WHEN Batman went on to fight Superman, I thought there was something too much about that challenge. The difficulty created—or the challenge—was not only how Superman could be defeated, or how Batman could defeat this “super” man, but how the people could take the challenge of suspending more the disbelief.
The challenge, in other words, was how these superheroes, idols of many a person’s childhood, could excite us with their presence.
Here comes this film, titled Captain America: Civil War, from Marvel. The superheroes are abundant and conflicted. An event has caused a rift among these beings with extraordinary powers. The Avengers—which include Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Wanda Maximoff and Sam Wilson—are on a mission to stop Romlow from stealing some biological weapon from a laboratory in Nigeria.
A building gets bombed, an accident caused by Wanda. The King of Wakanda is killed. The world looks shocked at the Avengers, and the group of superheroes is viewed with lots of doubt and suspicion: Are the Avengers not supposed to help us?
Steps in the United Nations, which proposes an agreement that will monitor or sort of supervise the activities of the superheroes.
It is called the Sokovia Accord. The superheroes are split about this accord, which will set up no less than a governing body over the Avengers. Tony Stark, the Iron Man, wants the agreement. For some reason, Stark feels bad about the dangers that were brought about by some of his inventions.
Steve Rogers as Captain America doesn’t believe in the Sokovia Accord. He feels the Avengers should be left on their own. They are responsible for their actions. The world of the superheroes is split. Iron Man is joined by the Black Panther and Black Widow, War Machine and Vision. A young Spider Man is introduced and he is with Tony Stark.
Captain America has the following superheroes: Falcon, Winter Soldier, Scarlet Witch, Ant-Man and Hawkeye. When the battle begins between these two camps, the fans of these superheroes are super-divided. I, being a nonfan, am left confused.
As in that fatal fight between Batman and Superman, I am left wondering who will win. The logic of being Superman is lost because we know what happened in that fight. If we are to reckon the gifts or powers of each superhero, there should be a given as to who should win. But that is boring. The film played the battle as a game of cards: some cards are strong only insofar as the card is combined with other cards, or against some other cards.
You know what I prefer? That my superheroes are focused in terms of their power and strength. If they have dark sides, so be it. But I never like the idea of superheroes being pitted against one another. The myth of superheroes is built on that eternal battle between good and evil. Knowledge steps in not to ruin the minds of superheroes, but to aid us in coping with their struggles.
You know what these writers should be responsible with? They should think more of villains. They should make villains into supervillains, or, if you will, super antiheroes.
Then, perhaps, the battle that our superheroes fight will be worthwhile our conflict between that which is good and that which is evil.
What is this review of a superhero film without the ideological concern that makes film-viewing super interesting? Captain America is definitely at the center of this narrative. It is an in-your face commentary done in the old Hollywood style: The American hero is the real hero. Even other superheroes seem to be in awe of him. Unlike Superman, who inspires awe because he is Superman, cape and all, Captain America draws the admiration of other superhumans, even when he is not in his super-tight costume and that massive shield. After all, as Steve Rogers, Chris Evans is, well, a marvel to behold. Are those for real, the muscles and the girth?
Tony Stark, the Iron Man, remains—and consistently so—the superhero with a dark, dark conscience. Robert Downey Jr. makes the Iron Man credible and even repulsive at some points.
The role of Ant-Man as played by Paul Rudd, and even that of Hawkeye as played by Jeremy Renner are not even remotely realized in this film; I am curious how will they be integrated in this already huge mosaic of heroes.
Let it be said that any film about Superman generates sympathy and other positive emotions when he is placed back in his old human home, this warm home with real American parents.
In the midst of the plains of this wide nation called the United States, Superman is greatly humanized. In the case of Captain America, he makes sense as a person and as a hero, because he fits the role of a leader. The metaphor is pretty obvious: Captain America, once more, stands for everything that is good and powerful in this superpower called America. Unless you are an enemy.
At the end of the film, one is compelled to ask who did the music. Henry Jackman is mostly responsible for the throbbing, majestic sound that fills the screen always filled with superheroes.
Captain America: Civil War is directed by Anthony Russo and Joe Russo. They direct the screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, based on Captain America by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby,
Captain America: Civil War is produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney.
Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow and Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff/Scarlet Witch are the two lovely faces gracing the screen with the superheroes.