

   Really Great 4.5

   Chris Evans & Robert Downey Jr. are like John Wayne & Dean Martin in indestructible nanotech suits.

   • Downey still stands as the single greatest actor in Marvel’s stable, the superstar who inaugurated Marvel movies as we know them today with the best debut since Are You Experienced.
   • Evans has grown into his role well beyond the phony-baloney transformation that begins Captain America: the First Avenger. Cap is now an experienced leader. Evans wears it well.

   Avengers Members

   • Scarlett Johansson gets in a good turn as Natasha Romanoff / Black Widow.
   • Sebastian Stan comes in from the cold as Bucky Barnes / Winter Soldier.
   • Anthony Mackie gets his most action yet as the sweet-flying Sam Wilson / Falcon.
   • Don Cheadle gets to fly War Machine as Lieutenant James Rhodes, aka Rhodey.
   • Jeremy Renner actually carries a bow & arrow as Clint Barton / Hawkeye.
   • Paul Bethany as an omniscient being named Vision. Omniscient but still follows rules. Interesting.
   • Elizabeth Olsen is super-pretty as Wanda Maximoff / Scarlet Witch.
   • Paul Rudd is always welcome as Scott Lang / Ant-Man.
   • Chadwick Boseman introduces a new Avenger, T’Challa / Black Panther, an African superhero. Big Black Cat: how cool is that!
   • Tom Holland is the latest kid who gets to play Peter Parker / Spider-Man. Disney insists on introducing a new one every 5 years, which is apparently the length of a moviegoing generation.

   Others

   • Emily VanCamp is Steve Rodgers’ love interest & daughter of his first love interest. Don’t ask.
   • Daniel Brühl … Memo
   • Frank Grillo … Brock Rumlow / Crossbones
   • William Hurt … Secretary of State Thaddeus Ross
   • Martin Freeman … Everett K. Ross
   • Marisa Tomei makes a sweet appearance as May Parker. Let’s see more of her. Peter Parker’s got himself a fine aunt. Can’t wait for Spiderman: Homecoming in 2017.
   • John Kani … King T’Chaka
   • John Slattery … Howard Stark
   • Hope Davis … Maria Stark
   • Alfre Woodard … Miriam

   Stan Lee appears as a FedEx guy delivering a very special package.

5. Male Stars Perfect 5.0

6. Female Stars Great 4.0

7. Female Costars Very Good 3.5

8. Male Costars Really Great 4.5

10. Film

    Perfect 5.0

    Anthony & Joe Russo deserve hosannas for directing Captain America 3, after doing an equivalently outstanding job on Captain America 2, the Winter Soldier being the common element.

11. Direction Perfect 5.0

12. Play Perfect 5.0

    Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely wrote the screenplay from the Mark Millar comic book, which used the iconic characters created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.

13. Music Perfect 5.0

14. Visuals Perfect 5.0

    3D: Worth it but not required.

15. Content

16. Edge

    Risqué 2.1

17. Sex Titillating 1.6

18. Violence Brutal 3.0

19. Rudeness Salty 1.8

21. Reality

    Fantasy 4.7

    Conservation of Energy is the least Law of Science flouted in Captain America 3.

22. Circumstantial Supernatural 4.0

23. Biological Fantasy 5.0

24. Physical Fantasy 5.0