Captain America: Civil War Review

I finally had the chance to see Captain America: Civil War this weekend. It was amazing, and sad, and intense, and a great continuation of the Avengers storyline. Caution: Spoilers Ahead!

Steve Rogers and his fellow Avengers are in for a rough ride. The world has decided to hold them responsible for all of the deaths that have occurred while they were saving everyone else. (I have to say, I've always found this line of reasoning to be ridiculous. The needs of the many must outweigh the needs of the one.) When an additional incident occurs in a foreign country, the world leaders come together to create the Sokovia Accords. The Accords require all Avengers to register with a UN oversight committee that will then tell them when and where they can fight, or be forcibly retired. This is the basis for their split.

On one side, you have Captain America, Falcon, Scarlet Witch, Ant-Man, Hawkeye and the Winter Soldier. Steve believes that he and the other Avengers should remain an independent entity, where politics can't decide who they help. On the other side, you have Iron Man, Black Widow, War Machine, Vision, Black Panther, and Spiderman. Tony is in a bit of a funk because Pepper Potts is taking a break from him and he is confronted by a mother whose son was killed in Sokovia and she blames him. He feels that the Avengers should be punished for the deaths they didn't prevent. Both Steve and Tony have valid reasons for choosing their sides, but which side is right?

When Peggy Carter dies and Bucky Barnes suddenly appears and is accused of bombing UN delegates, it's the last straw for Steve. He and his group head out to protect Bucky and the world in the only way they know how. Tony and his group do their best to stop them, although they are constricted by General Ross, who is now Secretary of State. By the time the movie ends, every Avenger is suffering from a major, personal loss. It's hard to see how they'll recover from such a blow, but since the next several movies are solo titles, I guess they've got time to recover.

In all, I really enjoyed this film. It's a bit more political, and makes you think more about what is right and wrong. Captain America: Civil War arrives on Blu-ray and DVD on September 13.