captain america: civil war
Non-spoilery version: I saw it this afternoon and enjoyed myself! In general, the movie does a great job balancing a very large cast. There were SO MANY character things I enjoyed despite being uninterested in Tony (outside his movies), Bucky, and superheroes fighting each other. Which... was pretty much the premise of Civil War. *G*
As usual, the dislikes section is a little longer. That reflects my need to overanalyze FAR more than my feelings about the movie. I really enjoyed it and will go see it again.
Likes:
* T'CHALLA. EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM WAS SO GOOD. From his character arc to his kingly demeanor to his AWESOME suit to his handsome face, I loved everything. God, him rescuing the villain from suicide was just SO GOOD and SO EARNED because EVERY OTHER GUY THERE IS CONSUMED BY REVENGE, AND LOOK WHERE IT GOT THEM. #TeamTChalla forever. I want to know so much more about Wakanda! I can't wait for his movie!!! Wow wow wow, I hope Black Panther breaks a gazillion box office records.
* NATASHA. I loved that she was never really for UN oversight or against Steve, she's just decided to operate within the system. The appearance of compliance gives her more room to operate. Loved her continued friendship with Steve. Loved that the Russos were like, "Nope, not gonna touch the Nat/Bruce mess in AoU." Loved that Natasha and Clint spar in the airport and are all, "Still BFFs forever!" She's written like a fully realized character with friendships and important working relationships and her own moral compass, and I just. LOVE NATASHA SO MUCH, OKAY?!
* Would totally read T'Challa/Natasha. *_________*
* SAMMMMMM. Being an Avenger! And Steve's right hand man! (There's probably a joke in there about Bucky being Steve's metal hand man now.) The scene with the car seat was frickin' hysterical. I love that Sam has NO TIME for Bucky and is part of this rescue mission because it's the right thing to do. And augh, him going to jail for Steve probably hit me the hardest out of everyone. ;_____; This movie was a gift for my little Sam/Steve heart.
* RHOOOODEY. Maybe this movie should be called Cap 3: Everyone Has a Bestest Friend. I realize that I'm writing this from the position of having seen all the Iron Man movies, but I love that you can feel the history of his friendship with Tony just from their interactions in this movie. SO GLAD HE ISN'T DEAD. Glad he's sticking to his guns about UN oversight because it makes sense for his character.
* SHARON CARTER DOING COOL STUFF. I want to see Natasha work with her; I bet they'd kill it as double agents.
* Peggy, all of my tears, NOPE NOT TALKING ABOUT IT ANYMORE
* Ant-Man was in this movie just the right amount. You got me, Russos. Plus Paul Rudd is so ding dang charming.
* Dean Pelton is in charge of MIT now! Hee!
* Wanda and Vision! I'm not super invested in their relationship, but I liked what we got in the movie. Also, I hope fandom writes a lot of stories about Natasha training Wanda. *_____*
Dislikes/Thinky Thoughts:
* I will join the chorus of WHY WASN'T MILES MORALES IN THIS FILM. If you're going to do Spider-Man again, why not do a different Spider-Man? I get that Peter Parker is a beloved character, and I enjoyed many of his lines in the movie, but MIIIILES.
* Also WTF: Tony spiraling because a kid died in Sokovia, then recruiting an actual teenager? The logic of this movie, particularly everything to do with Tony, falls apart when you think about it too hard. In general, I can handwave, but undoing ALL of Tony's growth in his own movies is such a bummer. Blame it all on AoU, I guess?
* The argument Steve makes against UN control is more "I'm a really great guy, so the Avengers will never be corrupt" and less "HYDRA has its tentacles in every seat of world power, so I don't trust anyone but my teammates and Bucky." That, I think, gets at the heart of why this feels more like Avengers 2.5 than Cap 3. There's more time spent on epic fight scenes than there is delving into the fallout from Cap 2. The movie is edited well and all the characters are given time to shine, so it's an entertaining experience. It doesn't deliver as strongly on the STEVE FEELS as it could, though.
* And so Steve's arc feels a little... flat? In the MCU, I do not care about Steve and Tony's relationship. This movie did not make me sad that the Avengers were a house divided (with the exception of Rhodey shot down by friendly fire, which RDJ and DC played beautifully). The stakes weren't high enough for Steve; he didn't have internal conflict to mirror the external. His closest friends in the Avengers are Natasha and Sam, not Tony, and they're never against him during the entire movie. I would've loved Steve to actually have a conversation with Bucky about how much it hurts to tear apart his new unit, but he has to because doing what's right trumps all.
* Of course, the last bullet point would require Bucky to have a long conversation at any point in the movie. Like, the movie does a great job physically establishing who Bucky is post-Winter Soldier, with the ratty outfits, the close-mouthed way of talking, and the visceral horror of losing his mind again. I just always need more with the talking in order to relate to a character. *G* The "I could do this all day" callback + fighting in tandem was PERFECT though. So I don't think this movie delivered on the Steve & Bucky front, but that's a relationship I'm not that into, so cool I guess??? (Also, I'm sure all of fandom found LOTS there to enjoy. I'm just here on my island.)
* Maybe the lack of Bucky-Steve heart-to-hearts is to help compensate for Mackie and SebStan having WAY more chemistry than Evans and SebStan? STILL LAUGHING ABOUT THAT CAR SCENE FOREVER.
* There's a whole lot of US imperialism in a team of mostly US-based superheroes operating without any kind of external control. *hands* I realize that HYDRA controlled SHIELD since its inception, so in universe it makes more sense to be against UN control. But again, for a Cap movie, CACW didn't dig too deeply into what makes Steve tick. (Probably because then the movie's big conflict would have fallen apart. Argh, talk to each other, Avengers!) Why! Are Tony's daddy issues! Starring in! A CAP MOVIE!!!
* Obligatory heterosexual kiss. They were just talking about Peggy?? It felt incestuous??? I'm not an adamant Steve slasher and that kiss still hit my squick buttons.
* Just gonna block all the Pepper stuff from my mind because the end of IM3 is where I like to picture all of the IM franchise. SIGH.
Frantic Hand Waving:
* The Russos couldn't ignore Clint's random AoU family, but I can in post-CACW fic! *G* In addition to living on the Island of I Don't Ship Steve/Bucky Even a Little, I proudly sail my little Clint/Natasha raft. Seeing them sparring! They're still friends! Clint pulling his punches as I am sure Natasha is pulling hers! (Why would they want to take each other out of commission when they'll need to be of use later, after all?)
* But seriously, I need all the post-CACW fic about Clint and Natasha hooking up in Wakanda after Natasha's done slipping the Wakanda-based Avengers her intel. Would also read Clint/Natasha/T'Challa.
* Come to think of it, the movie kind of point out the stupidity of farmer!Clint when a character literally yells, "Did you think of your family before you signed up for this?!" Well, since that part of canon is stupid, Clint has chosen to reject that reality and substitute it with CACW. (No disrespect to the lovely wife from AoU. That whole bit just... didn't make sense for a master assassin.)
* And here I am on my little Clint/Natasha raft, paddling to my heart's content, THE END.
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As usual, the dislikes section is a little longer. That reflects my need to overanalyze FAR more than my feelings about the movie. I really enjoyed it and will go see it again.
Likes:
* T'CHALLA. EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM WAS SO GOOD. From his character arc to his kingly demeanor to his AWESOME suit to his handsome face, I loved everything. God, him rescuing the villain from suicide was just SO GOOD and SO EARNED because EVERY OTHER GUY THERE IS CONSUMED BY REVENGE, AND LOOK WHERE IT GOT THEM. #TeamTChalla forever. I want to know so much more about Wakanda! I can't wait for his movie!!! Wow wow wow, I hope Black Panther breaks a gazillion box office records.
* NATASHA. I loved that she was never really for UN oversight or against Steve, she's just decided to operate within the system. The appearance of compliance gives her more room to operate. Loved her continued friendship with Steve. Loved that the Russos were like, "Nope, not gonna touch the Nat/Bruce mess in AoU." Loved that Natasha and Clint spar in the airport and are all, "Still BFFs forever!" She's written like a fully realized character with friendships and important working relationships and her own moral compass, and I just. LOVE NATASHA SO MUCH, OKAY?!
* Would totally read T'Challa/Natasha. *_________*
* SAMMMMMM. Being an Avenger! And Steve's right hand man! (There's probably a joke in there about Bucky being Steve's metal hand man now.) The scene with the car seat was frickin' hysterical. I love that Sam has NO TIME for Bucky and is part of this rescue mission because it's the right thing to do. And augh, him going to jail for Steve probably hit me the hardest out of everyone. ;_____; This movie was a gift for my little Sam/Steve heart.
* RHOOOODEY. Maybe this movie should be called Cap 3: Everyone Has a Bestest Friend. I realize that I'm writing this from the position of having seen all the Iron Man movies, but I love that you can feel the history of his friendship with Tony just from their interactions in this movie. SO GLAD HE ISN'T DEAD. Glad he's sticking to his guns about UN oversight because it makes sense for his character.
* SHARON CARTER DOING COOL STUFF. I want to see Natasha work with her; I bet they'd kill it as double agents.
* Peggy, all of my tears, NOPE NOT TALKING ABOUT IT ANYMORE
* Ant-Man was in this movie just the right amount. You got me, Russos. Plus Paul Rudd is so ding dang charming.
* Dean Pelton is in charge of MIT now! Hee!
* Wanda and Vision! I'm not super invested in their relationship, but I liked what we got in the movie. Also, I hope fandom writes a lot of stories about Natasha training Wanda. *_____*
Dislikes/Thinky Thoughts:
* I will join the chorus of WHY WASN'T MILES MORALES IN THIS FILM. If you're going to do Spider-Man again, why not do a different Spider-Man? I get that Peter Parker is a beloved character, and I enjoyed many of his lines in the movie, but MIIIILES.
* Also WTF: Tony spiraling because a kid died in Sokovia, then recruiting an actual teenager? The logic of this movie, particularly everything to do with Tony, falls apart when you think about it too hard. In general, I can handwave, but undoing ALL of Tony's growth in his own movies is such a bummer. Blame it all on AoU, I guess?
* The argument Steve makes against UN control is more "I'm a really great guy, so the Avengers will never be corrupt" and less "HYDRA has its tentacles in every seat of world power, so I don't trust anyone but my teammates and Bucky." That, I think, gets at the heart of why this feels more like Avengers 2.5 than Cap 3. There's more time spent on epic fight scenes than there is delving into the fallout from Cap 2. The movie is edited well and all the characters are given time to shine, so it's an entertaining experience. It doesn't deliver as strongly on the STEVE FEELS as it could, though.
* And so Steve's arc feels a little... flat? In the MCU, I do not care about Steve and Tony's relationship. This movie did not make me sad that the Avengers were a house divided (with the exception of Rhodey shot down by friendly fire, which RDJ and DC played beautifully). The stakes weren't high enough for Steve; he didn't have internal conflict to mirror the external. His closest friends in the Avengers are Natasha and Sam, not Tony, and they're never against him during the entire movie. I would've loved Steve to actually have a conversation with Bucky about how much it hurts to tear apart his new unit, but he has to because doing what's right trumps all.
* Of course, the last bullet point would require Bucky to have a long conversation at any point in the movie. Like, the movie does a great job physically establishing who Bucky is post-Winter Soldier, with the ratty outfits, the close-mouthed way of talking, and the visceral horror of losing his mind again. I just always need more with the talking in order to relate to a character. *G* The "I could do this all day" callback + fighting in tandem was PERFECT though. So I don't think this movie delivered on the Steve & Bucky front, but that's a relationship I'm not that into, so cool I guess??? (Also, I'm sure all of fandom found LOTS there to enjoy. I'm just here on my island.)
* Maybe the lack of Bucky-Steve heart-to-hearts is to help compensate for Mackie and SebStan having WAY more chemistry than Evans and SebStan? STILL LAUGHING ABOUT THAT CAR SCENE FOREVER.
* There's a whole lot of US imperialism in a team of mostly US-based superheroes operating without any kind of external control. *hands* I realize that HYDRA controlled SHIELD since its inception, so in universe it makes more sense to be against UN control. But again, for a Cap movie, CACW didn't dig too deeply into what makes Steve tick. (Probably because then the movie's big conflict would have fallen apart. Argh, talk to each other, Avengers!) Why! Are Tony's daddy issues! Starring in! A CAP MOVIE!!!
* Obligatory heterosexual kiss. They were just talking about Peggy?? It felt incestuous??? I'm not an adamant Steve slasher and that kiss still hit my squick buttons.
* Just gonna block all the Pepper stuff from my mind because the end of IM3 is where I like to picture all of the IM franchise. SIGH.
Frantic Hand Waving:
* The Russos couldn't ignore Clint's random AoU family, but I can in post-CACW fic! *G* In addition to living on the Island of I Don't Ship Steve/Bucky Even a Little, I proudly sail my little Clint/Natasha raft. Seeing them sparring! They're still friends! Clint pulling his punches as I am sure Natasha is pulling hers! (Why would they want to take each other out of commission when they'll need to be of use later, after all?)
* But seriously, I need all the post-CACW fic about Clint and Natasha hooking up in Wakanda after Natasha's done slipping the Wakanda-based Avengers her intel. Would also read Clint/Natasha/T'Challa.
* Come to think of it, the movie kind of point out the stupidity of farmer!Clint when a character literally yells, "Did you think of your family before you signed up for this?!" Well, since that part of canon is stupid, Clint has chosen to reject that reality and substitute it with CACW. (No disrespect to the lovely wife from AoU. That whole bit just... didn't make sense for a master assassin.)
* And here I am on my little Clint/Natasha raft, paddling to my heart's content, THE END.
http://littledust.dreamwidth.org/557608.html |
comments | Comment at Dreamwidth