"Captain America: Civil War" - SPOILER ALERT

Celebrating my 300th published post with this one (for real this time)! And apparently Blogger is celebrating with a new format! I don't need any more changes in my life right now! Lol!

Watching "Captain America: Civil War" was like reuniting with old friends after not seeing them for a long time. Since the library has been closed, I haven't been able to borrow any movies. However, to my delight, this one (the next in line for me) recently aired on t.v. and it is also streaming for free. Yay!

Back when I was young and naive (a few months ago), I watched this movie out of order. One of the main reasons I watched it when I did was because I was watching all the Spidey movies and this one comes before "Spider-man: Homecoming." In that way, it was in order, but in the overall Marvel Universe...well I had a lot to learn.

I thought "Civil War" was just okay at the time. Nothing special. Well, now I realize the value of watching the Marvel movies in order. This time around, I loved it! Certain plot points and characters made more sense. This time, I also knew who Ant Man was and I was so happy to see him emerge from that van! I also now know the backstory about Wanda, Vision, and who Agent Carter's niece was. All of this background knowledge increased my enjoyment of the movie.

Speaking of Agent Carter, let me start (well, sort of start) with some thoughts on her.  From the beginning, she has been one of my favorite characters in the MCU. I felt very connected to her in "Captain America: The First Avenger" and I was sad that she and Cap could not keep their planned date. After that movie, I wondered what became of her life. Of course, we later found out that she was a founding member of S.H.I.E.L.D. and went on to live a very respectable life. It seems also that, throughout her life, she didn't forget about Steve Rogers.

Why then was her passing relayed to Steve through a text message and not a phone call??? And who sent that text message? Was it a caretaker? A friend? A relative?  I suppose it's not a huge deal not knowing this answer, but it was something I was curious about...so much so that I replayed that text message scene several times just to see if I was missing who the sender was. Steve was obviously important to Agent Carter, to the point where he had the honor of being one of the pallbearers. He deserved a phone call, not a text message. Sigh. I admit, it's entirely possible that I dwelled on this for too long because when I watched the movie, even this time around, it did not bother me. The more I think about it, the more it does.

Also, why did we not get more of a glimpse into Agent Carter's life at her funeral service? This was a Captain America movie after all (although it felt more like an Avengers movie to me) and she was an important part of his life. This would have been the perfect opportunity to honor her in a more respectable way. 

On a positive note, I do like that the legacy of Agent Carter is, in a way, being carried on through her niece in the Marvel Universe. I also liked that what she had to say at her aunt's funeral solidified Steve's decision not to sign the Sokovia Accords. Additionally, it made me happy that Natasha went there just to be a good friend despite their different viewpoints. 

By the way, why did they only have a few days to read such a detailed and important document? Did they even read it before making their respective decisions? It seems like especially those wished to sign it did so carelessly. 

Something else that left me feeling unsettled was the ending. Being technically a Captain America movie, I wasn't sure what to think about how it ended. I sure hope there will be another Captain America movie in the future because I need more. Or maybe there is more to be seen of him in future Avengers movies. Hmmm...

I was interested in seeing how Iron Man would play into this movie. He did, after all, destroy his gear in Iron Man 3, though he did also remind us that he is still Iron Man. I'm both elated and confused about this. It basically undid the ending to Iron Man 3 (I honestly wish someone would undo that entire movie), but that could be a good thing in a way. The reprisal of his suit did apparently put a strain on his already unsteady relationship with Pepper, but then again, he is Iron Man. Where would the Avengers be without him? Like I said, I'm both elated and confused. And I feel bad for Pepper.

At any rate, I did enjoy the movie. All of the Captain America movies have engaging plots with depth, in my opinion. "Captain America: Civil War" was no exception. Cap has even become one of my favorite avengers, in large part because of the way he carries himself and because of his loyalty to Bucky. The guy has a big, big heart. I felt sad for Cap at the end when he no longer had anyone from his past left (until there's a cure for Bucky, anyway). But I was also glad for his modern day friendships.

As with many other MCU movies, I also loved the combination of emotion, witty humor (for example, I laughed out loud when Falcon said to Black Panther, "So you like cats." Cap's reaction and Falcon's comment after that were equally funny to me), and exciting action scenes that had a purpose. Some of the action scenes, to me, had the markings of classic comics battles. Not that I'm a huge fan of comics, but it was still fun to see this in a blockbuster movie.

It was good also see the development of two fairly new characters, Wanda and Vision. I enjoyed getting to know the Black Panther, too. I always felt a sense of relief when he retracted his claws. :-) 

I'm a huge fan of previous Spider-man movies. However, when I first watched "Captain America: Civil War" (you know...back when I was young and naive), I didn't like the version of Spider-man that was in this movie. However, watching it again, I felt like he added an element to the Avengers that it didn't already have. He was clearly younger than all of them. This was evident to me from the first time he was introduced in the movie, beginning with the blaring music. I thought he complemented the (now divided) team quite well. It was also fun to see them all use their different powers in various ways...against each other, even. I think there was a dose of reality in that aspect of the plot.

I have to admit, though. I missed my beloved Thor in this movie. However, I know I'll be seeing him again. That's the beauty of the MCU. There's always more to come and I'm always excited to see the next movie. How will I cope when I finally catch up and have to wait a year to see them???