Let’s Be Honest: Captain America: Civil War Is Overrated

Hold on. Contain your angry little fingertips for a microsecond and hear me out here. When Captain America: Civil War first came out, it felt like everything that we hoped for from a comic book movie. From Spider-Man finally joining the MCU to Black Panther's incredible debut, it was an ensemble film that defied the odds and left us happy once the credits rolled. That said, if you watch the flick a year later, you'll undoubtedly see that it's not really the best Marvel release around. It's quite overrated, in fact, if you think about it. Heck, it wasn't even the best comic book movie of 2016, either, with that honor belonging to the remarkable and pitch-perfect Deadpool. Now, we're not saying that it's a bad film per se - not at all - we're merely pointing out that it's not the Wayne Gretzky or Michael Jordan of superhero films, which many claim it to be. It has its flaws, with some of them being quite glaring and difficult to ignore, and we think it's time to speak up about them. So, without further ado, here's a host of arguments why Captain America: Civil War is overrated. As always, if you agree or disagree with our reasons, please do leave your thoughts in the comments section. We're sure this will be one hot topic that'll create a lot of debate amongst everyone. With that out of the way, let's begin! The Sokovia Accords If you think about it, the whole concept of the Sokovia Accords is no different from any other agreement or treaty. Why shouldn't the Avengers be held accountable and taken to task like everyone else in a position of power? Sorry, Steve, but Tony was actually right here, and you, as a former soldier, should know the importance of rules and adhering to a superior's instructions. Unfortunately, the Sokovia Accords didn't possess the same immediate impact as the Superhero Registration Act from the original Civil War storyline. In this version, it was made clear from the get-go that superpowered individuals had to register, almost like law enforcement officers, and reveal their real names, residing addresses, etc. Naturally, you can see the issue with revealing that sort of sensitive information, especially if it lands in the hands of villains, which we all know live and breathe in government institutions. It's much easier to understand why superheroes would be reluctant to reveal personal information in fear of their families being targeted. It highlights the genuine risk of this line of work versus just not wanting to report to a couple of suits. That said, it's also mentioned in the film that fingerprints and DNA will be stored as part of the Sokovia Accords, so it does still borrow elements from the Superhero Registration Act. However, the downsides aren't made quite as clear as in the original Act. The Locations Are All Over The Place One of the biggest weaknesses of Avengers: Age of Ultron was how it hopped between scenes at a frantic pace, making the film quite choppy and difficult to follow at times. Captain America: Civil War is guilty of exactly the same thing, switching between locations as if Nightcrawler transported us all in one bamf! Seriously, if you manage to travel as fast the Avengers do, please do share your tips and secrets with us. We're tired of waiting for planes and buses, and having to book a couple extra days purely for traveling. There's one particular instance where Cap is at Peggy Carter's funeral in London, then King T'Chaka of Wakanda is killed in Vienna, and Cap suddenly rocks up there out of nowhere. Afterwards, there's a trip to Bucharest, then everyone's suddenly back in the States. Do you see the point we're making? It's pretty much all over the place and difficult to follow. We all love a good globetrotting adventure, and it's great to see stories taking place outside of the States, but some logic still needs to be applied here. No one was teleporting and they still required transport to get to places, so it's hard to believe they could magically turn up in one place and then appear somewhere else in a jiffy. Scarlet Witch Is Still Incredibly Boring And Pointless When you think of Wanda Maximoff, you imagine a strong, powerful lady who's able to hold her own against others in the Marvel universe and make them look like chumps. You certainly don't think of a woman who looks and acts like she missed the casting call for 1996's The Craft. Seriously, this character has been about as exciting as burnt toast with a slice of nothing in all her MCU appearances to date. Now, we're not sure if this blandness is due to Elizabeth Olsen's inefficiencies as an actress or just how badly her character has been written, but Scarlet Witch is making us question if the wrong Maximoff sibling died. Not only is she boring AF, but she's also incredibly emo. Has someone told her that it's not 2007 anymore and Fall Out Boy is so passé? Despite Wanda having a major part to play in the establishing of the Sokovia Accords, she's pretty much insignificant for the rest of the film and her relationship with Vision fails to ignite. We're not sure how, but she makes Vision look like the human and herself like the android. Zemo Is The Worst Villain In The MCU Yet Sure, the MCU gets a lot of stick for its lackluster villains, but Zemo takes it to a whole new level of suckage. Heck, he makes Iron Man 3's the Mandarin look like Darth Vader in comparison. Does anyone actually remember what his purpose was? No checking on Google allowed, because that'll be cheating. Oh, now we remember. His family died in Sokovia. Right, then… What's even worse is when you remember how cool Helmut Zemo was in the comic books. As one of Cap's premier antagonists, he instilled fear in everyone around him. He had brains, brawn, and a general menacing demeanor. Here, he was nothing more than a wimpy Phil Dunphy seeking revenge for his family's death. Ultimately, this was by no means the fault of actor Daniel Brühl, who did the best he could with the script he'd been given. But honestly, if you could name the top bad guys in comic book movies, would Zemo even make your top 20 or 30? He inspired absolutely no one and could've easily been replaced with any other villain. The Film Score Is Uninspiring If we played you a piece of music from the film, would you be able to identify which scene it's from? Does it evoke an emotion of happiness or sadness in you? The answer to both those questions is a resounding no. Henry Jackman's mentor might be Hans Zimmer, but his score is nowhere near the fabled German's efforts, that's for sure. It's strange, though, because Jackman's work on Captain America: The Winter Soldier was rather decent and left a positive mark. So, it's difficult to fathom what went wrong here. It's emotionless and flat; it's merely there, but doesn't stir any sentiment or feeling for the characters or scene. As the DCEU's musical scores go from strength to strength, the MCU's have failed to leave an overall lasting impression. In fact, most of the scores seem to be indistinct and kind of merge into each other, so you're never sure which film they're from. Judging by the trailers for Thor: Ragnarok and Black Panther, it's immediately noticeable that Marvel is starting to take its music a whole lot more seriously. Hopefully, the future scores will be much better than Captain America: Civil War's. It Had Its Own "Martha!" Moment It seems like Laurence Fishburne was the only person who particularly loved the "Martha!" plot twist in Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, but Captain America: Civil War was just as guilty of having a dumb plot device. You know, that scene when Tony discovers that Bucky killed his parents when he was brainwashed and turns on him and Cap. Frankly, it's a ludicrous plot twist because Tony knew that Bucky had been brainwashed - he'd even uncovered that he'd been framed by Zemo. Considering he's arguably the smartest man in the MCU, do you really think his first reaction would be "you killed my mother, Bucky, so now I'll kill you, too"? One could argue that emotion took over and he reacted out of anger, but c'mon, the guy was brainwashed?! It's sloppy writing, unfortunately. There could've been a million other reasons for them to do battle, but the one ultimately chosen was incredibly lame. Also, was it necessary to make it personal between them? We're certain that Cap and Tony could've done battle simply because they were on opposite sides. Throwing parents into the mix just felt cheesy. Captain America Doesn't Die Say what you will about Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice, but at least Zack Snyder wasn't afraid of pulling the trigger and killing the Man of Steel in his blockbuster. Marvel, on the other hand, wasn't and never has been as bold. The death of Captain America was a huge part of the original tale, and the tipping point for someone like Tony Stark. It opened the eyes of many of the fence-sitters and defectors, giving us a true resolution to the story and solidifying Cap's argument. It was his sacrifice that changed the complexion of the Marvel universe for years to come and reaffirmed his status as the vital good guy who'll die for what he believes in. In superhero films, there are normally casualties, but the biggest one we've seen in the MCU so far is Quicksilver, whom none of us actually cared about to begin with. It's fairly evident that Marvel shies away from deaths, probably because of those sweet toy sales and infinite sequel possibilities, but this was the perfect opportunity to send out a statement that no one is safe in the MCU. Maybe they need George R.R. Martin writing their scripts. Tell us, do you think Captain America: Civil War is an overrated comic book movie? Let us know in the comments section!

Let’s Be Honest: Captain America: Civil War Is Overrated

It Had Its Own “Martha!” Moment