Summer Movies Thread

[Big Boy Laroux]

Originally Posted by Underdog

Saw it, had a really sh!tty movie-going experience, need to re-watch it again when the theaters aren't so packed... Can't wait until Screening Room becomes a more affordable/realistic option -- I wouldn't be sad if I never stepped foot into a movie theater again, just as long as I can see new releases before they get spoiled by the internet.

Black Panther, Ant-Man and Spider-Man were definitely the best part of the movie (can't wait for their upcoming films!), but am I the only one who felt like the ridiculously-enjoyable airport scene was plucked out of a much more entertaining movie? Most of Civil War was a slog to get through -- I definitely noticed the two-and-a-half hour runtime.

it was definitely more "talky" than most Marvel movies, but it did have some good action sequences to break that up, albeit small scale (Lagos, the Panther/Bucky chase, etc.). But I liked a lot of the exposition. I think it laid out a plot in which you really could side with either guy.

While of course Spider-man was awesome (really the best-filmed version of him in action, quipping/talking constantly), Black Panther was my favorite newcomer. And Falcon continues to grow into his own character, he had some of the best moments of the movie - he's kind of a dud in the comics.

yeah, it was tough to avoid spoilers, but i've had a good track record of seeing movies in week 2. People are polite enough not to reveal huge spoilers in that timeframe.

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by Big Boy Laroux

it was definitely more "talky" than most Marvel movies, but it did have some good action sequences to break that up, albeit small scale (Lagos, the Panther/Bucky chase, etc.). But I liked a lot of the exposition. I think it laid out a plot in which you really could side with either guy.

I kinda skipped over this point earlier (because work), but I really didn't have a problem with the "talky" parts that justified the Civil War plot (I can shift back & forth between what "should be" and what "is be")... No, what bored me were all the superfluous subplots added to force a "Civil War" -- like EVERYTHING between Wanda/Vision/Hawkeye.

Sure, they used Scarlett Witch's whole house arrest thing to develop the characters (so I credit the Russos for making the most of unnecessary screentime), but all of that could have easily been cut for narrative's sake... Like, couldn't Hawkeye just stay retired and the Avengers send their hard-hitters on a mission to find Hulk or something? It's not like the plot was dependent on those characters -- Tony could have just as easily pointed out Vision's observations of villainous escalation (which actually would have lent more weight to his guilt).

BUT, if you gotta go all Civil War, then adding Black Panther, Ant-Man and Spider-Man was definitely the way to go... One comic relief for team blue, one comic relief for team red, one neutral BAMF who always lands on his feet.... I didn't like some of the narrative choices in this movie because they felt forced into Marvel's overall arc, but I do think the filmmakers maximized their execution of the studio's notes.

Ultimately, I think they should have split this film into two parts -- all the grimdark should have ended Phase 2 in Captain America 3, and then maybe all the funtime-Avengers stuff could have kicked off Phase 3 with Avengers: Civil War, grown organically from the Winter Soldier's assassination of everyone's parents (including Batfleck's. . . . DIE, MARTHA!)