Captain America: Civil War Review + Fun Facts and Featurette: In Good Company

The movie cat has been released from the bag. Captain America: Civil War has been released in Europe a week before the release date in the US and there are several theaters that have early showings, so you will probably get spoilers more often than not. Depending on how much of the trailers and other advertising you are on top of, this review will have some minor spoilers.

First off, the civil war starts a division between the Avengers where one group wants United Nations oversight to help offset the collateral damages that have resulted in past efforts to save the world. The other camp feels they should stay independent. The independent side is lead by Captain America, containing Ant Man, Hawkeye, Falcon, the Winter Solider and the Scarlet Witch. Team Iron Man includes Black Widow, Black Panther, Vision, Spider-Man (more about this later), and War Machine.

The best part of the movie is the eventual throw down between the two factions, Avenger against Avenger, almost. Some new additions to the teams were a little oddly put together.

The main conflict between the two sides quickly falls apart, but not really. The main story has a villain, conflict between friends, controlling governments, a lack of Ms Potts, changing sides and two post scenes (one just after the “end” and one after the credits). You will have to watch the film (or read the wikipedia article) to see how it all plays out.

Black Panther has his separate agenda, but puts it aside to fight with Stark. It would have been more believable if he was on his own mission from the start, but there was enough going on that they needed to keep the two sides defined. The character seems more placed for later spin-off movies (Nov 3rd, 2017) than essential to the story line.

Spider-man was a good addition, but he was just starting out. And don’t even get me started on Marisa Tomei as Aunt May. Bad Tony, don’t hit on the new recruits family. The addition of yet another web slinger in the post-Maguire and post-Garfield era seems like they can never get the right actor. Hopefully Holland will be around for several movies yet to come. He already has the chatty part of the arachnid down. I will be cautiously optimistic of his new movies.

The reintroduction of Ant Man was a little off in the beginning, but he makes a pretty good showing in the major clash of the movie. Definitely true to his character.

Another thing I found a little odd is that everyone seems to know the secret identity of the masked members. This almost defeats the need for a mask, except in Panther’s case.  This new addition to the Marvel cinemascape will be added to my personal collection, but there are parts where it is lacking when compared to the first two Captain films. The tensions from the new dichotomy will make for interesting spin off movies as well as the next Avengers film.

Can’t wait to see Captain America: Civil War? Check out these fun facts about the film below as well as a great new featurette about the women in the film!

• To bring “Captain America: Civil War” to the big screen, the filmmakers had to figure out which Avengers would side with Team Cap and which ones would ally with Team Iron Man. After careful consideration, the filmmakers decided on a split of characters that would find Sam Wilson, Bucky Barnes, Hawkeye, Ant-Man and Scarlet Witch following Captain America, with Black Widow, War Machine, Vision and Black Panther following Tony Stark.

• With the “Captain America: Civil War” story taking place all over the world, the production would find itself based in familiar territory, anchoring at Pinewood Atlanta Studios with various units shooting in Germany, Austria, Iceland, Puerto Rico, Indonesia, Brazil and the United Kingdom during the film’s production schedule.

• In addition to the soundstages at Pinewood, filmmakers were able to utilize locations around the Atlanta area for several scenes. One such location was a big, empty gulch in downtown Atlanta where they built Lagos, Nigeria. Between the locations team, art department and set decorators, filmmakers were able to bring an authentic texture to the environment and by casting hundreds of extras it came alive as the vibrant city of Lagos.

• On June 18, 2015, on the backlot of Pinewood Atlanta Studios, the first scenes of the historic Civil War mash-up began shooting, pitting the Avengers against each other with teams led by Captain America and Tony Stark. Filmmakers nick-named the classic battle the “Splash Panel,” because it was like a double-panel illustration in a comic book. The “Splash Panel” is one of Marvel’s most epic scenes with the most interaction ever seen in a Marvel film. The sequence was shot on IMAX cameras to give fans an unforgettable immersive experience.

• The film also features one of the most advanced automobiles in the world, which T’Challa/Black Panther drives. The filmmakers turned to Audi, who provided the production with their newest hi-tech concept car for the shoot. The stunning car has all the newest technology that Audi has but it has never been put into production. Keep an eye out for it in the movie—you won’t see it anywhere else.

• The German portion of the shooting schedule was a homecoming for cast member Daniel Brühl, who lives in Berlin and owns his own restaurant in the city. Shooting in Berlin gave Brühl the opportunity to return some of the southern hospitality he was shown by his 2 fellow cast members in Atlanta by inviting them to his tapas restaurant for a night of dining and fun.

• A new Super Hero is introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe in “Captain America: Civil War”—T’Challa, the Black Panther, played by Chadwick Boseman. The highly anticipated character comes in not agreeing with either side in the Civil War because he has his own agenda. Black Panther will feature in his own standalone film in 2018.

• Captain America’s fighting style is based in old-school martial arts like Judo, Karate, Tae Kwan Do and Aikido. But, Black Panther, one of the best martial artists in the Marvel Universe, has more of a flowing martial arts style based on Capoeira, which is a form of Brazilian martial arts that combines acrobatics, dance and music. There is also a Chinese influence in his style with the use of Kung Fu.

• The Black Panther costume was carefully designed to incorporate a panther, cat-like vibe with African aspects in the embellishments. With minimalist shoes that add a stealth element and root the costume to the ground, it also has a ninja feel.

• Hawkeye returns with some new weapons, including a collapsible baton for close-in fighting. His iconic bow has undergone some modifications as well. It is now left-handed for the actor, lighter in weight and easier to handle. He also sports a different look, with a fullsleeved jacket instead of a vest, as well as a return to the more traditional purple color.

• Brock Rumlow/Crossbones, played by Frank Grillo, has new jackhammer-type gauntlets that amplify the power of his punches.

• Anthony Mackie is very happy with the upgrades to his Falcon suit. He feels much more like an Avenger now that his suit is more high-tech and streamlined, not to mention his favorite part—some flashy red on the wings.

• With Scarlet Witch now a full-fledged Avenger, Elizabeth’s Olsen’s costume received an upgrade equal to her new status. She now has a leather Super Hero outfit with a coat designed with movement in mind.

• Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man suit received some tweaks for “Captain America: Civil War.” The new suit is streamlined and looks more high-tech to fit the times. The helmet no longer has cables that snap into the back of it and antennas shoot up from the bottom. The regulator also has no dial on it.

• When a wire rig could not be used, Paul Bettany used an AirBoard to float around as the Vision. The AirBoard is pressure-plated with the toes and the heel, so it mimics a hover board and can go up to 12 miles per hour. It took Bettany only a few minutes to learn how to use the AirBoard and it definitely helped to frame the character’s intangible floating.

Captain America: Civil War is in theaters everywhere today! Find more great clips and information on the film on the Captain America Website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!