Captain America: Civil War - a belated review

Hello and welcome to the 05/22/2016 edition of The Comic Shop!

First...Big news on the page as DC's next big event "Rebirth" kicks off at midnight this Wednesday.  I've seen some of the spoilers and it looks like we are in for one helluva ride.  Let's just say all of the woes of the DC universe over the past few years are because of a certain Doctor we all know.  Not to be outdone Marvel has pushed the release of Steve Rogers: Captain America #1 to midnight the same night.

Second...It's time for a TV roundup y'all.  I'm trying to keep up on "Flash" and although I was not initially a fan of the Zoom redesign I have to say that the story is incredibly compelling.  I've stayed away from "Arrow".  I have to say after catching an occasional "Agents of SHIELD" episode it has piqued my interest so I've started watching that on Netflix.  Season three of AoS just wrapped and it will be on Netflix within the next 2 weeks!

Third...Early screenings of "Suicide Squad" have been very favorable, but so were early screenings of "BvS" so take that for what it's worth.  I've read mixed things about "X-men: Apocalypse", but it looks interesting enough for me to plunk down my $10.

Fourth... "Thor: Ragnarok" has one helluva cast!  Man, joining Chris Hemsworth, Idris Elba, and Anthony Hopkins are Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett, Karl Urban, and Jeff Goldblum among others.  It's going to be uh uh uh-mazing!

Alright enough of this bullcrap....let's review the billion dollar movie that got outdrawn by "Angry Birds" at the box office this weekend.

If you haven't caught up on the MCU films you may be a little lost with what I'm going to talk about today so go no further.  Also just a word of warning spoilers will lurk heavy.  

Good:

There are so many things that I enjoyed about this movie, but I think the strength for me is that they didn't alter the two headliners much to make the fight happen.  The filmmakers stayed true to who these characters were, and most of the conflict came from their views being naturally different.  The "Civil War" comic upon which this story was somewhat based took a lot of liberties with Cap & Iron Man to not only make them fight, but to keep them fighting.

That said in this movie like in all good stories character is key.

-Props to the Russo Bros for that ONE LINE OF DIALOGUE to address why Tony went back to being Iron Man after the conclusion of Iron Man 3.  In doing so they set up this conflict in a roundabout way.  This Tony Stark isn't addicted to alcohol (like in the revolutionary "Demon in a Bottle" storyline) he is addicted to being Iron Man.  Like any addict he didn't realize he had a problem until he hit rock bottom (losing Pepper Potts in this context).  When the opportunity comes along for someone else to regulate his behavior Tony jumps in with both feet, because he knows he is powerless over his own addiction.  Not only that, but he has seen the physical cost of collateral damage of his invention (in this case the Avengers) once again, as he originally became Iron Man to get his weapons out of the hands of terrorists.

-Cap on the other hand has had a problem with authority & a lack of autonomy going all the way back to when he was a skinny weakling.  He even forged government forms because he was so passionate about doing his part.  This is a constant theme with him that carries through and makes him hesitant to sign on for government authority over the Avengers.  For Steve Rogers the idea is very present that structures become shackles if he is not vigilant.  Another thing that really drives him into conflict in this movie is his desperate need to cling to the the last few remnants of his life from before he went into the ice.  Those being his best friend Bucky (also known as the MK-Ultra styled Hydra Killer The Winter Soldier), and his former love Peggy Carter.  Carter's death I think really puts an emphasis on Cap's search for his friend, and his need to protect him well past a point that one would reasonably walk away. 

-There are a lot of great fight scenes in this movie the airport fight between the two teams is one of the better action pieces I've seen in any movie, and the dramatic intimate finale was absolutely pitch perfect.  It would have stolen away a lot of the drama and emotion to have two full teams going at it in that final showdown.

-Typically when something comes down to a third reboot it's time to pack it in, but Tom Holland has given a new lease on life as Spider-man.  His interactions with Tony Stark, and his constant chattiness during the big airport fight had me in stitches both times I saw this film.

-Black Panther!  Chadwick Boseman conveys a strong, quiet, confidence as King T'challa, and honestly he may be the first true badass take this guy serious character in the MCU.  I got chills both times from the "I'll kill him myself".  The juxtaposition of T'challa choosing justice with Stark choosing vengeance off camera was incredibly powerful and poignant.  I seriously can't wait for the Ryan Coogler helmed solo film.

- Ant-Man!  HOLY SHIT!  that's all I have to say about that.

- Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlett Witch) is still gorgeous, and her weird relationship with Paul Bettany's Vision will surely be a point of interest in the future.

- The Russo's should direct the upcoming "Black Widow" solo.  They have a real respect for the character and I have enjoyed her more in both "Captain America" movies than I have in her other three appearances in the MCU.

- I'm on the fence about this one and you'll see why shortly, but I think Daniel Bruhl's Baron Zemo might be the best Marvel villain to date.  He has a wonderful Dark Knight Joker-esque feel as a guy that just wants to "watch the world burn."

- There are a lot of other things I really enjoyed, but I want to get on to the other parts here.

Bad:

-CONVENIENCE:  seriously this is becoming my least favorite superhero movie troupe.  There is no explanation for a lot of things that people just happen to know in this movie.  Zemo just happens to know that Bucky killed *SPOILERS*?  Zemo knows that the United Nations is going to take unilateral action to censure the Avengers? I realize that it's only a 2 hour movie, but this is something that is present in almost every superhero film.

- Some of the humor was at poor times.  Thankfully they didn't put any quips in the last heart-wrenching scene, and actually played it for the serious part that it was.  The airport fight with all the humor and banter looks more like the Avengers training in the X-men's Danger Room than it does a knockdown drag out fight.

- Nobody said in a Forrest Gump voice "Lt. Rhodes you got you some magic legs"...speaking of poorly timed humor.  Too soon?

Ugly:

- Crossbones.  Now don't get me wrong I loved that Frank Grillo's character made a return, but it was way too brief, and I would've like to see him again down the line.  Not to say it's impossible, but this may have been a quick one-off of the character.

- Stakes.  In this sequel-building and cinematic universe building world we are in there is very little at stake in these movies.  Like I said the last 5-10 minutes of the movie will leave you breathless, but in all truth everyone turns out physically relatively unscathed.  Mentally is a different story, but I digress.  Maybe this is just setting the table for the arrival of Thanos in the Infinity Stone movies, but at some point people are gonna stop believing that Marvel will eventually pull the trigger on the big deaths.


That's it for today...Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time at The Comic Shop!

The pitch & other stuff

Hello and welcome to the 05/04/2016 edition of The Comic Shop Blog!

Your humble blogger is caught up in the anticipation for “Civil War” on Thursday Night!  The Captain America movies have been some of the brightest spots in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and this one does not look like it will disappoint!  I will get a review up as soon as I can instead of generating a belated review like I did for BvS.

Speaking of which (FIRST)… I omitted one of the worst things in my mega-BvS break down.  File Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor under ugly.  I usually am not a fan of recasting roles midstream, but I’ve spent the better part of the last month in seclusion praying to Kirk Cameron for a recast of this role for the “Justice League” movies.  I honestly don’t know how to describe how he played that role other than to say he was a billionaire atheist with autism.  His motivations weren’t clear and his behavioral tics were just bizarre.  I am not asking for Gene Hackman/Kevin Spacey land grab Luthor, but something tangible would be a start.  As always the best villains are the hero of their own story, and I just don’t see that from EisenLuthor.

Second…I respect Olivia Munn for turning down a “girlfriend” role in “Deadpool” to play Psylocke in “X-men: Apocalypse”.  She looks great in the role, but I still worry about her screen presence.  Only time will truly tell.

Third…TV ROUND-UP…Punisher is having his own series (!) which I said was the best idea on this very blog when Marvel got the rights back (I’m waiting on my royalty check).  Otherwise I’m behind so I will update you guys when I dive back in to superhero TV.

Fourth…My Indiana Comic-Con haul was all Superman related.  I walked away with nearly the entire run of Max Landis’s “American Alien” and I have to say I kind of love it.  It is a story with great heart, and it alters the Superman mythos in new and interesting ways.  I recommend it.  I also checked out the available issues of “Lois & Clark” which features the Pre-52 Superman living in hiding with Lois & his son Jonathan in the New 52 universe.  It’s a really interesting story, and another super story that I would highly recommend.

Speaking of Superman… (warning this content is super dorky)

“The Pitch”

*keep in mind that this story is told without any regard for continuity in the DC universe new or old.  Some elements have been borrowed from other creators, but the overall story is my own creation*

The Trials of Clark Kent of Smallville  (I’m not married to the title BTW)

The Character:  Clark Kent age 19-21

The Setup:  My story is about Clark in his formative years (although I do not like the Christ-like imagery this is a “Jesus in the wilderness” story or in a more simplistic take it’s a Star Trek exploration mission with Clark).

It is set at a time when the only thing we know about superheroes is old footage of Wonder Woman during WWI.  

Clark only marginally understands that he is an alien, but he has never lost in a fight (although he tries to shy away from them) and has never even bled.  He is not cocky, but is not humble either.  This story at its core is about how the universe humbles Clark Kent, and prepares him to be the protector of Metropolis/Earth.  

After an argument with his father about his responsibility to mankind Clark sets off to explore space to see if he can find others like him, or more information about where he comes from.

The Supporting Cast:  This would be a departure from most of the currently established Superman mythos.  

J:  Artificial intelligence.  This is a Kryptonian Tablet placed in the pod with little Kal-el by his mother.  J is Clark’s only companion for the duration of the journey.  His Kryptonian programming allows Clark to use him to build almost anything.  J comes in very handy as Clark experiences real pain & real fear as he travels through the cosmos through different atmospheres & different solar radiation.

Li’ara:  A slave girl on a distant planet that serves as a love interest to Clark.

K’ashon: The despotic leader of the same planet.

*There will be more but this is just the first arch of the story*

The Universe:  In my mind the universe is a very dark and scary place. It’s like Clark has spent his whole life as big dog in the yuppie neighborhood, and decided to go to biker bar looking for trouble.  The different atmospheres and solar radiation cause new issues for Clark as he becomes exponentially more powerful on some planets, and extremely weak on others.  Not to mention the time away from earth’s yellow sun has slowly eroded his cognitive abilities so he is not as super-smart as he was after drinking in earth’s radiation for most of his years.  

So that is the basic premise of what I would want to pitch if I got the chance to do a Superman story my way.  In my most perfect vision it is a 12 to 15 issue story with 5 issue archs basically serving as each year.  

There is a lot more to it, but that is the basic skeleton.  If you are intrigued by the concept let me know, and if not that is okay too. 

As always thanks for reading!  Be sure to visit your Local Comic Shop on Saturday for “Free Comic Book Day”, and I will see you next time at The Comic Shop!