![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Good intentions, bad choices
May. 8th, 2016 10:16 pmI, as everyone else, saw Captain America: Civil War and it was as fun as the trailers promised. And like all the reviewers promised it didn’t feel overcrowded as Age of Ultron did. And the introduction of both Black Panther and Spiderman was superbly executed and left me wanting to see their own movies. Good job marketing!
I also saw it in IMAX 3D and it was OK but not really worth it until the big battle. That was filmed with IMAX cameras and there is big difference between this 3D and the upgraded 3D. In that battle all the details are so crisp and everything is shinier and everyone’s prettier and there is more depth. That was cool to see on the big screen.
One of the things that surprised me when I was watching Civil War was that I disagreed with Cap. This doesn’t mean I’m Team Iron Man exactly but I see the point of view of the governments and the public opinion that drove them to it as completely rational. After all, at least in democracies, governments are selected by people and armed forces (and spies) are, at least nominally, under the rule of those governments and all of them answer to law. Avengers operate on their personal discretion and don’t answer to anyone.
Captain America freely admits that he does what he thinks is right and anyone else’s opinion is not as good as his. And if they disagree he will use force to push his agenda. Trial by combat is not how the world is supposed to work.
Of course, he is a really nice guy and really wants the best for everyone but everyone, even the bad guys, believe they are doing the right thing and that ends justify the means. However, one - intentions are not the same as effects of your actions (after all, road to hell is paved with the best of them). And two - the public in MCU isn’t privy to all the information we are - they don’t know Steve like we know him so why would they trust him. He doesn’t trust them.
Of course, Tony Stark isn’t much better as he basically just acts on his feelings - guilt, remorse, hurt (and the whole Ultron mess happened because he ignored everyone’s objection to satisfy his curiosity) and picks a side or a fight based on them. Until a new one comes along that is. He kept being wrong and losing control despite trying to do the right thing and stay in control of everything. His life and his life's work is unravelling here and all he does is ju7st making it worse. Friends gone or hurt. And damage count keeps rising.
I also don’t think that a force defending Earth from threats like that should be steered by a committee - that never works. However, I do think that they should be more directly responsible for the damage they cause. Just not by being stuck in a secret prison without trial.
In the end I was left with a feeling that only Natasha and T'Chaka turned out to be grown up. Black Widow just tried to do all she could to de-escalate the situation. And Black Panther understood the trap that revenge is and chose the law instead off his feelings.
And to my surprise I felt sad about Zemo (one nitpick though - noone but English speakers would say that as Zeemo). He was consumed by his grief and the revenge left nothing but ashes. What's left when nothing's left? I'm hoping Daniel Brühl gets to be a villain again - instead of being killed off in 5 minutes in the next film.
I also saw it in IMAX 3D and it was OK but not really worth it until the big battle. That was filmed with IMAX cameras and there is big difference between this 3D and the upgraded 3D. In that battle all the details are so crisp and everything is shinier and everyone’s prettier and there is more depth. That was cool to see on the big screen.
One of the things that surprised me when I was watching Civil War was that I disagreed with Cap. This doesn’t mean I’m Team Iron Man exactly but I see the point of view of the governments and the public opinion that drove them to it as completely rational. After all, at least in democracies, governments are selected by people and armed forces (and spies) are, at least nominally, under the rule of those governments and all of them answer to law. Avengers operate on their personal discretion and don’t answer to anyone.
Captain America freely admits that he does what he thinks is right and anyone else’s opinion is not as good as his. And if they disagree he will use force to push his agenda. Trial by combat is not how the world is supposed to work.
Of course, he is a really nice guy and really wants the best for everyone but everyone, even the bad guys, believe they are doing the right thing and that ends justify the means. However, one - intentions are not the same as effects of your actions (after all, road to hell is paved with the best of them). And two - the public in MCU isn’t privy to all the information we are - they don’t know Steve like we know him so why would they trust him. He doesn’t trust them.
Of course, Tony Stark isn’t much better as he basically just acts on his feelings - guilt, remorse, hurt (and the whole Ultron mess happened because he ignored everyone’s objection to satisfy his curiosity) and picks a side or a fight based on them. Until a new one comes along that is. He kept being wrong and losing control despite trying to do the right thing and stay in control of everything. His life and his life's work is unravelling here and all he does is ju7st making it worse. Friends gone or hurt. And damage count keeps rising.
I also don’t think that a force defending Earth from threats like that should be steered by a committee - that never works. However, I do think that they should be more directly responsible for the damage they cause. Just not by being stuck in a secret prison without trial.
In the end I was left with a feeling that only Natasha and T'Chaka turned out to be grown up. Black Widow just tried to do all she could to de-escalate the situation. And Black Panther understood the trap that revenge is and chose the law instead off his feelings.
And to my surprise I felt sad about Zemo (one nitpick though - noone but English speakers would say that as Zeemo). He was consumed by his grief and the revenge left nothing but ashes. What's left when nothing's left? I'm hoping Daniel Brühl gets to be a villain again - instead of being killed off in 5 minutes in the next film.
