'Captain America: Civil War' Review

Captain America: Civil War Review:

Rogers V Stark

BY IAN TAN

Cap's looking pretty calm...

Twelve movies in and Marvel Studios still haven’t lost their touch. It’s quite amazing that despite having a dozen films under their belt (thirteen including Civil War), none have been total failures. Some are definitely brighter spots than others, but for the most part, Marvel has succeeded in telling interconnected stories (more so than not) in epic and satisfying ways. And Captain America: Civil War is another awesome addition to the Marvel canon.

Civil War sets the Avengers in conflict with one another when the government bodies of the world decide that the collateral damage the Avengers have cost throughout their missions is too big an issue to go ignored. Hence, they provide Earth’s Mightiest Heroes with a solution in the form of the Sokovia Accords, which will place the Avengers under the watch and command of government authorities. While Tony Stark/Iron Man is all for it, Steve Rogers/Captain America is not so convinced.

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Although Civil War can be seen as both an Age of Ultron and Captain America: The Winter Soldier sequel, the core story is still centered mostly on Cap/Steve Rogers, with the film’s central story being a direct continuation of The Winter Soldier’s. However, the writing, directing and the overall balance of story and characters in this film works so well that by the end of the film you’d feel as though you’ve also sat through Iron Man 4, Black Panther: Vengeance and The Even More Amazing Spider-Man. All this, plus a focused Captain America story and an Avengers sequel all in one movie – what more could we ask for?

The colours of America

The Russo brothers, who directed Captain America: The Winter Soldier and who will direct the Avengers: Infinity War movies, do a stellar job with Civil War. Everything from characters to action and motivations are all spectacularly handled with little compromise in any department of the film’s storytelling. Iron Man’s reasons for signing the Accords seem just as sound as Captain America’s reasons are for not signing it; Black Panther has his own emotional character arc in a movie that isn’t even his; the new Spider-Man gets an extremely crowd-pleasing introduction; the characters all have layered and personal reasons for the choices they make in the film; the stakes aren’t over the top but feel heavier than ever before because the heroes themselves are against one another, and the conflict feels real – Captain America: Civil War does it all with some of the best character moments ever to grace a Marvel film. Other supporting characters, aside from the ones previously mentioned, are given their own time to shine, Scarlet Witch and Vision especially. And although Ant-Man hasn’t very much screen time, the Russo brothers make up for that by using him in one of the film’s best and visually jaw-dropping action sequences. Hawkeye, however, didn’t really need to be in this movie, but Jermey Renner’s charm makes him a welcome addition to the fight. Chadwick Boseman and Tom Holland are fantastic as T’Challa/Black Panther and Peter Parker/Spider-Man respectively, and are great additions to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). The villain in Civil War – Helmut Zemo, played coldly by Daniel Brühl – also happens to be Marvel’s best villain (or perhaps I should say the smartest) since Loki, and his motivations feel real, human and understandable.

Black Panther never fails to nail his entrance

Action-wise, Civil War has plenty of super powered set pieces that are extremely well choreographed and executed. The airport battle between Team Iron Man and Team Cap present in the marketing of this film does not disappoint and sets a new standard of action for future Marvel entries. And by the final act of the film, Civil War also sets a new bar for emotionally charged, character-driven action that breaks the mold of Marvel’s usual reliance on spectacle-based action. The aforementioned airport scene was shot with IMAX cameras, and the scale of the action in that scene really benefits from the expanded screen image and size of an IMAX theatre. Unfortunately, a few action scenes prior to that – although spectacular – are shot largely with hand-held cameras and may be a little giddying for some, especially during the fast-paced opening sequence in Lagos.

 

Spider got your shield.

Overall, Captain America: Civil War is Marvel’s most engaging film to date, and is up there with the likes of X2, The Dark Knight, The Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy as one of my favourite superhero movies. Personalities and ideologies were challenged, every action piece had a clear motivation behind it, nearly every character was compelling and the action was exhilarating. It’s everything I wanted Batman V Superman to be and so, so much more.

'Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice' Review

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice Review:

The Red Capes Are Coming

BY IAN TAN

#TheBoxOfficeWillWin

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice has been one of the most hyped comic book movies ever, with the idea of pitting the Dark Knight and the Man of Steel against each other being the stuff of fanboy dreams. Unfortunately, the result is a mixed bag of a movie that lacks proper character development, a cohesive narrative structure and, most importantly, enjoyment.

The film starts out with the climactic battle from Man of Steel seen through the eyes of Bruce Wayne/Batman, who witnesses the sheer amount of destruction Superman and Zod cost the city of Metropolis and its helpless citizens. This kick-starts a frenzy of political and societal issues against Superman, who is deemed as more of a threat to the world than a saviour. Complicating things is Lex Luthor, who like Batman, wants to put an end to Superman for good. And then there’s Wonder Woman, who is a welcome addition to the film.

Pick-a-boo, Wonder Woman sees you

It sounds as if this film would be a great character study for both our titular heroes, given how different their world-views are, but it simply isn’t. Superman is hardly as engaging as he was in Man of Steel and Batman is a flat-out jerk. Clark Kent/Superman is given an interesting story here, having to deal with the scrutiny of the world while being the very person that does his best to protect it. However, Snyder struggles with humanizing the character enough and Henry Cavill’s performance is rather stiff at times.

Troubled Superman is troubled

As far as Bruce Wayne/Batman goes, he was one of most unlikable superheroes I have on screen to date. I don’t get the hype surrounding this version of Batman. He’s so brutal, unforgiving and arrogant to nearly everyone he interacts with and I found myself desperate to find things to like about him for reasons other than his suit and Batmobile. But to give praise where praise is needed, Ben Affleck played the part well and gave Bruce/Batman a good amount of gravitas. I just didn’t like the way Snyder envisioned the character. Wonder Woman on the other hand, was pretty great for the amount of screen-time she had. Gal Gadot really made the most out of her time on screen and I look forward to seeing more of her character in next year’s Wonder Woman. And Jesse Eisenberg … he was okay as Lex Luthor. It’s definitely a far cry from what we’re used to seeing in Lex Luthor but Eisenberg really nails the maniacal and diabolical sense of thinking the character needed for this film. One scene in particular made me want to punch the living daylights out of him, which is good; he made for an effective, if eccentric, villain.

I guess he lived long enough to see himself become the villain

In terms of performances, there’s not much to complain about in Batman V Superman. Script-wise, David S. Goyer and Chris Terrio seem to be heading down the right path by incorporating some interesting themes and intriguing character struggles into the film’s screenplay. However, the real fault with this film lies in Snyder’s weak storytelling capabilities and David Brenner’s scattershot editing. Snyder tends to stumble with his direction and focuses more on sequel-building than he does on character building, which is a shame considering that he is practically the Joss Whedon of the DC Extended Universe. His visual flair on the other hand, is spot-on as usual (the imagery and visual symbolisms are pretty fantastic), but it does take more priority over substance.

Mophead

In all honesty, I didn’t like this movie. I really thought I would but it was disappointing for the most part. Throughout the film, I struggled to find entertainment value but found very little. Even the moments that were meant to solicit dramatic tension and emotion never hit the notes they could have. Again, this is due to Snyder’s weakness in the storytelling department and in the film’s truncated editing. My favourite scene in the film was one that had to do with the setup for Justice League. It genuinely excited me for the future of the DC Extended Universe, probably because Hans Zimmer & Junkie XL's music won me over, but after giving it more thought, I wondered why I should even bother, because Zack Snyder will return to direct the Justice League films and there will just be more of this. And this I almost thoroughly disliked. I don’t know how much better the Ultimate 3-hour Edition on Blu-Ray will turn out, but as far as the theatrical release goes, this is quite a step below Man of Steel in my opinion, and I liked Man of Steel.

Oh, joy...

Knowing how to visually realize a world and creating strong characters are two different, but essential things to make the DC films as engaging as they should be, and if a director only knows how to master the former but lacks skill in the latter – as Snyder does – I can’t help but worry for the future of DC’s cinematic run. The Justice League films need a director who not only appreciates the world the characters live in, but one who knows how to develop them as nuanced and interesting characters, too. And Zack Snyder, unfortunately, just isn’t that director. Hopefully things will change.

Final Verdict

Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is:

Garbage

Wasted Potential

Not bad. Worth a watch

Pretty Darn Good

Near perfect. An Absolute Must-See

Why 'A New Hope' and 'The Force Awakens' are Better Than Each Other

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is breaking box office records everywhere and story speculations for Episode VIII are swarming the Internet. With a film with so much hype surrounding it, it’s bound to have both haters and lovers. However, there is one major complaint nearly everyone agrees with: The Force Awakens is too similar to Star Wars – Episode IV: A New Hope, but does that necessarily mean it’s worse than A New Hope? In some respects, yes, and in others, probably not. Here are 5 reasons why A New Hope is better than The Force Awakens and 5 reasons why The Force Awakens is better than A New Hope.

5 Reasons Why A New Hope is Better Than The Force Awakens

          1.    Originality

Star Wars – Episode IV: A New Hope featured a premise like nothing audiences had ever seen before. The Empire, the Rebel Alliance, the Force and John Williams’ amazing score are all deeply engraved into peoples’ minds. I mean, who doesn’t recognize the likes of Darth Vader or lines like “May the Force be with you”? Star Wars created a science-fiction fantasy tale that influenced so many films (like Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy and even J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek) with its originality and uniqueness. The Force Awakens is simply riding on the premise, character archetypes and storylines of A New Hope and therefore lacks true originality. It will entice audiences for sure, but what will entice fans today about The Force Awakens are its similarities to the very first Star Wars, not its own originality, because it doesn’t really have any.

Who doesn't love these guys?

        2.    Outstanding Special Effects of its Time

Yeah, the special effects are starting to look a little dated now, but imagine a world where no one knew what a TIE fighter or an X-Wing or a Death Star was, let alone see them in action. Special effects were essential to A New Hope and are one of the main things that people remember the film for. The climactic attack on the Death Star was one of the most, if not the most, riveting and exciting sequence anyone had ever seen on screen in the 70s. Although The Force Awakens does have its share of great visual effects, any major blockbuster in the 21st century is expected to have them. When Star Wars opened in 1977 however, no one saw what was coming, and it spellbound audiences in a way no movie today ever could.

Taken from the Despecialized Edition. Still looks great.

       3.    More Memorable Characters

Not that Rey, Kylo Ren and BB-8 aren’t memorable characters, but they’re basically reiterations of even more memorable ones from A New Hope: Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and R2-D2. George Lucas’ first film in the saga introduced us to characters we’d remember for a lifetime, with names that are instantly recognizable. The hero’s journey Luke goes through in A New Hope, Vader’s intimidating entrance and R2-D2’s mission are key moments in A New Hope that The Force Awakens simply can’t hold up to, although it tries. The stories of our new heroes are great, but their mark in history will always be overshadowed by that of their predecessors from the original Star Wars.

You can see a shot exactly like this in The Force Awakens with BB-8.

       4.    A Simpler Story

Sometimes less is more. A New Hope gave us a very clear-cut plot: the heroic Rebel Alliance must defeat the evil Galactic Empire by destroying their most powerful weapon, the Death Star. This simple, straightforward but engaging plot not only gives audiences a tighter, more focused film, but also makes things easier when we’re introduced to the mythology of the Force and other space mumbo-jumbo. Having the responsibility of setting up story threads for sequels to complete, The Force Awakens tosses in one too many characters and unresolved mysteries in its breakneck pace that one viewing isn’t enough to fully enjoy the film. This, however, wasn’t the case with A New Hope when it hit theatres in 1977.

       5.    A Wholesome Standalone

In the days before extended cinematic universes existed, films were made with a wholesome Beginning, Middle and End structure. With The Force Awakens being the launching pad for a new trilogy, it leaves many unanswered questions to be resolved in future instalments, something A New Hope didn’t need to do because Lucas never planned for a trilogy in the first place. As a result, A New Hope was able to tell a complete standalone story without the burden of having to set up sequels. But that didn’t stop us from wanting to see more, did it?

The best closing shot of the saga, happy and wholesome

5 Reasons Why The Force Awakens is Better Than A New Hope

       1.    The Acting

Looking back at A New Hope, you have to admit the acting wasn’t all that great, save for Harrison Ford and Alec Guinness. Mark Hamill and Carrie Fisher, despite their charisma, were especially cringe-worthy at times (Luke’s Tosche station line comes to mind). In The Force Awakens however, the acting is splendid all around. Daisy Ridley (Rey) and Adam Driver (Kylo Ren) in particular bring great depth and intrigue to their characters in a way A New Hope didn’t with Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.

Luke's look after seeing his aunt and uncle's burnt skeletons

       2.    An Old Plot, Better Visualized

Although A New Hope’s attack on the Death Star will remain as one of the saga’s most memorable scenes, the attack on the sun-sucking Starkiller Base in The Force Awakens does look better, visually and symbolically. While the Death Star exploded into debris and pretty sparks, the Starkiller Base turned into a sun – a symbol of hope – after collapsing into itself. A New Hope’s sequence was exciting, but given the theme of ‘hope’ in the film, the climactic attack didn’t make as good a use of imagery and symbolism the way J.J. Abrams did in The Force Awakens. Poe’s line “As long as there’s light, we’ve got a chance”, really sells the idea that hope isn’t lost in the presence of the light. This ties in very nicely when we finally see the Starkiller Base become the very thing it wanted to crush – hope, in the form of a light-giving sun.

A sun-sucking base on an icy cold planet - oh the villainy

       3.    A Fleshed Out Villain

Darth Vader will always be the greatest villain of all time, largely due to how developed he was as a character in The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. In A New Hope, Vader is a one-note and rather one-dimensional villain. At the end of the film, we remember him more for his costume than for him as a character. Kylo Ren on the other hand, is many things Vader was, and more. Not only is he intimidating as his grandfather was, but Ren is also complex, damaged and insecure. Yes, that makes for a physically weaker villain, but what we gain from that is a more interesting and layered antagonist that we can understand, fear and at times, pity – a very humanized individual. Although we got all that with Vader in the sequels (and to an extent, the prequels), George Lucas simply didn’t develop his character well enough when he was first introduced in A New Hope.

Pale white under all that black

       4.    The Drama

Obi-Wan’s death in A New Hope was important for Luke’s journey as hero. It took an emotional toll on him and motivated him to join the Rebel Alliance and trust in the Force. That about sums A New Hope’s most emotional aspect. One could argue that Luke seeing his Aunt and Uncle’s burnt bodies was an emotional turning point, but Luke’s emotionless reaction to it makes it hard for audiences to feel any real sadness. Different from A New Hope, The Force Awakens features a bevy of heart and emotion. From Rey’s journey of discovery to Kylo Ren’s internal struggle, J.J. Abrams and writer Lawrence Kasdan really gave The Force Awakens the heart it needed to resonate with audiences. And Han’s Solo’s death has got to be as heart wrenching as a Star Wars scene can get. Abrams knew that he couldn’t repeat A New Hope’s success through spectacle alone, and instead gave us an emotional, character-driven film. While A New Hope was remembered for its spectacle, The Force Awakens will be remembered for its emotion; and in some respects, that makes a better movie.

A light in the darkness. The symbolisms just go on and on...

       5.     The Buzz It Creates

Dangling story threads can be a bummer, but don’t we all secretly love them? That’s what Marvel does all the time and we’re always more than willing to see the next chapter in their superhero saga. If it isn’t broke, why fix it, right? One could argue that The Force Awakens doesn’t work very well as a standalone film, but in a way, that’s what makes it so much fun of a movie-going experience. The speculation people make and the questions they ask just create more buzz for the franchise, and is a sure-fire way of bringing people back to the theater for sequels. In 1977, A New Hope’s novelty was enough to generate a mass of followers and fans. Today, however, the formula has changed. People want to be introduced to characters they wish to see more of and stories that they can see unfold through more movies. In that way, Disney has succeeded marvellously with The Force Awakens by bringing in enough nostalgia for fans, introducing new characters that new viewers can follow and a set up for sequels that everyone will anticipate. With all the Internet and pop culture buzz surrounding this film and its already announced sequels, The Force Awakens has created phenomenon probably even bigger than A New Hope did.

Fans dressed up at The Force Awakens' premiere

Well, there you have it, 10 reasons why A New Hope and The Force Awakens are better than each other. Do you agree with the article? Which do you think is the better movie and why? Share your thoughts! 

You can find my reviews for A New Hope here and The Force Awakens here.