Heroes fight heroes in aptly titled 'Civil War'

Chris Evans and Robert Downey Jr. star in "Captain America: Civil War". Image courtesy Disney.

In most other years I’d be much more elated to see “Captain America: Civil War.” It’s mostly what I want from a superhero film, a smart film with well-done action sequences and one of the most fascinating villains the Marvel franchise has produced. Timing is part of the film’s issue, with the spate of comic book flicks wearing me out as a viewer, and the film does possess some of the issues afflicted “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and especially “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.” That “Civil War” remains an entertaining, exciting flick despite those problems is a testament to the filmmakers’ talents and to the performances of Chris Evans as the eponymous hero and Daniel Brühl as the villain Zemo.

Offering too much of the plot in this case

At the heart of “Civil War” is the question of what the world should do with beings of enormous strength and talents who traipse around the world doing as they please. The solution in the film is to rein in the heroes with a third party, in this case the United Nations, providing oversight and control to these beings when they fight aliens, gods and insane robots. It’s a solution that splits the Avengers, with one camp led by a perpetually guilt-ridden Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) in favor of some control over them: he’s joined by War Machine (Don Cheadle), Vision (Paul Bettany), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Spider-Man (Tom Holland). Evans’ liberty loving Captain America opposes the concept and is wary of government agendas: he has Black Falcon (Anthony Mackie), Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) and Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) in agreement. Conflict between the camps arises after Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) is accused of bombing a United Nations meeting, pitting Captain America’s old friend against Iron Man’s crew and a vengeful Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman). Is everything as black and white as it seems though? And what, exactly, is Zemo up to on the periphery of the heroes’ internal struggle?

My main regret with the otherwise very good “Civil War” is the diminished presence of the eponymous hero. Evans has grown into the role beautifully since his first outing, establishing why he is the leader of a band of loners featuring a god, a rage-fueled beast, and a lovable alcoholic narcissist. Yet the almost two-and-a-half hour run time features almost as much Tony Stark – a character with three films to himself – as it does Steve Rogers, and there is much more to mine from the character. Perhaps rerouting Stark's visit to Queens to meet Spider-Man (a line or two of dialogue would have covered it) into Rogers' story would have helped. As it is, “Civil War” is a better “Avengers” film than a feature on Captain America, and I’d still like to see another entry devoted to Evans’ Steve Rogers.

It's a symptom of a larger problem with these superhero films, the need to incorporate as many characters as possible to build to the end game. A film purportedly about Captain America spends a sizable amount of time introducing characters like Spider-Man and Black Panther – both of whom have their own movies scheduled for release in 2017 and 2018, respectively – while balancing screen time for established characters like Black Widow (who still does not have her own film), Scarlet Witch, Ant-Man, Black Falcon, Bucky Barnes, Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), Vision, Hawkeye, War Machine, Iron Man and Cap himself. The villain also must receive a modicum of attention to keep the plot moving, although not quite enough to make him as vital as he should be (Brühl can only do so much with so little time). “Civil War” is a hefty film, but it isn't long enough to offer adequate time for all these characters and the regular plot machinations without some trimming, leaving Brühl's Zemo and Hawkeye a little left out and cutting down the quality time spent with Cap and Black Widow – a the high point of “Winter Soldier.”

“Civil War” nearly pulls it all off though thanks to some terrific writing and the directing talents of Anthony and Joe Russo, who know how to stage a good, satisfying fight scene between super powered protagonists and keep the film going with ease. Even with so much time diverted to the plethora of characters the filmmakers always focus on telling a complete story with depth and nuance and one heck of a twist at the end. And Brühl's Zemo makes for a compelling, quiet villain who succeeds without the aid of super powers or impossible technology. He's cunning and ruthless and daring, yet oddly sympathetic because he fights such powerful figures without powers or even henchmen to throw at them. It’s a nice change of pace from the textbook big bads in the other Marvel properties.

“Civil War” is a victory for comic book fans and the millions of people who will flock to theaters this weekend to see it. The film is on the upper end of what the genre has to offer, offering a good balance of smarts and brawn while effectively setting up the massive two-parter three years down the line. It's still admittedly a slight step down from “Winter Soldier” – arguably the best of the recent Marvel films – but “Civil War” is still a damn good superhero movie.

Review: Four and a quarter out of Five Stars

Click here to see the trailer.

Rating: PG-13

Run time: 146 minutes

Genre: Action

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Target audience: Pretty much anyone willing to pay money to see Marvel superheroes fight.

Take the whole family?: There is a fair amount of violence in this, so perhaps keep kids younger than 10 at home.

Theater or Netflix?: Definitely good enough for a theater trip. It's also much more fun with an audience.

Why can't DC do films like this?: Some of it is on Marvel/Disney, who are smart enough to build up to its main selling point instead of tossing two vital characters fight on the first shot. “Civil War” is a logical progression of the relationship between Captain American and Iron Man, with a modicum of third-party puppetry thrown in; “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” features two idiots too dumb to talk to each other and avoid their battle royale.

Watch this as well?: The first two “Captain America” films are among the best to come out in Marvel's recent spate of releases, while the first “Avengers” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” are a lot of fun as well. Feel free to skip “Howard the Duck” though.

The very pretty 'Jungle Book' a little light on content

Neel Seethi as Mowgli and Ben Kingsley's Bagheera in "The Jungle Book." Image courtesy Disney.

The frustrating thing with “The Jungle Book” is how much it teases the audience into being an excellent film instead of the good but underwhelming flick it ends up being. It is more often than not a visually stunning, engaging romp featuring a rather good child actor and some excellent voice work from its cast. And yet the problems arrive with a bang, a result of some dreadful decisions coupled with plotting issues that bog down the final act.

Yet another adaptation of Kipling's eponymous story collection, “The Jungle Book” centers on the adventures of feral child Mowgli (Neel Seethi), a so-called man-cub who lives a simple life with his family of wolves – including den mother Raksha (Lupita Nyong'o) and pack leader Akela (Giancarlo Esposito) – and is watched over by wise panther Bagheera (Ben Kingsley). At least, that is, until the day when vicious tiger Shere Khan (Idris Elba) proclaims his intent to murder the boy, forcing Mowgli to flee along with Bagheera to a human village. Their plans go awry due to tiger-related shenanigans, and poor Mowgli is left alone to fend for himself in unknown territory, surrounded by hypnotic python Kaa (Scarlett Johansson) and little creatures that steal his food. Fortunately he meets lazy bear Baloo (Bill Murray), who teaches the boy to embrace his human side and adopt a more carefree life. Baloo's teachings put Mowgli in a bit of a moral quandary, and it only gets more complicated once he runs into the sizable King Louie (Christopher Walken) and has to face down Shere Khan one last time.

“The Jungle Book” opens with a bang as young Mowgli scampers toward the viewer, escaping some momentarily unseen entity chasing him through the dangerous jungle. It's a terrific start to the film, hinting at Mowgli's ingenuity and cleverness while showing how he's both embraced and shunted a bit from his adopted family. The film at its best has a lot of these little details, including a running point in which Mowgli picks up a scar or two during every little adventure. It's a nice touch of verisimilitude for a movie that is fantastic by nature and by effect.

The film remains quite charming to a point, which comes out of the blue when Baloo starts singing “Bare Necessities” from the animated film. It’s a distracting moment that unleashes a floodgate of callbacks, lowlighted by a Walken performance of the very racist “I Wanna Be Like You.” That first moment with Baloo singing to himself unleashes a flood of flaws that dampen the viewing experience. The songs hinder the narrative flow, creating a rather rushed third act that also drains much of the film’s dramatic agency, a problem capped by a weak, puzzling and ultimately lazy finale. There’s also the insertion of a secondary revenge motivation involving Mowgli’s father, which highlights “The Jungle Book’s” major problem; writer Justin Marks’ disorganized script.

And yet the whole of “The Jungle Book” is just good enough to outweigh the weaker parts and is helped along greatly by Seethi, who performs more like a child then an actor, especially given that he acts alongside CGI creatures in a fake jungle. And the voice actors inhabiting those ersatz creatures are first rate. Elba is perfectly cruel and blasé as Khan, while Johansson plays a major part in providing what is the film’s best sequence; she has a knack for controlling her voice in a manner both alluring, sweet and subtly terrifying. Even Murray seems to be having a little fun as Baloo, who enters the film is a way Bill Murray enters people’s lives in real life.

Considering how much goes right with it, it’s still difficult not to consider the film at least something of a letdown though. Its flashes of brilliance – even the problematic third act has one really terrific visual moment – are enough to dream of what could have been for director Jon Favreau. Perhaps he and Marks were forced to shoehorn in the music numbers (although it wouldn’t explain why one song returns as an orchestral during a chase sequence) and add in the silly “Star Wars” inspired subplot, making for a more inspired film than what’s left. All that’s left to analyze though is what Favreau and company ultimately delivered; a very good but flawed film that comes very close to being exceptional.

Review: Four out of Five Stars

Click here to see the trailer.

Rating: PG

Run time: 105 minutes

Genre: Adventure

Ask Away

Target audience: Families with kids old enough to handle a little intensity. Speaking of which...

Take the whole family?: There's way too much going on kinetically and a couple of scary scenes that will turn off kids younger than 5.

Theater or Netflix?: Theater should be OK, but don't pay for the 3D if you have more than a child or two with you.

How racist is this?: Not as bad as it could be given the involvement of Disney and Rudyard Kipling. The main issue is the resurrection of “I Wanna Be Like You,” which in is a song about racial inferiority and efforts to become more “civilized.” It's one of many reasons Disney would have been better served excising the songs from this version.

Watch this as well?: Disney's first crack at Rudyard Kipling's short story collection has its charms, along with a heavy undertone of racism that makes it a little difficult to watch these days. Also flash back to one of those old “Tarzan” films Johnny Weissmuller; considering the Tarzan character is based on Mowgli, it brings things full circle.

Life in pictures, in a picture

Josh Brolin in a scene from "Hail, Caesar!" Image courtesy Universal Pictures.

Picking on Hollywood for being shallow and vainglorious and outright artificial is both easy and passé, at least when its done by lesser hands. “Hail, Caesar!” – a flick that teases Hollywood for the reasons listed above and more – is, fortunately, a Coen Brothers film, which automatically grants this movie a little more panache than it would have otherwise. And while even cinema’s greatest sibling pairing can’t avoid the trappings of the insider flick, their version flashes the brothers’ eccentric mindset, and it’s quite clear the brothers mock with love, not viciousness.

Based on the imagination of the Joel and Ethan Coen, “Hail, Caesar!” stars the terrific Josh Brolin as the perfectly named Eddie Mannix, a Hollywood studio head defined by his efficiency, tireless work ethic, and perfect mustache. Taking place over the course of around 28 hours or so, the film catches Brolin amid his day-to-day business dealings, including breaking up illicit photo sessions with a starlet, converting oater star Hobie Doyle (Alden Ehrenreich) into the star of a Douglas Sirk-esque flick (directed by Ralph Fiennes), and arranging to have pregnant star DeeAnna Morgan (Scarlett Johansson) married off before her child is born. The man has a pretty busy life, and it gets all the crazier when the star of his upcoming blockbuster “Hail, Caesar!” Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) is kidnapped by a gaggle of communist writers and held for ransom. All of that comes on the same day that Brolin must decide if he'll take a management position with Lockheed Martin, a job that offers better pay, better hours and far less insanity. Throughout the day he also visits a slew of characters played by Tilda Swinton, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Frances McDormand, Alison Pill and an armada of that guys.

“Hail, Caesar!” is a rather silly little film made by two of the best filmmakers of all time, which makes it something more than a silly little film. A Coen Brothers film is guaranteed to have more going on than what it shows, and there is certainly something bubbling beneath the surface of Clooney's innocent mugging and sly gay jokes at Tatum's expense. There's definitely religious undertones – a bit heavy handed, although perhaps a jab at their own reliance on them? – as well as commentary about the McCarthy era and about the pettiness of Hollywood life, topics that have been covered frequently, including by the Coens themselves in movies like “Barton Fink.”

Few filmmakers would wrap those subjects in such a bright, shiny ribbon as the Coen Boys do. The brothers weave in era-appropriate dance numbers, synchronized swimming routines and even a lovely little cowboy song into the swing of thing, weaving in footage of films within the universe depicted in “Hail, Caesar!” – including the titular flick featuring Clooney's Whitman – with the reality in which those films are shot. The divide between the film’s reality and the films within the film become difficult to parse as the movie goes on; Michael Gambon's narrator provides voiceover for “Hail, Caesar!” the movie and “Hail, Caesar!” the movie within the movie and stars will find themselves reenacting scenes from their own films in the fake real life. Two of the actors even start singing a song together that, in most films, would lead into a full-on musical number (the fact it doesn't and ultimately segues into a sequence befitting a noir thriller is totally Coen).

The downside of the blurring reality is the effect it has on the plot machinations. The Coens paint themselves into a corner when it comes to the resolution for the internal strife Brolin's Mannix faces; there is only one way the film could end because “Hail, Caesar!” follows the same rules as the fake movies it parodies adoringly. It's not the first time the Coen Brothers have run up against this problem, and it kills the sense of uncertainty featured in their best work.

Darn it though if the movie itself isn't a blast. The Coen boys know their way around fast talking characters, and the actors they enlist are up to the challenge of revisiting a strange time in filmmaking history. “Hail, Caesar!” certainly never reaches the brilliance of “No Country for Old Men” or “Fargo” or “Miller's Crossing” or “The Big Lebowski” or “Raising Arizona,” but it is just fine as it is; a fun, smart and peculiar little film.

Review: Four out of Five Stars

Click here to see the trailer.

Rating: PG-13

Run time: 106 minute

Genre: Comedy

Ask Away

Target audience: Coen Brothers film fans and people who like screwball comedies.

Take the whole family?: There really isn't anything overly explicit about this film. The kids would get a little bored by it, but they won't require earmuffs either.

Theater or Netflix?: Good for a rainy day matinee.

Is this really a February film?: Even if this isn’t the best Coen Brothers film, the thing is much better than the average February selection. It’s not quite good enough on the whole to fit the late fall Oscar rush (although I hope Josh Brolin isn’t forgotten for next year’s Academy Awards) and this definitely isn’t a summer film either. Such a shame to waste a good film during the worst season for films.

Watch this as well?: Almost everything by the Coens is at least good, but “Barton Fink” and the cruelly underrated “Hudsucker Proxy” exhibit the filmmakers' quirky take on Hollywood life and love for fast talking films, respectively. Also flag down Robert Altman's “The Player,” which features “Hudsucker Proxy” lead Tim Robbins as a darker version of Brolin’s Eddie Mannix.