Captain America - Civil War - A Spoiler-Free Review

After twelve superheroe movies successes, I keep waiting for Disney/Marvel to stumble. Not that I want them to, but I feel that at some point the Marvel Superhero movie ride has got to stop. I thought the same with Guardians of the Galaxy and Ant-Man. But, neither of those missed the mark, and neither does Captain America Civil War.

Captain America Civil War is a great comic book movie. It builds on the twelve movies that came before it and it really feels organic and a natural progression. I feared that such a large cast of heroes
would be mishandled, but they weren't. We got individual moments with all of them that and their
interactions really made the whole better than the sum of the parts.

The tone is more adult as the film deals with some serious issues and for the majority of the movie
there's no clear villain for them to fight. They're fighting their identity and ideals in a world that
doesn't understand them and is afraid of them.

This film succeeds because it has heart. A lot of heart, humanity, and a good dose of humor that balances a lot of the story's tension and conflict

While I did miss Thor and the Hulk, Spider-Man and Black Panther were pleasant surprises. Tom Holland as Peter Parker stole the show from Downey Jr. in their scenes together. I was really
happy with the amount of screen time Spidey got and I'm really looking forward to seeing his
feature film. And the same with Chadwick Boseman as Black Panther and I can't wait to see how
they explore Wakanda.

Despite a running time 2 hrs 26mins, the movie didn't feel overly long, in fact it left me wanting more.

The only complaint I had was that the film's antagonist wasn't fleshed out, his motivation seemed a bit clumsy.

While the film is the first of the Third Phase of Marvel movies, it wraps up with a new status quo that felt like both an ending and a new beginning. Although we have a vague idea of that new beginning is headed, I guess we'll just have to wait and see where Doctor Strange and Guardians of the Galaxy 2 take us.

The Avengers Encyclopedia

The Avengers Encyclopedia
Publisher: Dorling Kindersley
Writers: Matt Forbeck, Matthew K. Manning, Dan Wallace, Alan Cowsill, and Glenn Dakin
Published: Sept 2015
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 352

A quick note that a review copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review purposes.

The size and weight of this encyclopedia is impressive, one could almost say… Mighty. There’s a stunning amount of information jammed into the 350 plus oversized pages. This book isn’t your typical encyclopedia that’s alphabetically divided and feels artificial. Instead you get a well-thought out, thematic division of subject matter, coloured coded for easy reference.

The book respectfully balances the scope of Avengers history from the Silver Age to present. Written by a small army of authors, the encyclopedia breaks down over 250 characters, profiles significant events and storylines, and highlights the various team incarnations. I was also impressed the level of detail presented in the Key Storyline sections that go well beyond a simple summary and make a point of acknowledging comic book creators’ contributions.

The number of images jam packed into each page really pulls you into the book and really gives readers a solid feel for the character or event across the different comic book ages. I really enjoyed the write-ups on Hank Pym, who usually gets overlooked because of his convoluted history and continuity (and not because of his Ant-Man stature).

The Avengers Encyclopedia is the ultimate Avengers reference guide. Face Front True Believers, this volume has it all! If you’re looking to brush up on your Avengers history before Captain America: Civil War, pick up a copy of this book.