Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Captain America Civil War

 

Civil War is one of the 2016 entries into the MCU. It was directed by Joe and Anthony Russo and brought back nearly all of the MCU main characters/actors. This movie was really a sequel to all the various movies that have come before and was as much an Ironman sequel as it was a Captain America sequel. I will not go too much into the story because to do so would be to give too much away. But there are elements of revenge, misdirection, and, most of all, consequences for the things that came before. It is really the first attempt in the movies to deal with the collateral damage done to the ordinary public after the big climactic battles like those of the two Avengers movies, the second Thor movie, etc. The fallout of that collateral damage leads some characters to agree to let the United Nations decide when and where to deploy the superheroes, which begins to fracture the team. What ultimately causes the biggest rift is a much larger storyline involving Captain America (Chris Evans), Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), and Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.).

This transition movie is bridging what has come before with what we know is coming, specifically the Infinity Wars movie. This movie leaves the Avengers team very much tattered, with Thor and Hulk conspicuously absent. It leaves a question about where those characters will fall when they are brought back into the storyline. As most know, this movie also introduces Black Panther, which I think is very well played by Chadwick Boseman, and yet another incarnation of Spider-Man, this time played by Tom Holland. In the main battle between the two teams, Spider-Man and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) very much steal the scenes, both in terms of comedy and with what they bring to the fight.

For those who get the discs, the movie looks and sounds great on Blu-ray. For extras, there is a commentary track on the film by the filmmakers (none of the cast), about an hour plus of making-of and behind-the-scenes material, and a gag reel. There is also a short feature introducing the Doctor Strange movie. Ultimately, this movie is not so complex that you would have no idea what is going on if you have not seen the other movies, but given the movies and, to a smaller extent, the various TV series are all telling a large overarching story, the events of this movie will be easier to follow the more you have seen what has come before. The acting is very good, and the special effects are top-notch. If you have superhero fatigue with all the various movies or are just lukewarm to them in general, then this will probably not be for you. For everybody else, while liking it or not will be subjective, most will find it enjoyable.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is one of the 2014 entries in the MCU collection of movies. It stars Chris Evans, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Scarlett Johansson, Emily VanCamp, Samuel L. Jackson, and Robert Redford. It is both a follow-up to The original Avengers movie (the events of which are lightly touched on in this movie) and to the first Captain America movie, The First Avenger. It is, not surprisingly, more of a follow-up to the latter than the former. In the movie, Steve Rodgers (played by Evans) is still trying to adjust to living in this century after having "died" in the 1940s. It also continues the S.H.E.I.L.D/Hydra battle that started during the events of the first movie when it was assumed Hydra was defeated. To say much more would be to give away too much of the plot, but Hydra uses their own super soldier (The Winter Soldier) who ties back to the first movie as well. And, of course, for those who follow The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D series, the fallout from the events of this movie is also continued there.

There are multiple physical media releases for the movie now. The single-disc blu-ray includes a few short featurettes, some deleted scenes, and a gag reel. There is also a commentary track for the film by directors Anthony and Joe Russo. It's not a ton of material, but it's fine for what there is. Of course, the movie looks and sounds great on blu-ray.

The movie is very well written and acted. Some of the familiar notables (Black Widow, Agent Hill, Nick Fury), all play roles in the movie. It also introduces the character of Falcon (Mackie) into the movie. Scarlett Johansson probably has the biggest supporting role in the movie as Black Widow, and she and Evans have pretty good chemistry playing the straight-laced Rodgers against the not-so-straight-laced Black Widow. There are 2 scenes after the movie, one mid-credits scene and one post-credits that will set up the inevitable Captain America 3. All in all, if you are a fan of the Marvel movies, this one is one of the better stand-alone movies and sets up some of the larger storylines. If you liked the first Captain America movie then you will probably like this one as well.

Blu-Ray/Movie Review: Gifted

 

Gifted is a great movie starring Chris Evans (in a role that is the polar opposite of his Marvel action roles) and McKenna Grace, in one of her first major movie roles. Evans stars as Frank Adler, a single guy working on a boat and is the guardian of his seven-year-old niece, Mary (played by Grace), whose mother Diane, who was a math prodigy committed suicide when Mary was six months old. Mary, like her mother, is a math genius who relates more to adults (her best friend is her neighbor played by Octavia Spencer) than she does to kids her own age. Frank wants to put her in public school and give her as normal a life as possible, while his mother, played by Lindsay Duncan, wants to put Mary in a school for gifted kids. The movie is basically an emotional drama that deals with the custody fight between Frank and his mother, Mary trying to cope with being a seven-year-old who is as smart as many 30-year-olds but is still emotionally a kid, and all of them trying to figure out how to have normal relationships with each other and other people. 

The A/V quality of the blu-ray transfer is good, but not outstanding. Of course, there are no big-budget special effects so for all but the die-hard video wonks, the A/V quality is likely going to be perfectly fine. The disc is pretty light on bonus features. The most extensive is a 13-minute HBO first look, and then 8 minutes of deleted scenes. Then there are a series of short promotional featurettes and the trailer. The total running time of the extras is a little over a half hour. While there are not a lot of extras, what is included is good.

Overall, the movie is very good. Grace is most definitely the stand-out, easily able to go from being an immature kid to someone who is more mature than a lot of adults with ease. Evans also does a very good job in a movie that is outside the genre for which he is known, as does Jenny Slate who plays one of Mary's teachers and a love interest for Frank. Grace and Evans have great chemistry together, and Octavia Spencer does a very good job in her relatively small role. It is definitely a movie worth watching if you are looking for a good drama.